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If (general) you are triggered by it, skip to the second half about treatments. If there are any case studies that you want to read, I think he mentions the chapters they're in.
Thank you! I have been trying to read it but the first few chapters are so tough. I will skip ahead :).
I personally really liked that one because it put my insanity into words so perfectly. However, my understanding is that it’s very clinical and geared more toward mental health professionals rather than the general public.
Definitely an intense read, I’ve been taking breaks from it now and then
I’m presently on a break from it. I listen to it on audible. I have 3+ hours left. Had a few breakthroughs listening to it, but damn does it get hard sometimes.
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate. It's really long but not boring. I like it because it's full of research, not only about trauma and the body and illness, but also about Western society and how capitalism directly impacts our ability to be human in the way that is healthy and natural. It helped me view trauma as more of a collective happening than an individual circumstance to be dealt with. Helped me feel less alone.
Thanks for this description - I’ve seen this book recommended but never understood it in this way. It sounds right up my alley, gonna have to check it out!
I have wanted to find material to read on how the western society and capitalism impact us. I have always felt so alone and like I’ll never be able to function good enough in this society and it’s frustrating. Will definitely be reading this. I’m glad I came across your recommendation.
I just finished When the Body Says No by him and it was an excellent read. I’ve never identified with a book so much.
Thanks for this. I just added it to my audible library.
One that I found surprisingly helpful was "What Happened to you?" by Bruce D Perry and Oprah Winfrey. Bruce Perry has done a lot of work with children and trauma. The examples he had in the book and the explanations really helped me to understand why I was the way I was.
On my read list now!
I recently listened to the audiobook and loved it. In my opinion, It's written/told in a very compassionate way and the case studies are interesting.
What My Bones Know by Stefanie Foo.
Ah thank you. I just added this to my Libby holds list! I actually listened to an episode of Being Well about CPTSD featuring Stephanie Foo this week… it was super good. Link in case you haven’t listened:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dxm7lv7wU1bMBgcy4u6Ut?si=xln7BtgcR92jX_RxQ_CcAA
I ate up the entire first section in a short period a couple months or so ago and it overwhelmed me so I had to stop. I’ve only been on my own healing journey for not quite a year so it may have been too much, too early. I’ll come back to it when I feel I’m in a better place.
She says she split it up so you can skip that part if you find it too overwhelming. Part one is about her background and abuse, and after that it's her healing journey.
Came here to say this!! I read this in just a few days, such a good book!
My favorite book is called Homecoming, by Thema Bryant. She also did a Tedx you can find on YouTube, to see if you would be interested in her book.
Oh, she also has a podcast called Homecoming.
I got a lot out of "How to do the Work" by Nicole Lepera. You can even find it free by typing in the book name and "pdf". It helped with a lot of great practical mind exercises and just as much validation as the others you have read. I also read the ones you have.
This is a highly subjective and individual topic because everyone's needs and preferences are different. Is there anything in particular you're struggling with, looking to learn about, or to make changes to?
Not everything will be helpful to everyone. I know many find it useful, but I really dislike Pete Walker's book as it's content can be found written about more competently and in greater detail by others elsewhere.
As for general recommendations, I highly suggest anything by Beverly Engel. Especially "It Wasn't Your Fault", which is the best book regarding shame and self-compassion I've read. "Healing Your Emotional Self" is another I've found helpful and, while it faces ugliness that some would rather avoid, her book "Breaking the Cycle of Abuse" really helped me to understand some things about myself and others.
I also recommend Janina Fisher. "Healing The Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors" was one of the first books I read and I still go back to it sometimes. I haven't gotten far into her workbook "Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma" yet because some of it has been too overwhelming to even think about - which I view as an indicator that these are things I need to be thinking about.
I also love "Rebuilding Shattered Lives" by James Chu, but it can be pretty triggering at times.
If you're into the more academic side of things, then Christine Courtios has some very informative books like "Treatment of Complex Trauma". Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps The Score" is highly recommended as well. "Nurturing Resilience" by Kathy Kain and Steven Terrell definitely isn't for everyone, but I quite like it.
If you're looking for more of a self-help style or something with actionable suggestions, I liked Arielle Schwartz's "A Practical Guide to Complex PTSD". Another one that I found to be extremely helpful, although it's geared towards therapists and the title is an incredible turn-off, is "Who You Were Before Trauma" by Luise Reddemann. Despite the title, it's not about trying to return to some mythical trauma-free state, it's about dealing with the effects of developmental trauma. It takes a more solution-focused stance than most trauma help books and is full of fantastic imagery exercises, which is something I personally find hugely beneficial.
Thanks for the amazing list, saving this post, please don't delete it.
I'm currently about half-way through Pete Walker and I'm finding myself irritated at times by the lack of detail and explanation. He uses language too imprecisely on a topic that I need precision on.
What books would you recommend instead of Walker? Is it the books in this post, or are there specific books that you would recommend but didn't mention?
It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle
It does not mention CPTSD but still was helpful to me.
To each their own, and I'm glad that it helped you, but I really disagree that this particular book is a good recommendation.
While generational trauma is absolutely a real phenomenon that needs more study and more written about it, this particular book is nearly pseudoscience. The author makes some wild reaches and draws some ridiculous conclusions regarding how genetics/epigenetics work, while also downplaying how integral the "nurture" side is to generational trauma. It read like he'd come up with his theory on inherited trauma and then forced everything into that mold, no matter how little sense it made to do so.
Correct me if I'm recalling it wrong, but doesn't he at at least one point state that a particular person's trauma symptoms were attributable to them "inheriting" the death trauma of a relative they weren't even descended from? As in, a person's uncle died and the author claims that the person somehow inherited the uncle's trauma on a genetic level? While I'm sure that being raised by a parent whose sibling had died would have some impact on a child, to claim as the author does that it has anything to do with the child's inherited genetics is unreasonable.
I agree, the author stretches the idea to somewhat ridiculous level, seemingly to add some spice. I read it after a lot of books, so I just discarded some things while reading. Probably not a book to start with, I agree.
Generational Trauma is so real, I feel this so much
The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy, and Love.epub.
This is one that explains a lot in terms of biochemistry. A rare and very good book, as most self help books only lightly touch the biological processes underlying psychological ones.
A lesser-known book that gave me an amazing sense of wholeness and clarity: "Taming Your Outer Child" by Susan Anderson.
We all know about our hurt inner childs by now. But the book encourages you to really make the connection between that inner child and the ongoing outer behaviors that are currently our biggest problems. It was perfect for me because I was finally ready to start changing who I am today, whereas many books just talk about "the effects," hammering home how trauma has long-term consequences.
There are some great visualizations and writing exercises in it that I did and found very helpful. Highly recommend:
Anytime!
It’s not a book but the youtube series of lectures: The 60 characteristics of complex trauma by Tim Fletcher have been very helpful to me.
His videos are a goldmine. He explains everything so gently.
Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma by Janina Fisher. i can't possibly put into words how much this book helped me. my psychiatrist recommended it to me
Complex PTSD From Surviving to Thriving was a good book to help me self reflect and implement some methods to help. There is an audio version on YouTube as well that can make it easier. I’ve listened to it twice while reading through it. There are several recommendations as well at the end for additional books. It was my first book on the topic but eye opening to me. I hope that you can get through it and find what you need.
Just to second this, the author is Pete Walker. This book is so powerful that it was as effective as my very good therapist that I see on its impact on me.
Another vote for Janina Fisher’s work! Her steps for unblending and her exercise, meditation circle for child parts, have changed my life for the better. Both of these are in Healing the Fractured Selves of Trauma Survivors.
I have her workbook as well, but haven’t started it. My therapist has taken some training by Fisher, so we share the same language. Fisher’s parts-based approach works even better for me than IFS.
Bonnie Badenoch’s book, The Heart of Trauma, was really helpful to expand my understanding of the neuroscience of trauma.
I found Fisher through Badenoch’s work. I found Badenoch’s work when I read Sarah Peyton’s excellent book, Your Resonant Self.
Me therapist had me working with The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and it’s been helping me a lot.
I did not find anything by Pete Walker helpful.
There’s a lot of good material out there! If something is triggering or doesn’t resonate with your own experience, it’s best to move on. I really appreciate posts like yours because I almost always see a new book to check out!
So many people here talk up Pete Walker’s work that I often mention that it didn’t work for me so other folks see it and don’t feel like something’s wrong with them for not feeling helped by his work.
My therapist and I recently started working through the Finding Solid Ground workbook. It's excellent if you struggle significantly with dissociation on top of PTSD symptoms. There is also a companion book just called Finding Solid Ground that provides the research and information the program is based on, I found it super interesting and enlightening.
The Moral Injury Workbook by Wyatt R. Evans, and A Practical Guide to Complex PTSD: Compassionate Strategies to Begin Healing from Childhood Trauma by Arielle Schwartz
I work in a library so I'm pretty sure I've read all of the most popular ones, but these two are fairly new and the best by far IMO.
Journey Through Trauma: A Trail Guide to the 5-Phase Cycle of Healing Repeated Trauma
by Gretchen L. Schmelzer PhD
The Unexpected Gift of Trauma: The Path to Posttraumatic Growth
by Dr. Edith Shiro
The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris. She doesn't call it CPTSD but she does talk about childhood trauma and the biological effects in depth.
Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett. Not specific to CPTSD but a guide to help you recognize, identify, and feel your feelings.
I'm glad you're giving Walker's book another shot. I really liked it. You don't have to read every chapter or in order. His website has some of the same material, too, if that's easier to take in.
Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors by Janina Fisher was really helpful for me to wrap my mind around IFS therapy.
No Bad Parts
Second and third No Bad Parts along with Self Therapy by Jay Earley.
No Bad Parts by R. Schwartz. It has been life changing for me.
Theaters of the Body
Homecoming
CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
The Body Keeps the Score
Those books coupled with youtube talks by Tim Fletcher have been tremendously helpful. Bless.
Peace from broken pieces has helped me so much on my journey to healing.
-Running on empty (emotional neglect)
-Cptsd from surviving to thriving (Cptsd)
-The body keeps the score ( Truama)
-The myth of normal ( Toxic culture - [political as well])
-Coping with truama related dissociation (dysregulation)
-The green DBT handbook (dysregulation)
In my opinion, in order of importance, 1) Running on empty -(because the emotional neglect which in my opinion is far more harmful and what causes the -complex- in the ptsd, has to be clearly understood to distinguish Cptsd from regular ptsd. )
-This was the most eye-opening book I have ever read.
2)Cptsd from Surviving to Thriving. Because once we know it makes sense we have Cptsd and not just regular trauama, because of oir emotional neglect, the next step is feeling validated and not feeling alone, and feeling like there are people out there that understand us and have a path forward that have Cptsd themselves, (Pete walker)
-This was the most validating book I have ever read.
3)The Body Keeps the Score - to understand the context of Cptsd and the family of mental distress it is part of. (Truama) - This is the best book I have ever read on any subject.
4) The Myth of Normal - to understand where and how all the truama talked about in the body Keeps the Score interacts and is part of culture. And the more holistic view of culture, truama and mental health in ssociety's.
To put it differently, within the myth of normal-toxic culture, is truama- The body Keeps the Score. Within truama- The body keeps the score is Cptsd From Surviving to Thriving- Complex truama. Within Complex truama-Cptsd From surviving to thriving is emotional neglect-Running on empty.
And to sum it up, emotional neglect is part of complex truama, which fits into the overall trauana family, which is part of the general toxic culture.
Then there are the last 2 books which are both workbooks. I find workbooks annoying at times. But sometimes they are good.
Blind to Betrayal, by Jennifer Freyd, is the best or one of the best.
What My Bones Know! It’s a beautiful memoir about self-discovery and C-PTSD, written by journalist Stephanie Foo. I love that Foo admits in the book when she fucks up and regresses and how she works through all of it. She doesn’t frame herself as a perfect example of a CPTSD survivor, even acknowledges how career success can seem like you’re generally a successsful survivor, and how this wasn’t true at all. A bit of a content warning though: there’s some vivid description of physical violence. It’s honestly really changed my perspective on myself.
The Moral Injury Workbook by Wyatt R. Evans, and A Practical Guide to Complex PTSD: Compassionate Strategies to Begin Healing from Childhood Trauma by Arielle Schwartz
Thank you for this post. I've found a lot of books I'd love to read
If you want to hear a memoir of someone with similar experiences, Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died” was a fantastic read. If you want actual research and advice, I’ve heard “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long Term Effects of Childhood Adversity” by Nadine Burke Harris, MD was a resourceful book. She’s a pediatrician who specializes in childhood trauma and helps victims recover through her own research in the field.
Judith Herman's Trauma and Recovery is one of the very best.
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller
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Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman and Dissociation Made Simple by Jaime Marich
Walker’s book has been profoundly life-changing and illuminating for me, but I can still only handle it in bits at a time. It is very triggering but that’s also why it’s so helpful, as it forces me to process through it. You can really tell Pete did!
Now I’m starting Self-Therapy by Jay Earley as I’m doing Internal Family Systems therapy, only my therapist is a newbie and not able to guide me effectively, so I’m going to learn to do it mySelf.
Take my poor man’s award! 🥇🥇🥇
And mine 🏆🥇🥇🎖️🏅
“A Boy Raised As A Dog “ > the body keeps the score.
ABRAAD is two doctors case studies throughout the early 1990s. They go through case studies on a basis of which symptomatic as well as systemic issues played into how they got to the point of needing treatment. It’s really good for those who already have some therapy under their belt. There should be a graphic content warning for the raw nature of each case study and insight that it provides to the reader.
This was a gifted book by a psychologist and I am about half way through having learned a lot about my own experiences being shaped through my critical period (within childhood).
Please use your discretion as well looking into the guy who wrote the body keeps the score. A lot of survivors stopped recommending after the work place misconduct and abusive nature of the author.
The Tao of Fully Feeling by Pete Walker
It has been pretty non-triggering and easy read for me. I cried once while reading. Every time I read a chapter it feels like just what I need to hear at that moment. Very relevant to everyday life and healing.
“Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents” by Lindsay C Gibson was the first book I ever read that lifted the fog I had around my childhood.
And this one’s not a CPTSD specific book but talks about a person’s survival through PTSD inducing experiences & his life after- “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Victor Frankl. He was a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist who focused on finding meaning in the face of suffering. A warning that the book is hard to read at times because he talks about his experience in the camps, it’s also very deep as he kind of touched the “meaning of life” at its core due to what he witnessed. But it’s extremely motivating and even relatable at times, for anyone who’s experienced suffering.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” - Viktor Frankl
I was depressed when I first read the book and it got me back on my feet and moving again lol
The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis. It is nominally written for women who were SAed as children, but I find most of it is great for men, as well. How they unpack the abuse works well (at least me) for a different mix of experience (not strictly SA), as my SA was not a family member, and my parental abuse was covert beatings and psychological terror, though CI at times.
Bottom line is it's a book that actually encourages us to go slow and be kind to ourselves.
In this order;
The myth of normal, Gabor Mate
The body keeps the score, Bessel Van Der Kolk
The Practical guide to healing developmental trauma, Laurence Heller & Brad Kammer
Beyond that - more for personal development (in this order)
Authentic happiness, martin Seligman
Flourish, Martin Seligman
Positive psychology and you, Alan Carr
“What My Bones Know” an extremely relatable narrative of explorative healing
I'm sorry you had nightmares. They're really the worst.
When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté. He doesn’t mention CPTSD specifically, but it was one of the “further reading” books listed in the back of The Body Keeps the Score (also really excellent and recommend) and I identified with it really intensely. It might not be for you, but if you’re some who represses your emotions, especially anger, it’s for you.
Some good ones listed here https://kathrynmintner.medium.com/my-favorite-resources-for-c-ptsd-8209bb826425
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. It’s a beautiful memoir of her life with CPTSD and her healing journey
The Body Keeps the Score was amazingly helpful for me. I did find it more triggering than Pete Walker's book, especially the first couple of chapters about flashbacks. So be mindful of that. But learning about the physiological impact of trauma made it a lot easier to stop blaming myself.