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Therapy in a Nutshell

The 10 Best Books for Healing Trauma/PTSD

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8658 Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2022

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Check out my FREE online course- Grounding Skills for PTSD, Stress and Anxiety: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store Hey, everyone! I love to read and learn more about how to treat trauma and PTSD, so I thought I’d share my favorite books about recovering from trauma and PTSD. #1. Ok, here’s my favorite PTSD Self-Help book: -Healing Trauma by Peter Levine. Awesome book explaining how trauma gets trapped in the body and how you can process through it and heal. A short read with gentle examples and some easy exercises. It’s my number one book about overcoming PTSD and trauma because it’s very accessible, not very triggering, easy to understand and comes with exercises to start healing your relationship with your body. #2 The body keeps the score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. Dr. Van Der Kolk has done so much research on effective treatments for PTSD and childhood trauma, and in this dense book he outlines how trauma impacts the brain, mind and body. Bessel explains what effective treatments are available, and gives some clear insights into actions both individuals and society as a whole can do to prevent and treat trauma, including childhood trauma. Includes a lot of detailed stories that could be quite triggering. This book has spent 74 weeks on Amazon’s top 20 nonfiction books and with good reason, it’s just a really good, really comprehensive approach to trauma. #3. The Transformation by Dr. James Gordon Written by a compassionate doctor who understands the biological and medical aspect of trauma treatment, but also the importance of dancing, laughing and pets as part of healing, this book is an excellent holistic approach to treating the body, mind and the heart after trauma. #4. Moving Beyond Trauma by Ilene Smith #5. Getting past your past by Francine Shapiro #6. I know why the caged bird sings- Maya Angelou #7. Man’s search for meaning- Viktor Frankl #8. My Story- Elizabeth Smart #9. Pete Walker- CPTSD-From Surviving to Thriving #10. What happened to you- Oprah Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, an

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Emma, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and you're listening to the Therapy in

0:04.3

a Natchel podcast. It's my mission to create easy to understand educational content about

0:09.8

therapeutic skills and topics that anyone can use in their daily life. I hope these episodes bring

0:15.1

you more insight into how your mind works and what actions you can take to improve your mental

0:19.9

health. Each podcast episode comes from a corresponding video you can take to improve your mental health. Each podcast episode

0:21.6

comes from a corresponding video you can find on the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube channel.

0:27.6

Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction you may be receiving

0:32.6

from a therapist or other health professional. Now let's jump into today's skill.

0:38.8

Hey everyone, I love to read and learn more about how to treat trauma and PTSD,

0:43.5

so I thought I'd share my favorite books about recovering from trauma and PTSD.

0:48.8

Before we jump into my favorite books about PTSD, I'd like to thank our sponsor, BetterHelp.

0:53.8

BetterHelp provides Better Help provides

0:54.5

professional licensed counselors in your area to help you work through whatever's going on in your

1:01.0

life. And the best part about it is you can do it from the comfort of your own home. So check out

1:06.5

the link in the description to learn how you can get 10% off your first month of professional

1:11.3

counseling with better help. Okay, so here is my favorite PTSD book. It's Healing Trauma by

1:18.5

Peter Levine. Now, I often don't have a copy of this to show. I just bought this new one

1:23.8

because I'm constantly giving this book to people and then buying another. Anyway, it's an awesome book. It explains how trauma gets trapped in the body and how you can process through it and heal.

1:33.3

It's also a really short read. It's got gentle examples and some easy exercises.

1:40.3

It's my number one because it's very accessible. It's very easy to read, it's not very triggering,

1:47.0

and it comes with a CD, with exercises to help you start healing your relationship with your body.

1:55.0

Okay. Oh, and then there's another book by Peter Levine that I also love.

...

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