Recommended Reading
Daring Greatly
Brene Brown’s comprehensive research on shame and vulnerability provides new perspectives and practical advice for anyone wanting to live a more fulfilling, connected life. This book is a great starting place to understand the myriad of defense mechanisms we use in our everyday lives to avoid vulnerability, and how to change them.
The Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle is one of today’s leading authors and teachers of mindfulness. A practice preached by philosophers and religions for millennia, mindfulness is just as relevant today for improving mental health and managing anxiety.
Self-Compassion
A book that discusses the differences between self-judgment and self-kindness and the importance of mastering self-compassion to combat feelings of shame and inadequacy that plague many of us.
The Happiness Trap
Russ Harris provides practical and easy-to-follow steps to put mindfulness into practice in our daily lives. The concepts in The Happiness Trap are based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, an evidence-based therapy for anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide
For many individuals suffering with complex trauma, managing emotions and relationships can range between challenging to near-impossible. The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide takes a compassionate look at some of the ways that persons with trauma learn to deal with, and manage these challenges in ineffective ways. The more we understand our own, or a loved ones pain, the easier it is for us to respond in a compassionate and skillful manner.
Getting Past Your Past
Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR therapy, provides a detailed look at how the memories of our past can influence, and sometimes dictate many of our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. She discusses the theory of EMDR therapy, how it heals these painful past experiences, and provides self-help techniques to decrease the pain of trauma.
Surviving Schizophrenia
A must-read for anyone with a family member suffering from any kind of thought disorder. Edwin Fuller Torrey, a subject matter expert on serious mental illness, discusses how these disorders affect the people we love, teaches us how to view our loved ones behavior through a lens of compassion, and provides concrete information on what works -and doesn’t work- for the treatment of thought disorders.
I Am Not Sick I Don’t Need Help!
Another excellent resource for families with loved ones suffering from serious mental illness. In this book, Xavier Amador walks through his LEAP technique -a time-proven method of working with family members and patients suffering from serious mental illness that will help decrease your own stress, and increase the likelihood that your family member will get the help they deserve.