Want to dip a toe into the pond that is called self-healing? These 5 awesome books for trauma healing and self-growth are a great starting point! 😊
#1: When the Body Says No РGabor Mat̩
I’ll start with my personal favorite: When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté. Born during World War II, Maté’s Jewish family was unsafe, and as a baby, he was temporarily left with another family by his mother. Needless to say, this caused quite a bit of distress. Maté eventually became a general practitioner in Canada, where he began noticing certain patterns among his patients. Illness often related to emotional stress. He also observed that most people had no one to share their stories with. Initially, he made extra time for his patients, and eventually became a trauma expert. Now, he’s a renowned speaker and author with several beautiful titles to his name. In short, a worthy candidate to kick off this list of 5 awesome books!
Applicable Advice
Not necessarily an easy read, as it contains very personal, painful stories. What I find beautiful about this book, beyond its relatability for many people, is that it also provides an actual action plan: seven steps to feel and release your stuck emotions. So there’s an action plan for healing trauma.Â
#2: The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
Shamefully, I’ve never read this book. So what on earth possesses me to recommend it?? Well, in this case, I don’t need to be home to turn the lights on! 🤪
For anyone experiencing (chronic) pain and/or fatigue complaints, this book is extremely relatable. It discusses how the body stores everything you haven’t been able to process. After all, trauma is not what happens to you, but what arises when you’re not able to let go of what happened. (More on that later in this blog)
#3: Mindset – Carol Dweck
Dweck has conducted years of research on how people learn. How is it that some people seem stuck while others move through life quite smoothly? Everything starts with the way we learn. Or rather, how we view it. Do you believe that when you try something new, it must be perfect right away?
You might wonder what this book is doing in a list of trauma healing books. I’ve included it because trauma can be one of the reasons why someone stops being curious and taking risks: ‘the risk of learning’*, a.k.a. a mental falling and getting up. Moreover, it’s a super interesting book, so I didn’t want to withhold it from you!
#4: Illusions – Ingeborg Bosch
In Illusions, Ingeborg Bosch provides a daily step-by-step plan to dismantle triggers. I’ve mainly used the book to organize things; there are 5 defenses we all develop in our early childhood, and it’s useful to know them. This way, when you get angry at someone, you can understand exactly what might be causing it. The book offers a step-by-step plan for each defense. Personally, I’m more inclined to use the steps from Stettbacher for this, as they are simpler. However, the steps for the Defense Fear are handy to pull from this book.
#5: Dying to Be Me – Anita Moorjani
An impactful and super readable story about how Moorjani was diagnosed with terminal cancer, her near-death experience, and what followed. Spoiler alert: she’s still alive! If you want to read a story about how beautiful life can become, (especially) when you’re at rock bottom, this is absolutely a must-read! 😊
* More on perfectionism later in this blog
The Book List
1. When the Body Says No РGabor Mat̩
2. The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
3. Mindset – Carol Dweck
4. Illusions – Ingeborg Bosch
5. Dying to Be Me – Anita Moorjani
