Mary's Favorite Books On
Healing C-PTSD, Childhood Trauma, The
ACE Study, Shame, Guilt, Obesity & Addiction Recovery

Childhood Trauma / Complex PTSD

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD
• Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker, MA
• The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness Out of Blame, Pete Walker, MA
• The Soulful Journey of Recovery: A Guide to Healing from a Traumatic Past for ACAs, Codependents, or Those with Adverse Childhood Experiences, Tian Dayton, Ph.D.
• Emotional Sobriety: From Relational Trauma to Resilience and Balance, Tian Dayton, Ph.D.
• Neuropsychodrama in the Treatment of Relational Trauma, Tian Dayton, Ph.D.
• The ACOA Trauma Syndrome: The Impact of Childhood Pain on Adult Relationships, Tian Dayton, Ph.D.
• Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect, Jonice Webb, Ph.D., and Christine Musello, PsyD
• Running on Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships With Your Partner, Your Parents, and Your Children, Jonice Webb, PhD
• Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation, Janina Fisher, PhD
• Transforming The Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists, Janina Fisher, PhD
• The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing In a Toxic Culture, Gabor Maté, M.D.
• Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal, Donna Jackson Nakazawa
• Healing Your Attachment Wounds: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships, Diane Poole Heller, PhD
• What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D.
• The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook – What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing, Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D., and Maia Szalavitz
• Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential—and Endangered, Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D., and Maia Szalavitz
• The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation, Stephen W. Porges
• Befriending Your Nervous System: Looking Through the Lens of Polyvagal Theory, Deb Dana
• Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma: Calming the Fear-Driven Brain, Sebern F. Fisher
• The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, Nadine Burke Harris, MD
• No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness With the Internal Family Systems Model, Richard Schwartz, PhD
• Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts: Discovering Your True Self Through Internal Family Systems Therapy, Richard Schwartz, PhD
• It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, Mark Wolynn
• The Emotionally Absent Mother: How to Recognize and Heal the Invisible Effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect, Jasmin Lee Cori, MS, LPC
• Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body, Peter A. Levine, PhD
• The TurnAround Mom: How an Abuse and Addiction Survivor Stopped the Toxic Cycle for Her Family—and How You Can, Too!, Carey Sipp
• Mother Hunger: How Adult Daughters Can Understand and Heal from Lost Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance, Kelly McDaniel
• Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions, Johann Hari
• Silently Seduced: When Parents Make Their Children Partners, Kenneth Adams, PhD
• It’s Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self, Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW
• The Adverse Childhood Experiences Recovery Workbook: Heal the Hidden Wounds From Childhood Effecting Your Adult Mental & Physical Health, Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D.
• The Developing Mind: How Relationships & The Brain Interact To Shape Who We Are, Daniel Siegel

Addiction and Trauma

• Trauma and Addiction: Ending the Cycle of Pain Through Emotional Literacy, Tian Dayton, PhD
• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor Maté, MD
• Addiction as an Attachment Disorder, Philip J. Flores
• Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection, Oliver J. Morgan
• Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, Judith Grisel
• Unspoken Legacy: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Addiction within the Family, Claudia Black, PhD
• It Will Never Happen to Me: Growing Up with Addiction as Youngsters, Adolescents, and Adults, Claudia Black, PhD
• Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Enhancing Recovery, Jamie Marich, PsyD
• Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol, Holly Whitaker
• The Easy Way to Control Alcohol, Allen Carr
• Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Johann Hari
• Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book, Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous, Anonymous
• Overeaters Anonymous: Third Edition, Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.

Trauma-Informed Relational Recovery

• Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship, Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT
• We Do: Saying Yes to a Relationship of Depth, True Connection, and Enduring Love, Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT
• The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Know to Make Love Work, Terrence Real
• Fierce Intimacy, Terry Real
• Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship, Terrence Real
• Conscious Lesbian Dating & Love: A Roadmap to Finding the Right Partner and Creating the Relationship of your Dreams, Ruth L. Schwartz, Ph.D., and Michelle Murrain, Ph.D.

Healing Shame & Guilt, Self-Compassion, Self-Forgiveness, Self-Acceptance

• I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Making the Journey from “What Will People Think?” to “I Am Enough,” Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW
• Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach, Patricia DeYoung
• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, Kristin Neff, PhD
• Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life With The Heart of A Buddha, Tara Brach
• The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves, Dan Ariely
• Radical Self-Forgiveness: The Direct Path to True Self Acceptance, Colin Tipping
• Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, Frederic Luskin, PhD
• Discomfortable: What Is Shame and How Can We Break Its Hold?, A.J. Bond
• Coming Out of Shame: Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives, Gershon Kaufman Ph.D., and Lev Raphael PhD
• The Secret of the Shadow: The Power of Owning Your Story, Debbie Ford
• Why Good People Do Bad Things: How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy, Debbie Ford
• Healing the Shame that Binds You, John Bradshaw

Codependency Recovery

• Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself, Melody Beattie
• Beyond Codependency: And Getting Better All the Time, Melody Beattie
• Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives, Pia Mellody
• Codependency for Dummies, Darlene Lancer
• Conquering Shame and Codependency: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You, Darlene Lancer
• Codependents Anonymous, Anonymous 

Building Resilience

• The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time, Cheryl Richardson
• Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma—An Integrative Somatic Approach, Kathy L. Kain and Stephen J. Terrell
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW
• Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW
• Beyond Intellect: Journey Into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind, Susan McNeal Velasquez
• Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, Byron Katie
• The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling, Stephen Cope
• SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient – Powered by the Science of Games, Jane McGonigal

Childhood Trauma Memoirs

• It’s Not About Food, Drugs, or Alcohol: It’s About Healing Complex PTSD, Mary Giuliani
• HOMESTEADING in the CALM EYE of the STORM: A Therapist Navigates His Complex PTSD, Pete Walker, MA
• What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, Stephanie Foo
• Garbage Bag Suitcase: A Memoir, Shenandoah Chefalo
• Shattered by the Darkness: Putting the Pieces Back Together After Child Abuse, Gregory Williams, Ph.D.
• Don’t Try This Alone: The Silent Epidemic of Attachment Disorder, Kathy Brous