My Top 11 books on Recovery, Addiction, Trauma and Healing
There are so many incredible books written on the topic of recovery, addiction, trauma and healing. Here I’ve compiled a list of my top 11 books which cover a broad range of approaches to understanding this field. From spiritual exploration to science and psychology, each of the books on this list have made a significant impact to my life and more specifically, my journey into recovery.
How to Do the Work – Dr. Nicole La Pera
Untamed – Glennon Doyle
The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel Van Der Kolk
A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts – Gabor Maté
What Happened To You? – by Bruce D. Perry (M.D., Ph.D.) and Oprah Winfrey
Facing Codependence – Pia Mellody
Alcohol Explained – William Porter
Happy Days – Gabrielle Bernstein
A Radical Awakening – Dr. Shefali
Love & Addiction – Lorraine Wood
How to Do The Work
by Dr. Nicole La Pera
Now I know it’s a big call, but I firmly believe this book is life changing for all who read it. Whether you’re at the beginning of your recovery journey, or you’ve been at it a long time, there is something in this book for you. In How to Do The Work, author and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Nicole La Pera, takes a holistic approach to trauma and recovery by combining the science of psychology and the healing modality of spirituality. This book offers a practical guide to not only help you understand why you may feel and act a certain way but also how you can change old behaviours that no longer serve you.
Untamed
by Glennon Doyle
A book that inspires, motivates and shakes you to your core. I was so enraptured with this book that I have continued to read it at least once each year, so that I can be reminded of the pearls of wisdom that Glennon shares. As a fellow woman in recovery, reading Glennon’s story of becoming her authentic self, highlights to me the magic that life has to offer when you put down the drink and choose to seek a path of self-inquiry.
The Body Keeps The Score
by Bessel Van Der Kolk
A fascinating book that looks deeply into the impact of emotional trauma and how it can stay trapped in the body. Van Der Kolk unpacks the different ways traumatic stress manifests and stores in the body while offering a number of different pathways to recovery.
I can still vividly remember reading this book while I was spending three weeks in rehab. There were so many “a-ha” moments for me chapters that left me stunned as the penny continued to drop
A New Earth
by Eckhart Tolle
My introduction to Eckhart Tolle was through his book The Power of Now which I found both profound and enlightening. However, it was in reading A New Earth that I truly began to understand the concept of the ego and how it was managing my life. My journey in recovery has been filled with teachings that have helped me become right-sized and this book provided me with the spiritual framework to move through life with an awakened perspective.
In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts
by Gabor Mate
In this book, renowned physician Gabor Mate, shares his personal experience working closely with addicts over the span of his career. I personally have never read a book which so accurately depicts the plight of the addict and the disease of addiction. Sharing stories of real people, the book is at times heart-breaking, yet seeks to highlight how misunderstood the disease of addiction is within our modern society.
What Happened To You?
by Bruce D. Perry (M.D., Ph.D.) and Oprah Winfrey
In this book, Oprah Winfrey joins renowned brain development and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry to discuss the impact of childhood trauma and how these negative experiences often shape us as adults. From reading this book, I was able to form a greater understanding of the different types of traumas one can experience (big T VS little t trauma) along with the realisation that most people will experience some form of adversity by the time they reach adulthood.
Facing Codependence
by Pia Mellody
In Pia’s book, Facing Codependence, she details the causes and conditions of the disease, along with outlining a pathway to recovery based off her own personal experience.
Before starting my journey of recovery, I thought my main problem was alcohol. Little did I know that I also suffered from a condition known as Co-dependency which impacted my self-esteem and my ability to engage in healthy relationships with other human beings. If you’d like to read more about my personal experience with co-dependency, you can read my blog post Understanding Codependency.
Alcohol Explained
by William Porter
In Alcohol Explained, William Porter seeks to outline the chemical, physiological and psychological effects of alcohol. Porter openly discusses his own challenges with alcohol and how Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) had not been suitable for his own recovery. Instead of a spiritual solution, this book offers a science-based, logical argument for giving up the drink.
Happy Days
by Gabrielle Bernstein
As a fellow sober woman in recovery, I find a lot of identification in all of Gabby Bernstein’s books, however Happy Days has had, by far, the most significant impact on me. Sharing her own personal story, Gabby discusses her experience with childhood trauma and the long journey she undertook to find healing and freedom. There were a number of major revelations for me in this book along with practical tools to support my own recovery.
A Radical Awakening
by Dr. Shefali
A Radical Awakening was written for those who are ready to experience a deeper level of personal growth. Author and Clinical Psychologist, Dr Shefali, challenges you to honestly look at your own patterns and behaviours with a willingness to evolve. I read this book when I was in my second year of recovery and I believe it came to me at the exact time it was meant to. Within the pages of this book, I found so much identification, and with that, an ability to shed the old stories that were holding me back.
Love & Addiction
by Lorraine Wood
Love & Addiction is a memoir written by the co-founder of South Pacific Private – the treatment facility and psychiatric hospital I attended in 2020. In this book, author Lorraine Wood, shares what it was like to be deeply in love and married to an alcoholic. And how her husband’s journey of recovery led the couple to open their own rehab which has continued to help thousands of people recover from addiction and mental health disorders. This story details beautifully both the tragedy of addiction and the joy of recovery.