The following are books for healing trauma to help you embark on your recovery journey.
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What Constitutes A Trauma?
Trauma refers to a deeply disturbing or distressing event that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.
Traumatic experiences can be physical, emotional or psychological in nature; they can also range from deeply personal to larger societal tragedies.
Big “T” and little “t” trauma are terms used to differentiate between different levels of traumatic experiences and their impact on individuals.
Big “T” trauma refers to major events that are often life-threatening or involve a significant threat to physical or psychological well-being.
Some common examples of big “T” trauma include natural disasters, accidents, violent crimes, war-zone experiences, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and the sudden death of a loved one.
Trauma can also occur from ongoing, chronic stressors such as poverty, discrimination, or long-term illness.
On the other hand, little “t” trauma encompasses less severe but still distressing events that can accumulate over time and have a cumulative negative impact on mental health.
Examples of little “t” trauma can include bullying, family conflicts, divorce, or ongoing stress at work. While little “t” trauma may not always lead to diagnosable disorders, it can still affect an individual’s daily functioning and overall well-being.
It is important to note that the distinction between big “T” and little “t” trauma is not absolute and can vary from person to person based on their individual resilience, coping mechanisms, and support systems.
Understanding and acknowledging both types of trauma is crucial in providing appropriate support and interventions for those who have experienced them.
Books For Healing Trauma
1. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
By Bessel van der Kolk
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller.
In this book, you’ll discover the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
2. What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
By Bruce D. Perry , Oprah Winfrey
Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future – opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.
Related: Why Is Trauma Therapy So Hard? (+Best Trauma Healing Exercises To Support Your Recovery)
3. Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists
By Onno van der Hart , Kathy Steele , Suzette Boon
This training manual for patients who have a trauma-related dissociative disorder offers short educational pieces, homework sheets, and exercises that address ways in which dissociation interferes with essential emotional and life skills, and support inner communication and collaboration with dissociative parts of the personality.
Related: 7 Trauma Release Exercises To Support Your Recovery After Trauma
4. Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma
By Elizabeth A. Stanley
Dr. Elizabeth Stanley, a pioneering researcher, explains the significance of the trauma continuum, how it affects our resilience in the face of challenge, and why an event that’s stressful for one person can be traumatizing for another.
With stories from men and women Dr. Stanley gives readers hands-on strategies they can use themselves, whether they want to perform under pressure or heal from traumatic experience, while at the same time pointing our understanding in a new direction.
5. Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing
By David A. Treleaven
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness explains how we can minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness for trauma survivors while leveraging its powerful benefits.
The book illustrates the ways mindfulness can help—or hinder—trauma recovery and offers a groundbreaking and practical approach that empowers those looking to practice mindfulness in a safe, transformative way.
6. Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma
By Staci K. Haines , Traci Odom
This is the first encouraging, sex-positive guide for all women survivors of sexual assault — heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, coupled, and single — who want to reclaim their sex lives.
Healing Sex encourages women to learn how to say “yes” — to their own desires and on their own terms and offers a mind-body approach to healing from sexual trauma.
7. Flying on the Inside: A Memoir of Trauma and Recovery
By Rachel Gotto
This is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey back from the brink. Newly widowed and faced with a deadly brain tumour, she was given two years to live. She wanted more…
This gripping and inspiring memoir about overcoming tragedy and trauma charts one tenacious woman’s incredible fight to find light in the darkest of journeys. It is a life-affirming tale of positivity and hope in the face of the most difficult of human experiences.
Related: Best 10 Proven Ways to Heal From Childhood Trauma Splitting
Workbooks For Healing Trauma
8. Transforming The Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists
By Janina Fisher
Dr. Janina Fisher, international expert on trauma, has spent over 40 years working with survivors, helping them to navigate their journey. In Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma, she shows how the legacy of symptoms helped them survive and offers:
- Step-by-step strategies that can be used on their own or in collaboration with a therapist
- Simple diagrams that make sense of the confusing feelings and physical reactions survivors experience
- Worksheets to practice the skills that bring relief and ultimately rejuvenation
Related: Best 15 Inner Child Exercises: How To Connect With Your Inner Child (& Heal Your Childhood Wounds)
9. Life After Trauma: A Workbook for Healing
By Dena Rosenbloom , Mary Beth Williams , Barbara E. Watkins
This supportive workbook helps trauma survivors find and use crucial skills for coping, self-understanding, and self-care.
Filled with comforting activities, relaxation techniques, self-evaluation questionnaires, and exercises, the workbook explains how and why trauma can throw you for a loop and what survivors can do now to cope.
Related: Inner Child Wounds Test (+4 Attachment Imagery Exercises To Heal Inner Child Wounds)
10. Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook
By Erika Shershun
Drawing on the powerful mind-body techniques of somatic therapy, The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook is a step-by-step guide to overcoming the psychological effects of sexual trauma, and increasing positive body awareness and vitality.
How Books for Healing Trauma Can Help?
Books for healing trauma can be an effective complement to therapy or other forms of professional support and can help individuals take important steps towards recovery and healing.
Some benefits of using books for healing trauma include:
1. Understanding: Books can help individuals better understand trauma, its effects, and the various ways it can manifest.
2. Coping Strategies: Many books offer helpful coping strategies for managing and reducing symptoms of trauma, such as anxiety or depression.
3. Empowerment: Reading about others’ experiences can be validating and empowering, helping individuals feel less alone in their struggles and more capable of taking control of their healing journey.
4. Privacy: Books provide a private and confidential way to explore difficult topics related to trauma, without having to discuss them with others if one is not comfortable.
5. Accessibility: Books are often affordable and easily accessible, making them a convenient option for those who may not have access to therapy or other forms of professional support.
Conclusion
Books for healing trauma can be a valuable tool in the recovery process of individuals who have experienced trauma.
These books often provide a safe and supportive space for readers to understand their experiences, learn coping strategies, and ultimately begin to heal.
