My Most Frequently Recommended Books
It is not uncommon in therapy to have your therapist recommend reading in between sessions. Reading can be a cost effective way to add onto your therapy experience. Ideally the therapy hour will be for processing, while reading in between sessions can be a helpful way to learn, dig deeper, and explore outside of session. There are three books I find myself recommending to clients (and friends too!) over and over again. I have personally read these and seen changes in my own life as well as in the lives of my clients:
Attached by Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller
Understanding your attachment style can be one of the most powerful and potent changes you make for yourself and even for your relationships. This text is easy to read, non-judgmental, and practical.
It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn
Intergenerational trauma is a real and important part of understanding yourself on an individual and systems level. This is another text that is easy to read and comes with practical application as well as insight building information. (Reader do beware: some of this text embraces a “forgiveness as a means of healing” philosophy. This is not my particular belief system, but I found the text nonetheless helpful).
Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
Possibly my most recommended text of the three, I give this book the rarely used title of “life changing”. Do read it slowly - take your time to soak it in and ponder it. This is a book I come back to throughout my life, as self-compassion is contrary to cultural practices and often times our brains regress back to what is familiar rather than best for us. Research is continuing to show that self-compassion is one of the most powerful antidotes to shame. Anecdotally, this is where I see the most change happen with clients.; when they replace shame with compassion for themselves.
Happy reading, friends! All of these books are also available at the San Bernardino County Public Library via the libby app, and also can be read as an Audio book.
