Being a huge lover of books, it is not uncommon for me to recommend certain books to clients that I work with. Over the years, I've noticed that I often refer to the same ones as being great therapeutic resources, so I thought I'd list them here too!
They are, in no particular order:
When the Body Says No by Dr Gabor Mate - What happens when we struggle to say no or fail to put boundaries in place to protect ourselves from stress and overwhelm? The body says it for us through chronic illness and disease. Gabor Mate explores the stress-disease connection with his signature style of humour and grace.
The Mindbody Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit your Health, Longevity and Success by Dr Mario Martinez - Clinical Neuropsychologist and Biocognitive Science founder Dr. Mario Martinez reveals the way our cultural beliefs impact our immune system, the pathway to healing the archetypal wounds of shame, abandonment, and betrayal, and shines a light on our cultural myths around aging. Practical, deeply insightful and experiential.
Healing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw - An accessible way to explore personal shame and it's origins, includes a practical workbook section for visualisation work and deeper exploration
Warming the Stone Child: Myths and Stories about Abandonment and the Unmothered Child by Clarissa Pinkola Estes - I particularly love the audio version of this gentle and nurturing journey, that invites us to explore our own experience of childhood neglect and abandonment
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom; Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing by Dr Christiane Northrup - the go-to bible on holistic women's health.
Why Therapy Works: Using our Minds to Change our Brains by Louis Cozolino - a great description of why we do what we do in the therapy room, using up to date research in Neuroscience, Neurobiology and Trauma treatment to support the healing and transformations that can take place during the therapeutic process
The Drama of Being a Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller - observing the impact of psychological and physical abuse in childhood and the ways in which we can begin to heal
In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler - this powerful autobiography explores the experience of sexual violence from a female perspective; the impact on a woman's embodied sense of self; as well as this violent intrusion serving as a metaphor for the destruction of the planet
Her Blood is Gold: Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation by Ella Owen - for women interested in connecting to their menstrual cycles in a meaningful way; investigating ways to make our periods physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy
Woman Code by Alissa Vitti - A practical step by step guide on how to improve hormonal health holistically by working with the natural rhythms of your body and eating/living in accordance with them