Book Recommendations

These are books I often recommend to clients—or that have inspired me personally. Reading can be a way of finding new perspectives, comfort, or even words for experiences that feel hard to name. Here you’ll find books that I return to often and that many clients have found meaningful.

The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk

One of the most widely read books on trauma, this work explains how overwhelming experiences leave their imprint not only on the mind but also on the body. Van der Kolk weaves together neuroscience, clinical stories, and research to show how trauma affects memory, emotions, and health—and how approaches like EMDR, yoga, and other body-based practices can support recovery and integration.

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — Peter A. Levine

Peter Levine introduces the idea that trauma lives not only in our minds but also in our bodies. Using insights from biology and psychology, he explains how the nervous system holds onto overwhelming experiences—and how gentle, body-based approaches can help release that energy. This book opened new ways of thinking about trauma and healing beyond talk therapy.

Trauma and Recovery — Judith L. Herman

A groundbreaking book that shaped the modern understanding of trauma. Herman explores both individual and collective trauma, showing how experiences of abuse, violence, and political terror affect people’s lives. She outlines a path of recovery built on safety, remembrance, and reconnection, offering a framework that has guided trauma therapy for decades.

The Myth of Normal — Gabor Maté

In this powerful and wide-ranging book, Gabor Maté explores how trauma shows up in our health, relationships, and culture. He challenges the idea of what we consider “normal,” showing how stress and disconnection are woven into modern life. Blending science, stories, and compassion, Maté invites us to rethink both personal healing and collective wellbeing.

No Bad Parts — Richard C. Schwartz

Written by the founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS), this book introduces the idea that every part of us—even the ones we struggle with—has value and a protective purpose. Schwartz explains how to meet these inner parts with curiosity and compassion, and how connecting with our core Self can bring healing, balance, and inner harmony.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone — Lori Gottlieb

Written by a therapist who becomes a therapy client herself, this memoir offers a behind-the-scenes look at both sides of the therapy room. It’s compassionate, funny, and validating.

Building a Life Worth Living — Marsha M. Linehan

In this moving memoir, psychologist Marsha Linehan shares her own story of struggling with mental illness, including time spent in a psychiatric hospital as a young woman. She describes how those experiences shaped her life’s work and led her to develop Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which has helped countless people worldwide. Her story is both deeply personal and profoundly hopeful.

An Unquiet Mind — Kay Redfield Jamison

A classic memoir by a psychologist who lives with bipolar disorder. Jamison shares her personal struggles and insights with honesty and clarity, blending lived experience with professional knowledge.

The Center Cannot Hold — Elyn R. Saks

Law professor Elyn Saks writes about her life with schizophrenia, challenging stigma while showing that recovery and a meaningful life are possible. Her story is both courageous and deeply human.