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Books That Help
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself
by Nedra Glover Tawwab
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So often, our troubles come from poor boundary-setting. For example, burnout can occur when we don’t know how to say no to others’ demands of us, so we take on more than we have capacity for. Eventually, we run out of steam.
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I love this book – and so do my clients. It’s a clear, easy-to-read look at how we can identify where our boundaries are off-base, and set boundaries effectively. It’s really practical, with lots of examples and useful advice.
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The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
by Elaine N. Aron
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Some of us are born with higher than average sensitivities. We may be easily overwhelmed by sensory input like noises or crowds. We may be very good at sensing others’ emotions, and we often feel our own emotions very intensely.
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This trait of sensitivity can be a wonderful asset – the artists, caretakers, and counsellors of the world tend to be highly sensitive – but it also leaves us more vulnerable to mental health issues like anxiety or PTSD. This book has deeply resonated with many of my clients, and has allowed them to be more accepting and compassionate towards themselves.
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What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
by Stephanie Foo
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The field of psychology is just beginning to wrap our heads around complex trauma. For those of us who experienced chronic trauma throughout our early years, our symptoms and suffering in the here and now can be very hard to understand and live with.
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After years of struggling with symptoms of Complex-PTSD, and after she finally got the treatment she needed, Stephanie Foo wrote this beautiful memoir about how she was able to heal over time. She shares research on trauma, and chronicles her journey of finding therapies that worked for her. This book can help us to have more compassion for our symptoms and can inspire us to heal .
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What Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
by Lundy Bancroft
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So often, trauma is caused by abuse. For anyone who has been the victim of Intimate Partner Violence (which includes physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse), this book is a godsend. Lindy Bancroft spent his career working with and studying angry and controlling men, and wrote this classic book on the many aspects of domestic violence.
This book has helped my clients to understand what is and was really going on in their abusive relationships. What is the mindset of an abuser? Why does abuse impact us so much? Why is it so hard to walk away? This book arms us with knowledge so that we can get out of, and stay away from, abusive dynamics in our lives.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224552.Why_Does_He_Do_That_
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