Discover Tools for Recovery with Recommended Books

Here’s a list of books and resources I often recommend to clients during therapy or as additional reading to reinforce the ideas we explore together. These resources are helpful whether you're actively in therapy or looking for tools to support your healing journey after therapy.

Domestic Violence & Abuse

Books exploring the dynamics of abuse, coercive control, and survival.

📖 See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse by Jess Hill
An investigative look at how domestic abuse operates, why victims feel trapped, and how systems often fail to protect them.

📖 Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft
Explains the thought patterns of abusive men, helping readers recognize red flags and understand manipulative behaviors.

📖 Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life by Evan Stark
Defines coercive control and explains how it traps victims, even without physical violence.

📖 No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us – Rachel Louise Snyder
Explores real-life cases of domestic violence and how society can prevent fatal outcomes.

Trauma Recovery

Books focused on understanding trauma and healing.

📖 The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Explains how trauma affects the brain and body and offers recovery methods.

📖 In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness by Dr. Peter A. Levine
Explores somatic healing techniques and how the body processes trauma.

📖 It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are & How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
Examines how trauma is passed down through generations and how to break the cycle.

Narcissistic Abuse

Books on recognising and recovering from narcissistic abuse.

📖 Becoming the Narcissist’s Nightmare by Shahida Arabi
A survivor’s guide to understanding narcissistic abuse and reclaiming power.

📖 Divorcing and Healing from a Narcissist by Dr. Covert
Offers practical steps for leaving and healing from a relationship with a narcissist.

📖 Should I Stay or Should I Go? Surviving a Relationship with a Narcissist by Dr. Ramani Durvasula
Helps readers decide whether to leave a narcissistic partner and how to heal.

Emotional & Mental Health

Books on emotional well-being and psychological resilience.

📖 Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment by Dr. Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
Explains attachment styles and how they affect relationships.

📖 The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris
Uses ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to break free from negative thinking.

📖 Change Your Thinking by Dr. Sarah Edelman
A practical guide to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for managing anxiety and depression.

📖 I Had a Black Dog: His Name Was Depression by Matthew Johnstone
A simple yet powerful illustrated book on living with depression.

Parenting & Family Dynamics

Books addressing intergenerational trauma, emotional maturity, and parenting.

📖 Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson
Explains how emotionally immature parents impact their children and how to heal.

📖 Girlhood: Raising Our Little Girls to Be Healthy, Happy and Heard by Claire M. Bennett & Alexandra A. Hamlet
A guide for parents raising emotionally resilient daughters.

📖 From Boys to Men: Guiding Our Teen Boys to Grow into Happy, Healthy Men by Dr. Will Meek
Helps parents understand and support their teenage sons.

Books in Therapy

These are books that have come up frequently in therapy sessions and have been particularly helpful for clients.

📖 The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
Teaches how to trust intuition and recognise warning signs of danger.

📖 Women Who Love Too Much bby Robin Norwood
Explores why some women are drawn to unhealthy relationships and how to break free.

📖 The Emotionally Absent Mother – Jasmin Lee Cori
Helps those who grew up with emotionally unavailable parents understand their wounds.

📖 Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel
Explores the lasting impact of maternal neglect and how to heal.

📖 Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect by Jonice Webb
Addresses the long-term effects of childhood emotional neglect and ways to recover.

Where to Find These Books

For convenience, here are links where you can find these books:

📚 Buy Online: Booktopia, Amazon Australia, Dymocks
📚 Borrow from a Library: Trove (National Library of Australia – search libraries across Australia)
📚 Find Secondhand Copies: Better World Books, AbeBooks, Gumtree

Note on Recommended Reading

This list is continuously updated as I find new books and resources that may benefit those navigating recovery from trauma, abuse, or violence. If you're interested in any of these books, please check them out or ask me about them during our sessions.

Reading can be a powerful complement to therapy, but it is not a replacement. It can offer you more perspectives and tools as you continue on your healing journey.