Therapist-recommended books for understanding yourself, strengthening relationships, and supporting emotional wellness and personal growth.
What is Trauma?
“Trauma is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you. -Gabor Mate
Trauma isn't defined only by what happened. It is also about how an experience affected you, especially when something overwhelmed your ability to cope, left you feeling unsafe or powerless, or continues to shape how your nervous system responds long after the experience ends. Trauma can affect far more than our memories of what happened. It can shape how we respond to stress, experience emotions, relate to others, and understand ourselves. These resources can help you make sense of common trauma responses, understand how the nervous system adapts to overwhelming experiences, and learn ways to feel safer, more regulated, and more connected to the present.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Why can an experience continue to affect me long after it’s over?
Why does my body sometimes react as if I’m in danger even when I know I’m safe?
Why do I react to stress in ways that don't always make sense to me afterward?
Why can something small create such a big emotional or physical reaction?
Why is it so difficult for me to relax, let my guard down, or stop anticipating problems?
Why do I sometimes feel disconnected, blank, or like I don't care—even when I know I do?
Why do I sometimes feel disconnected from myself, my surroundings, or what's happening?
Why can trauma show up as tension, restlessness, exhaustion, or other physical sensations?
Why do I blame myself for things that weren't actually my responsibility?
How can experiences from childhood continue to influence my relationships, emotions, and beliefs about myself?
Why can closeness, conflict, trust, or vulnerability feel difficult even when I'm in a safe relationship?
If I can't change what happened, what does it actually mean to heal?
Recommended Books
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Pete Walker, MA, MFT
Explores how childhood trauma can shape emotional and relationship patterns in adulthood, with practical guidance for understanding triggers, reducing self-criticism, and moving from survival-based coping toward greater safety and self-compassion.
A straightforward, military-focused guide to understanding PTSD, moral injury, and common trauma responses, with an overview of treatment options and practical information for service members navigating recovery and mental health care.
The Soldier’s Guide to PTSD: Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Moral Injury, Therapy Options, and Your Mental Health (PTSD Recovery Book 1)
Carol Cruse
The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
A compassionate guide for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Through survivor stories, practical exercises, and thoughtful guidance, the book explores the healing process—from acknowledging the impact of trauma and managing difficult emotions to rebuilding trust, boundaries, and self-worth. Because the material can feel emotionally intense, readers may find it helpful to move through the book slowly and with support.
Ellen Bass & Laura Davis
What is EMDR?
Understanding trauma changes the way we understand ourselves. These resources explain how trauma affects the brain and body, prepare you for EMDR therapy, and provide tools to help regulate your nervous system. Learn what EMDR is, how it helps the brain process distressing experiences, and what you can expect during treatment.
Videos
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
What can I expect before we begin processing difficult memories?
Why can I sometimes manage difficult emotions and other times feel overwhelmed or shut down?
How can I temporarily set aside distressing thoughts or memories when I'm not ready to work through them?
How can I use gentle bilateral stimulation to support calming and emotional regulation?
What can I do when anxiety, distress, or a trauma response pulls me away from the present moment?
FILLABLE FORMS
Anxiety is your brain and body’s way of trying to protect you; sometimes the alarm system becomes a little too sensitive. These resources can help you understand how anxiety works, recognize the patterns that keep it going, and learn practical strategies for managing worry, panic, overthinking, and physical symptoms.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Why do my brain and body react this way?
What is happening to me, and what do I do when panic hits?
How do I interrupt the cycle when my brain won't let something go?
How can I use my breathing to help regulate my nervous system?
How do I release the tension my body is holding?
How do I recognize when anxiety is influencing the way I'm thinking?
How can I tell whether I'm sensing a real problem or anxiety is sounding the alarm?
ADHD is far more than distractibility. These resources focus on executive functioning, motivation, organization, and practical tools for daily life.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Why can I focus intensely on some things but struggle to start others?
Why is knowing what to do so different from being able to do it?
Why can't I just get started?
Why do I keep underestimating how long things will take?
Why doesn't “I know this is important” always create motivation?
Why do things disappear from my mind, even when they matter to me?
Why can my emotions go from 0 to 100 so quickly?
Why do I sometimes freeze when there is too much to do?
How do I work with my brain instead of constantly fighting it?
Coping skills help us respond to difficult emotions, stress, and nervous-system activation without necessarily making the feeling disappear. Different strategies work for different situations, so the goal is to build a flexible toolbox and learn what your system needs.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
How do I know which coping skill to use and when?
How can I bring my attention back to the present when my thoughts are taking over?
How can sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste help me feel more grounded?
Do I need to calm down, release energy, get grounded, solve something, or take a break?
How can I create space between what I feel and what I do next?
When is taking my mind off something helpful, and when am I avoiding it?
How can I comfort myself while staying connected to what I need?
How can I prepare myself for a situation I already know will be difficult?
FILLABLE FORMS
What helps me when I'm starting to struggle, feel overwhelmed, or feel completely depleted?
Sensitivity isn't the same as fragility. Accommodating a sensitive nervous system shouldn't mean avoiding every uncomfortable experience. The goal is enough regulation and boundaries to stay engaged with life.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Why do I seem to notice and feel things more deeply than other people?
Why do noise, activity, demands, and too much input overwhelm me so quickly?
Why do emotions affect me so deeply and sometimes linger?
How can I stay connected without becoming overwhelmed by other people's emotions and needs?
Why does conflict affect me so strongly, and how can I stay grounded during difficult conversations?
How do I protect my energy without feeling selfish or shutting people out?
Why does conflict affect me so strongly, and how can I stay grounded during difficult conversations?
How do I tell the difference between empathy, responsibility, and over-responsibility?
How can I work with my sensitivity instead of constantly trying to toughen myself up?
Burnout can leave you feeling exhausted, disconnected, and like there’s never enough of you to go around. These resources can help you recognize the signs of burnout, understand the patterns that keep it going, and find practical ways to protect your energy, set healthier boundaries, and care for yourself more sustainably.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Am I stressed, exhausted, or actually burned out?
How do I catch burnout before I hit the wall?
Why do I keep pushing until I crash and then start all over again?
Why doesn't taking a break always make me feel better?
What does self-care look like when it has to work in real life?
Why do I keep taking responsibility for everything and everyone?
How do I protect my capacity before resentment and exhaustion take over?
Who am I when I'm not accomplishing something?
Fillable Forms
What needs to change, not just temporarily, but sustainably?
Family life can be deeply rewarding and also complicated, exhausting, and constantly changing. These resources offer practical guidance for understanding behavior, strengthening connection, setting healthy boundaries, navigating difficult emotions, and responding to challenges in ways that support both children and the adults who care for them.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
Why does my child seem unable to listen when they're upset?
What might my child's behavior be trying to tell me?
How can I help my child calm down without trying to make the feeling disappear?
Can I acknowledge my child's feelings and still hold the boundary?
Why does my own regulation matter when my child is dysregulated?
How can I set firm limits without becoming harsh, punitive, or inconsistent?
Why does my child's behavior sometimes bring out such a strong reaction in me?
What do I do when I lose my patience or a family interaction goes badly?
How do I stay connected while giving my teenager more independence?
How do I parent differently when I didn't have a healthy model myself?
How do I support my child without doing for them what they need to learn to do for themselves?
What can we change as a family when everyone seems stressed, reactive, or overwhelmed?
Videos
Brené Brown
Explores how to find peace and emotional closure when reconciliation isn’t possible, with a focus on accepting what you cannot change, releasing the need for resolution from others, and moving forward while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Relationships can bring connection, comfort, and support, but they can also bring frustration, misunderstanding, and hurt. These resources offer practical guidance on strengthening communication, navigating conflict, setting healthy boundaries, rebuilding trust, and building relationships where both people feel heard, respected, and connected.
HANDOUTS & GUIDES
What helps a relationship feel safe, connected, and sustainable over time?
How do we talk about difficult things without immediately becoming defensive or disconnected?
How can I support my partner when they need understanding more than a solution?
How do I stay close to my partner without giving up my needs, limits, or individuality?
How can we disagree without turning one problem into a relationship crisis?
How do we reconnect after we've hurt each other or handled a disagreement badly?
Is keeping the peace the same thing as having a peaceful relationship?
Why does one of us feel responsible for noticing, remembering, planning, and managing everything?
How do I build a close relationship without disappearing into it?
How do we stay emotionally close when life is busy, stressful, or repetitive?
What helps trust return after it has been damaged?
Fillable Forms
How can we talk about our relationship before small problems become big ones?
Videos
Infidelity Trauma: An Interview with a Specialist
Infidelity can create a profound sense of betrayal, disrupting trust, emotional safety, and even your understanding of the relationship. In this video, an infidelity-trauma specialist explains why the emotional response can feel so intense and offers insight into the healing process. This resource may help betrayed partners feel understood while providing language for experiences that are often difficult to explain.
Infidelity Trauma: An Interview with a Specialist—Part 2
Continuing the discussion of betrayal trauma, this video explores the complex emotional impact of infidelity and what healing can look like over time. It offers further insight into common trauma responses, rebuilding emotional safety, and navigating recovery, whether partners ultimately choose to repair the relationship or move forward separately.
From Our Bookshelf
Offers practical strategies to understand thought patterns, manage mental overwhelm, and develop healthier ways to respond to stress and difficult emotions.
by Dr. Caroline Leaf
A direct, irreverent look at the habits, thought patterns, and self-defeating behaviors that can keep us stuck, with practical encouragement for taking responsibility, making changes, and getting out of our own way.
by Adam Marburger
A practical, approachable guide to managing difficult emotions, building resilience, improving motivation, and using everyday psychological tools to navigate life's challenges.
by Julie Smith
Explores neurodiversity through a strengths-based lens, highlighting the unique abilities associated with different ways of thinking while offering a more balanced perspective on neurological differences beyond deficits and diagnoses.
by Thomas Armstrong
Uses the “rainforest mind” metaphor to explore the intensity, sensitivity, creativity, perfectionism, and complexity often experienced by gifted adults and youth, offering validation and practical strategies for greater self-understanding and well-being.
by Paula Prober MS, MEd