Books on psychotherapy & spirituality

Books offer invaluable guidance, support, and tools throughout your therapeutic journey. Whether you’re exploring emotional regulation, recovering from trauma, navigating relationships, or addressing eco-anxiety, this expanded list includes a variety of resources. It incorporates contributions from Pia Mellody on emotional intimacy, Esther Perel on relationships, as well as resources on Internal Family Systems (IFS), Jungian therapy, and more. Each book is designed to support emotional and psychological well-being.

Books have long been considered a valuable complement to therapy, offering not just knowledge, but also comfort, guidance, and emotional insight. In the context of psychotherapy, the act of reading can serve as a form of self-directed healing, often referred to as bibliotherapy. This therapeutic approach uses books as tools for healing and personal growth, encouraging individuals to engage with ideas, narratives, and concepts that foster self-reflection, emotional processing, and resilience-building. Bibliotherapy can enhance the therapeutic process by helping clients better understand their emotions, gain perspective on their struggles, and explore solutions in a safe, personal space.

Books, whether they are about trauma, relationships, mindfulness, or emotional regulation, offer readers the chance to find validation, practical tools, and new perspectives. This process can deepen a person’s engagement with therapy, helping them to internalize therapeutic concepts and apply them in everyday life. Additionally, reading helps to create a sense of connection, showing individuals that they are not alone in their experiences. For these reasons, bibliotherapy is often recommended by therapists to supplement face-to-face sessions, providing an empowering form of self-help that continues beyond the therapy room.

This comprehensive list includes a range of recommended books that explore trauma recovery, personal growth, emotional intimacy, eco-anxiety, and relationship dynamics. Each title has been carefully selected to complement psychotherapy and guide clients on their path to healing, self-discovery, and emotional well-being.

Healing, Personal Growth, and Trauma Recovery

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
A foundational exploration of how trauma affects both the mind and body, offering practical strategies for healing.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Frankl’s memoir on surviving the Holocaust shows how finding meaning can transform suffering into purpose.

The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients by Irvin D. Yalom
A guide filled with lessons and reflections from Yalom’s career, offering valuable insights for both therapists and clients.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
A cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) guide offering practical techniques for combating depression and negative thinking.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
An engaging exploration of therapy from both the therapist’s and client’s perspectives.

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
A spiritual and psychological guide emphasizing self-discipline, love, and personal growth as keys to emotional well-being.

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Brown explores how embracing vulnerability fosters deeper relationships, personal growth, and emotional healing.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
A practical spiritual guide offering four principles to help individuals achieve personal freedom and emotional peace.

Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky
A CBT-based workbook providing strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
An insightful exploration of attachment theory and its influence on relationships and emotional well-being.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
A spiritual classic encouraging present-focused awareness to foster emotional clarity and balance.

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
A compassionate guide to mindfulness and self-compassion, introducing the RAIN meditation technique for working with difficult emotions.

Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson
Based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), this book helps readers strengthen relationships by fostering emotional connection.

Lost Connections by Johann Hari
Hari explores the social and environmental causes of depression, offering fresh insights into emotional healing and mental health.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne
A comprehensive workbook offering practical exercises for managing anxiety and overcoming phobias.

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
This book explains the science behind adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and provides strategies for healing and building resilience.

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris
Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this book provides practical strategies for overcoming emotional struggles and building a more meaningful life.

Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung
A classic introduction to Jungian psychology, explaining the significance of dreams and symbols for understanding the unconscious mind.

Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth by Robert A. Johnson
Johnson offers practical exercises based on Jungian psychology for working with dreams and inner imagery to achieve emotional healing.

Emotional Regulation and Mindfulness

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff
Neff provides tools for practicing self-compassion, which is essential for emotional regulation and resilience.

Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
David offers strategies for navigating difficult emotions, helping readers manage feelings with agility and flexibility.

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
Brown explores the emotions that shape our lives, helping readers develop emotional intelligence and regulation.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley
A practical workbook based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), offering exercises for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance.

How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Barrett’s research shows how emotions are constructed in the brain, offering insights into emotional regulation and brain science.

Childhood Trauma and PTSD

Healing the Child Within by Charles L. Whitfield
This book explores the long-term effects of childhood trauma and offers techniques to reconnect with the inner child for healing.

Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker
A practical guide for survivors of childhood trauma, offering tools for healing Complex PTSD with a focus on self-compassion and resilience.

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
Levine’s body-based approach to healing trauma explains how the body naturally processes and releases traumatic energy.

Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
A foundational book on trauma recovery, with an emphasis on connection and empowerment.

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz
Perry’s case studies of traumatized children demonstrate how trauma affects development and what can be done to foster recovery.

Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
A comprehensive guide for women recovering from childhood sexual abuse, offering validation and practical exercises for healing.

What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry
This book provides insights into how childhood trauma shapes behavior and emotional health, offering a path to healing and resilience.

It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
Wolynn examines how inherited trauma affects our lives, offering strategies for breaking free from generational patterns.

Recovering from Trauma: A Workbook for Teens and Adults by Myra Sklarew and David B. Morris
A structured workbook offering exercises to help individuals recover from childhood trauma and PTSD.

Alice Miller: Childhood Trauma and Emotional Healing

The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller
This classic work explores how unmet childhood emotional needs impact adulthood, and how acknowledging these wounds can lead to healing.

The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting by Alice Miller
Miller examines how repressed childhood trauma manifests in the body and provides pathways for healing.

For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence by Alice Miller
A critical look at the long-term consequences of abusive parenting practices on emotional development and well-being.

Breaking Down the Wall of Silence: The Liberating Experience of Facing Painful Truth by Alice Miller
Miller advocates for confronting childhood trauma, emphasizing emotional honesty as the key to healing.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard C. Schwartz
Schwartz introduces IFS therapy, which emphasizes that even the parts of ourselves we see as negative can lead to healing when integrated.

You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For: Bringing Courageous Love to Intimate Relationships by Richard C. Schwartz
Schwartz applies IFS principles to relationships, showing how understanding and integrating internal parts can foster healthier, more fulfilling connections.

Parts Work: An Illustrated Guide to Your Inner Life by Tom Holmes
An accessible introduction to IFS therapy, explaining how working with internal “parts” can foster emotional healing.

Gabor Maté, Matt Licata, and Robert Augustus Masters

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté
Maté explores the connection between trauma and addiction, offering insights into recovery and emotional healing.

When the Body Says No: The Hidden Cost of Stress by Gabor Maté
Maté investigates how unresolved emotional trauma and chronic stress manifest as physical illness and how healing can occur.

A Healing Space: Befriending Ourselves in Difficult Times by Matt Licata
Licata offers compassionate guidance for working with difficult emotions through mindfulness and self-compassion.

Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark: Breaking Free from the Hidden Forces That Drive You by Robert Augustus Masters
Masters provides tools for exploring and integrating the shadow aspects of the psyche for emotional healing.

Eco-Anxiety and Climate Change

Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in Without Going Crazy by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone
A compassionate guide for dealing with eco-anxiety, offering resilience-building strategies in the face of environmental challenges.

The Climate Cure: Solving the Climate Crisis from the Inside Out by Tim Flannery
Flannery combines science and personal stories to address climate anxiety and inspire action on an individual level.

The Psychology of Climate Anxiety: Mental Health in a Changing World by Andrew Bryant
This book explores the mental health impacts of climate change, offering strategies for coping with eco-anxiety and building resilience.

Pema Chödrön and Thomas Moore: Spiritual and Emotional Guidance

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
Chödrön provides wisdom on embracing pain and difficulty with mindfulness and compassion, helping readers navigate life’s challenges.

The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
A guide to developing courage and resilience through mindfulness and meditation practices during moments of fear and uncertainty.

Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals by Thomas Moore
Moore explores how life’s darkest moments can lead to profound transformation and spiritual growth, offering guidance on finding meaning in difficult times.

Relationships and Emotional Intimacy

Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives by Pia Mellody
Mellody offers a comprehensive guide to understanding codependence, emotional intimacy, and how to break free from unhealthy patterns.

The Intimacy Factor: The Ground Rules for Overcoming the Obstacles to Truth, Respect, and Lasting Love by Pia Mellody
This book provides tools for building and maintaining emotional intimacy in relationships, helping individuals overcome fear, shame, and insecurity.

Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel
Perel explores the tension between love and desire, offering insights into maintaining passion and connection in long-term relationships.

The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel
Perel offers new perspectives on understanding and healing after infidelity, challenging conventional views on relationships.

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson
Johnson’s EFT-based book offers a roadmap for couples to strengthen their emotional bonds through meaningful conversations.

Conclusion

This comprehensive list offers a wealth of resources to support clients on their therapeutic journey. Whether you are working through trauma, exploring emotional intimacy, managing eco-anxiety, or deepening your relationships, these books provide practical tools, compassionate guidance, and insights into emotional resilience and self-discovery. Each title serves as a valuable companion on the path to healing and personal growth.