This is inspired by STRM’s thread on books you’d like a T to read to you (thanks STRM ).

I know that in various places around the forum people have mentioned books which they’ve found useful or just plain interesting - about therapy, psychology, understanding self and such like - but I don’t know where to look to find those references.

So I just wondered if anyone felt like posting here titles of books they’ve read and found good, or would recommend to someone else. Not just non-fiction books but also stories or autobiographies, anything really that you’ve found useful.

Hm you could even do a bit of a book review if you wanted lol - I’m asking because for the next few weeks I’m T-less and wouldn’t mind keeping myself in touch with a bit of inspirational reading.

LL

Lamplighter,

I was just thinking about starting a new thread about a book, but maybe I will just follow yours.

I would recommend two books that were very helpful and explained what the therapy actually is.
One is Michael Kahn's "Between Therapist and Client. The New Relationship". It was eyeopener for me. I understood what is it about and that the therapist is someone who really cares.

The second one is Irvin Yalom "The Gift of Therapy". It is mostly for therapists but the author discloses his personal feelings and reflection and you can imagine what it must be like to be in therapists shoes. Funny thing, my T once asked me the exact same question as in one of the chapters of Yalom`s book. I found it quite funny, but most of all very thoughtfull. I'm glad that my T kind of chose Yalom to be his menthor, because I loved every single thing I read in his books. He is brilliant writer and therapist.

I’ll list my favorite psychology books but I thought it would also list a few other books that I have found helpful in the depression/ anxiety/ herbal supplements categories.

(Warning: I read A LOT)

The books are in order starting with my favorite.

Psychology:
1. The Gift of Therapy by Irvin Yalom (I think EVERYONE in therapy should read this!!)

2. On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers

3. A Way of Being by Carl Rogers
(#1 & 2 are a tie! I can’t decide which I like more! Carl Rogers is God in my book)

4. Love’s Executioner by Irvin Yalom

5. Drama of The Gifted Child by Alice Miller (I cried through this whole book)

6. Momma and The Meaning of Life by Irvin Yalom. (I love Yalom, if you haven’t noticed. There is a GREAT chapter in this book about recording sessions- it’s called Double Exposure)

Anxiety:
1. Anxiety Free by Robery L. Leahy. (Love love LOVE this book. It includes all the anxiety disorders by the way- PTSD, OCD, GAD, ect.)

2.The Worry Cure by Rober L. Leahy (Very helpful and straightforward)

3.When Panic Attacks by David D. Burns

Depression:
1. The Chemisty of Joy by Henry Emmons (LOVED this book- there is also a chapter called “Nature’s Pharmacy” that was very helpful and gave lots of info on supplements, vitamins, and food)

I haven’t really found any other books specifically about depression that I have found helpful- I find them kind of boring.

Hebal Supplements/Diet:
1. The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. (Pretty much a LIFE SAVER- This is how I learned about the supplement that has practically cured my depression called 5-HTP)

2. The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman. (This book has it all- Diet, vitamins, supplements- pretty much everything you need to defeat depression & anxiety)

3. The Perfect 10 Diet by Michael Aziz. (Not a book about depression/anxiety. The “perfect 10” are the 10 key hormones that need to be balanced by eating the right foods. This book was VERY helpful and I refer to it often)

There are more, but this list is already extremly long!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Maclove,

I've just finished reading 'The Gift of Therapy' and thought it was a great book, really easy to read to Just waiting for payday so i can get 'In Session'

Hev

MacLove gave a great list of books. I have Momma and the Meaning of Life, but I haven't started it yet. Irvin Yalom is such a great author and therapist...it's fascinating to read the stuff he writes. Love's Executioner was informative and entertaining, but I do think that The Gift of Therapy was really helpful in providing experiences that we all (clients in therapy) can relate to. It was super interesting.

I just started it, but Confessions of a Former Child by Daniel Tomasulo is funny and well-written. He is a therapist, and the book is about both his life growing up and his life as a therapist. It's more of a book meant to entertain rather than to inform, but I like it. Drama of the Gifted Child was also good...I highlighted a whole lot in it.

Just as a starting point, I highly suggest beginning with Irvin Yalom's books that everyone has mentioned. Best of luck, LL. I can only speak from my experience, but I think that reading will be a great way for you to get through this limbo period before you really start with the new T. Getting new perspectives is always so valuable.

Big hugs.

This is great! After finishing "In Session" and "A General Theory of Love" I've been looking and wondering about what books to read next...now I know...great thread! mlc

haven't read any of these therapy books, but will....i have always (until this year) thought I could fix ME...har har!!

nathaniel brandon (once intertwined with ayn rand) is VERY good on self esteem, reading 'SIX PILLARS OF SELF ESTEEM' and the chapter i am in now deals with the child selves in therapy...so a taste of a therapy book. very good stuff, with anything he writes. he is into sentance completion, but not pa, does much for my current mood. very into efficacy (your own self power). idk, truly find him helpful, but reallly want to dive into some of these others.

another i have mentioned often is 'Necessary losses' by Voirst...great on reality vs. fantasy in how our childhood was, accepting it, how our marriage is, how our children are different in ways than we expected...just for me, in dealling with reality, versus the fantasy wishful thinking (childlike) i seem to have about everything...

another,both these last two rec'd by psychiatrist to me...'Boundaries' by Cloud and Townsend. for those of us who grew up in boundary-less worlds, co-dependency, give more (to signifiant others, be it parents or spouse) than receive, feel their worth is only in what they give and thoses strings of giving are eventually (me and parents) the only tie that hold the relationship and the great fear of NOT giving (me as a child) as that is the only thing that kept the relationship from ending...

great thread topic, Lamplighter!!

The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner, also available as an audiobook, is really good.

Kashley- I ordered Confessions of a Former Child this morning! Looks good!! Thanks

Hey great stuff guys, thanks for the references. I have been noting down titles and adding them to my Amazon basket - will have to be a bit selective I think, the total is getting alarmingly high!

There’s one book I know I’d like to read, that’s also been mentioned on forum in other threads - In Session. But it’s only available in UK at ridiculously inflated prices. Anyone in UK know where it can be had for a reasonable price?

I see also The Gift of Therapy is only available at an obscene price too grrr. Suppose I should try the library, but books like this I like to keep for reference, especially as I do a lot of underlining and note making in the margins!

Anyway I hope this thread can stand as a general reference for everybody - I think it’s so useful to be able to look up a collection of posts like this when you’re looking for something relevant.

Trying to think of a book that helped me - probably the two books by Anne Faraday, Dream Power and The Dream Game - they’re about dream interpretation but it was the connections to feelings and their importance which the author makes which set me on the road to looking inside my own head for answers and resolutions. They’re a bit dated now, but still interesting.

LL

LL,

I don't know if it applies over there, but the Gift of Therapy is available in digital version and if you get the free Kindle for PC then you can read it online. I know it isn't the same as the paper version, but just a thought.

I was just going to mention the Kindle for your computer. I actually don't have a paper copy of The Gift of Therapy - I have it on the Kindle program on my computer. Most everything else I have in text. It is a little different reading it this way, but it works fine for me.

Here's my list minus a lot of my favorites already mentioned earlier in the thread.

I know that no one here will be surprised by my first book.

A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis et al A wonderful lyrical book that still manges to explain basic neurobiology, and attachment theory and why love is at the center of being human. This book helped me immensely to understand that I could heal and that I needed to be dependent on my T for awhile in order to heal. I cannot recommend this enough. My T actually read this at my recommendation and then said to me "S#$%, that's another book I don't get to write."

The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender This is wonderful book on healing from Childhood incest that I read twice while recovering memories. It is however, written from Christian worldview for those of you who have other beliefs in case that would make you uncomfortable. Although I believe there's still a lot of valuable stuff in here even if you don't agree with the beliefs. Dan Allender also wrote "The Healing Path" which I also found helpful.

Boundaries by Drs. Cloud and Townsend This book is a really lucid, clear explanation of healthy boundaries and how they work. I found it indespensible since they had never been modeled for me. This book is also written from a Christian viewpoint but the authors also base the principles on their clinical practices. I would highly recommend this for anyone struggling with understanding boundaries. They have a companion book called Boundaries in Marriage that my husband and I both read and found extremely helpful.

Parenting from the Inside Out by Dan Seigel and Mary Hartzell This is a book my T recommended when I asked him for a layman's book on attachment theory. Even though it's a parenting book (and I wish I had read it much earlier) it's also an excellent explanation of attachment theory and human development. The best part is that it's written for laymen but with highlighted, easy to skip sections that go into the science of neurobiology for those listed. Dan Seigel is a leading researcher, practioner, and author of Interpersonal Neurobiology. He's written a number of book which address Mindfulness but they're VERY tough going, I'm still trying to make it through A Mindful Brain. But this book was the one that allowed me to see what I struggled with as development gone awry that could be repaired instead of some inate pathology that made me damaged goods.

Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen Another book recommended by my T that was life-changing for me. The author is a counselor for patients with cancer, some of whom are terminal. The book is a re-telling of stories, both hers and her patients and is incredibly powerful and moving conveying truths that are so hard to articulate but somehow manages to do so. My poor T, after I read this book I actually came to a session with a copy of it with like 15 yellow stickies in it.

Attachment in Psychotherapy by David Wallin Read this one because my T was reading it and I ran across it while looking for more info on attachment. Very heavy going at times because this is a book written for therapists, it is incredibly valuable though for insight into understanding how attachment injuries affect us and what you need to heal from them. I believe this book should be required reading for every therapist.

I have a few more but I have to track down the titles, but this is probably enough to get started.

Great idea for a thread!!

AG

Another good one, but it is long is

Becoming Attached

AG: I've had Parenting From the Inside Out for forever and still haven't read it. STRM runs off to read now......

I also have A General Theory of Love, but am feeling a bit dense as even though I have a science and psych background I'm having trouble following it.

quote:

I also have A General Theory of Love, but am feeling a bit dense as even though I have a science and psych background I'm having trouble following it.

I did read A General Theory of Love but I didn't include it on the list for the reason you said... It was a little too scientific. The book is very beautifully written and describes the relationship between C & T in a "lyrical" (as AG said) way.

I was so mesmerized when I read this, “In the duet between minds, each has its own harmonies and the tendency to draw others into a compatible key. And so the dance between therapist and patient cannot trace the same path that the latter expects, because his partner moves to a different melody.” (Page 178)

So beautiful. I love it. I especially love the last part- that “his partner moves to a different melody”. I love thinking of therapy as an elegant dance between partners.

So anyway, I did star and underline a lot in the second half of the book, and it was a very good book despite it being very scienticey.