Suggested Reading

There is a wide variety of book material available on the subject of abuse and trauma. What follows is a list of titles I have gathered that I hope will be helpful. Most of the books I have read; some I have not. In all cases, you will need to decide for yourself if you'd like to invest your time into these books. Please note that you may find some very disturbing material in these books. Take care if you are feeling vulnerable. I wish you good reading.

TRAUMA ISSUES

The Courage to Heal, Ellen Bass, Laura Davis. Also see the corresponding workbook by Laura Davis. This book is controversial, and its usefulness has been much debated. It was the first book I saw to have the courage to speak out against the atrocities that many women endure.
I Never Told Anyone, Ellen Bass (editor). A collection of essays written by survivors. Honest and disturbing, these should be viewed as essays of survival and strength.
Trauma and Recovery, Judith L. Herman. A good explanation of the process that people (male or female) who have survived a trauma need to go through to recover. Both clinical and personal.

CODEPENDENCY

Codependent No More, Melody Beattie.
Beyond Codependency, Melody Beattie.
The Language of Letting Go, Melody Beattie. Along the same lines as the previous two, but in the form of meditations in a day-to-day calendar.

ALCOHOLISM AND ADULT CHILDREN

It Will Never Happen To Me, Claudia Black

The Adult Child's Guide to What's Normal, John Friel, Ph.D, and Linda Friel, MA

DEPRESSION

The Way Up from Down, Priscilla Slagle
Believing in Myself, Earnie Larson, Carol Hegarty

EATING DISORDER

Breaking Free from Compulsive Eating, Geneen Roth
When Food is Love, Geneen Roth
Feeding the Hungry Heart, Geneen Roth

WOMEN

Simple Abundance Sarah Breathnach
The Woman's Book of Courage, Sue Patton Thoele
The Woman's Book of Confidence, Sue Patton Thoele
The Courage to Be Yourself, Sue Patton Thoele

INSPIRATIONAL/RELAXING

Everything I Need to know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum.
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down On It, Robert Fulghum
Uh-Oh, Robert Fulghum
From Beginning to End, Robert Fulghum
Hope for Flowers, Trina Paulus
Bread For The Journey Henri Nouwen. Spoiler for religion, although Nouwen does NOT beat you over the head with his religion. Wonderful book.

Male Abuse/Trauma Issues

This one I've had a little more trouble putting together. I'm sure there is some great stuff out there, I'm just having trouble finding it. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Victims No Longer, Mike Lew
Abused Boys , Mic Hunter

Well, there you have it. I've tried to arrange it by subject...though some of the books seem to defy pigeonholing into a particular subject. If you have a suggestion as to things I should add, or have a suggestion as to how to make this more readable, please feel free to mail me. Be well.

the main page.
the abuse resources page.
the Sanctuary Links page.