Maybe it’s a bit dramatic to say these books saved my life, but they kinda did. They gave me invaluable tools to cope with my complex PTSD while I’ve been unable to get back into therapy. I still believe that everyone can benefit from therapy, but unfortunately not everyone has access to it. If that’s the case for you, I hope these books will help.
Taming Your Outer Child / Susan Anderson
This book started it all for me. Anderson’s methods might seem a bit silly at first, but once I got past that, I learned how to separate my various selves, communicate better with myself from my highest self, and unpack my self-sabotaging behaviors. Once I finished the book, I no longer felt any need to write letters to my Inner or Outer Child, but now I occasionally write letters to and from my adult self. The self-communication skills that you’ll gain from this are so worth it; a lot of us trauma survivors have no idea what our wants, needs, or drivers are, and this book cleverly shows you how to figure that out.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents / Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD
In my parents’ defense, they were literal teenagers when they had me. So I mean absolutely no disrespect. I love my parents and I know they love me and did their best, and yet I had a lot to unpack in adulthood, a lot of behaviors I picked up as a way to cope with not only my childhood but also multiple traumas that occurred. This book helped me see things from a whole new perspective, and gave me tools I desperately needed to shape the adult I wanted to become. I’ve been operating from a place of trauma-based fear, and this book helped me both see the areas in which I’m emotionally immature and how to reparent myself. It’s less about blaming your dysfunctional parents/family for all your problems, and more about stepping into yourself and healing.
How to Do the Work / Dr. Nicole LePera
How to Do the Work felt like the natural next step. I actually had it quite a while before I even started “Emotionally Immature.” They say that books come to you when you need them most, and I’ve found that to be so true. Maybe it was the universe guiding me, or maybe deep down I just knew I needed to ease into all this shadow work. It sure isn’t easy, facing yourself! Dr. LePera AKA The Holistic Psychologist on Instagram gently guides you through the process, while sharing her personal story as well as her clients’ stories. This book helped me build upon the things I learned from the other two, plus gave me some new insights.
I don’t think you necessarily have to read and work through all three of these books or in this exact order; you can start with whichever speaks to you most and go from there.
I hope these books help you! Please let me know if you try them. And if you have any mental health books you found helpful, please share them!
Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash