Books and online materials are great tools to continue improving mental wellness outside of the therapy office. Below you will find some of the resources that I frequently recommend to folks.
Books
General
“The Drama of the Gifted Child,” “For Your Own Good,” "Thou Shalt Not Be Aware." Extremely well-researched and well-argued books by Alice Miller exposing the effects of parental neglect, manipulation, and abuse on children, as well as ways widespread maltreatment of children contributes to mental disorders and adult violence.
"Trauma and Recovery" by Judith Herman. A comprehensive work on psychological trauma and recovery from it.
“Narcissism: Denial of the True Self” by Alexander Lowen. A great work about the perils of building our lives based on other people’s expectations and on the importance of being connected with our true feelings.
“Emotional Armoring” by Morton Herskowitz. Leaving the fascinating, though questionable, concept of “Orgone energy” aside, this is a great book on how deeply seated trauma stays in the body and on ways to access and heal such physical tension.
"In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" and "Scattered" by Gabor Mate. A great Vancouver-based psychiatrist describes the way addiction (in the first book) and ADHD (in the second) have roots in early trauma, as opposed to genetics or physical disease. Very well-researched books with a multitude of personal examples from the lives of Dr. Mate's patients.
"Attachment in Psychotherapy" by David Wallin. An in-depth, contemporary review of the importance of our deep emotional ties to our parents (and other people) and of the role of these ties in the development of mental disorders - and in the process of healing.
How To Improve Mental Health
"Self-Therapy" by Jay Earley. A great Internal Family Systems (IFS) practical guide on doing your own healing work outside of the therapy office. Probably the best psychological self-help book I have ever read.
"Get out of Your Mind and Into Your Life" by Steven Hayes. A practical self-help book grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For a more in-depth theoretical write-up on ACT see the original "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" book.
"The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden. A book on authenticity with abundant practical exercises you can do to stay on the path towards self-knowledge and personal growth.
"Homecoming" and "Healing the Shame that Binds You" by John Bradshaw. Great books on empathizing with one's childhood experiences with a lot of practical exercises.
Relationships
"You Are the One You've Been Waiting For" by Richard Scwartz. An incredible book on the importance of taking responsibility for managing our own emotional experiences, the pitfalls of fully depending on romantic partners for emotional support, and the process of psychological growth within a romantic relationship.
Parenting
“Parent Effectiveness Training” by Thomas Gordon. The best practical guide on conflict resolution and building effective and enjoyable communication with one’s children. The skills you can learn from this book are generalizable to any other sphere of relationships and communication, such as marriage, friendships, leadership, and business.
“Compassionate Child-Rearing” by Robert Firestone. This book explores the deeply seated roots of parental dysfunction, allowing parents to gain a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for their own histories and thus to lower the chances of acting out their history in relationships with their children.
Is Mental Illness a Disease?
"The Myth of Mental Illness" by Thomas Szasz. A classic book that does a great job questioning whether labeling people who struggle with life's problems as "mentally ill" is helpful or even valid.
"Anatomy of an Epidemic" by Robert Whitaker. A thoroughly researched critique of the medical model of psychiatry and psychology.
Websites
Psychalive. A website oriented towards depth psychology, containing a wealth of essays and videos on a wide variety of topics from a select group of accomplished authors. I particularly recommend the work of Robert Firestone, Lisa Firestone, Joyce Catlett, and Daniel Siegel. Also check out their Youtube channel.
General
“The Drama of the Gifted Child,” “For Your Own Good,” "Thou Shalt Not Be Aware." Extremely well-researched and well-argued books by Alice Miller exposing the effects of parental neglect, manipulation, and abuse on children, as well as ways widespread maltreatment of children contributes to mental disorders and adult violence.
"Trauma and Recovery" by Judith Herman. A comprehensive work on psychological trauma and recovery from it.
“Narcissism: Denial of the True Self” by Alexander Lowen. A great work about the perils of building our lives based on other people’s expectations and on the importance of being connected with our true feelings.
“Emotional Armoring” by Morton Herskowitz. Leaving the fascinating, though questionable, concept of “Orgone energy” aside, this is a great book on how deeply seated trauma stays in the body and on ways to access and heal such physical tension.
"In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" and "Scattered" by Gabor Mate. A great Vancouver-based psychiatrist describes the way addiction (in the first book) and ADHD (in the second) have roots in early trauma, as opposed to genetics or physical disease. Very well-researched books with a multitude of personal examples from the lives of Dr. Mate's patients.
"Attachment in Psychotherapy" by David Wallin. An in-depth, contemporary review of the importance of our deep emotional ties to our parents (and other people) and of the role of these ties in the development of mental disorders - and in the process of healing.
How To Improve Mental Health
"Self-Therapy" by Jay Earley. A great Internal Family Systems (IFS) practical guide on doing your own healing work outside of the therapy office. Probably the best psychological self-help book I have ever read.
"Get out of Your Mind and Into Your Life" by Steven Hayes. A practical self-help book grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For a more in-depth theoretical write-up on ACT see the original "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" book.
"The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden. A book on authenticity with abundant practical exercises you can do to stay on the path towards self-knowledge and personal growth.
"Homecoming" and "Healing the Shame that Binds You" by John Bradshaw. Great books on empathizing with one's childhood experiences with a lot of practical exercises.
Relationships
"You Are the One You've Been Waiting For" by Richard Scwartz. An incredible book on the importance of taking responsibility for managing our own emotional experiences, the pitfalls of fully depending on romantic partners for emotional support, and the process of psychological growth within a romantic relationship.
Parenting
“Parent Effectiveness Training” by Thomas Gordon. The best practical guide on conflict resolution and building effective and enjoyable communication with one’s children. The skills you can learn from this book are generalizable to any other sphere of relationships and communication, such as marriage, friendships, leadership, and business.
“Compassionate Child-Rearing” by Robert Firestone. This book explores the deeply seated roots of parental dysfunction, allowing parents to gain a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for their own histories and thus to lower the chances of acting out their history in relationships with their children.
Is Mental Illness a Disease?
"The Myth of Mental Illness" by Thomas Szasz. A classic book that does a great job questioning whether labeling people who struggle with life's problems as "mentally ill" is helpful or even valid.
"Anatomy of an Epidemic" by Robert Whitaker. A thoroughly researched critique of the medical model of psychiatry and psychology.
Websites
Psychalive. A website oriented towards depth psychology, containing a wealth of essays and videos on a wide variety of topics from a select group of accomplished authors. I particularly recommend the work of Robert Firestone, Lisa Firestone, Joyce Catlett, and Daniel Siegel. Also check out their Youtube channel.