Recommended Reading

The books below reflect the kind of work we do together.

They are not quick-fix manuals.
They are not “just think positive” psychology.
They explore nervous system regulation, attachment, shadow, ego development, and the deeper patterns that shape how you love, protect, and survive.

Not every book is right for every season.
If you’re unsure where to begin, we can decide together.

🌿 Trauma & Nervous System Healing

These books help you understand how early experiences shape your body, emotions, and relational responses — even when you “know better.”

Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving – Pete Walker

A compassionate and practical guide for adults who grew up in emotionally unpredictable, shaming, or chaotic environments.
Especially helpful for understanding emotional flashbacks, the inner critic, and why you may swing between over-functioning and collapse.

This book often brings relief:
“There’s nothing wrong with me. My nervous system adapted.”

Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy – Ron Kurtz

A deeper look at how mindfulness and body awareness uncover unconscious beliefs.
If you’ve ever wondered why insight alone doesn’t change you — this explains why.

Hakomi teaches that healing happens through gentle discovery, not force.

Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy – Susan McConnell

Explores how parts of us live in posture, breath, and muscle tension — and how healing happens through embodied awareness.

This is for clients who want to understand how parts work and somatic therapy integrate.

🧠 Attachment, Codependency & Relational Patterns

If you find yourself repeating the same relationship dynamics — even when you’re self-aware — these books can be illuminating.

How to Be an Adult in Relationships – David Richo

A grounded and mature look at love, attachment, and emotional responsibility.

Richo outlines what adult love requires:
attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing.

This book bridges insight and practice.

Facing Codependence – Pia Mellody

Breaks down how developmental trauma leads to over-functioning, poor boundaries, and self-abandonment in relationships.

Especially helpful if you struggle to differentiate care from control.

Facing Love Addiction – Pia Mellody

Explores trauma bonding, intensity-driven relationships, and anxious-avoidant cycles.

This is often validating for clients who mistake emotional activation for intimacy.

🪞 Shadow & Depth Psychology

These books explore projection, unconscious dynamics, and the parts of us we tend to disown.

Shadow work is not about shaming yourself.
It’s about reclaiming energy tied up in what you’ve rejected or feared.

Owning Your Own Shadow – Robert A. Johnson

A clear and accessible introduction to projection and disowned traits.

If you keep saying, “Why do I attract this?” — this book gently turns the mirror inward.

Shadow Dance – David Richo

Examines how relationships activate hidden parts of ourselves.

This is especially helpful if you notice patterns of idealization, resentment, or emotional fusion.

Inner Work – Robert A. Johnson

A guide to working with dreams and active imagination.

For those drawn to symbolic or Jungian exploration, this offers a structured entry point.

🔥 Individuation & Ego Development

(For the psychologically curious)

These texts are more advanced and are recommended selectively for clients interested in deeper Jungian development.

Ego and Archetype – Edward Edinger

Explores how the ego develops in relationship to the Self.

This is about strengthening the ego — not dissolving it.

Depth Psychology and a New Ethic – Erich Neumann

A profound look at moral development and personal responsibility.

This book challenges collective morality and invites conscious ethical adulthood.

The I and the Not-I – Esther Harding

On differentiating the self from unconscious identification and projection.

Helpful for those working toward clearer boundaries and individuation.

🐺 Mythic & Instinctual Feminine

Women Who Run With the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estés

A mythic exploration of instinct, creativity, and the feminine psyche.

For women who have been praised for strength but feel disconnected from their instinctual self.