Trauma can affect how we think, feel, relate to others and experience our bodies long after an event has passed. The right book can help you make sense of these responses and better understand recovery.
I’ve selected well-established, popular books on trauma, childhood experiences, complex trauma, and healing. Several are major bestsellers: What Happened to You? and The Myth of Normal have each sold more than one million copies, while The Body Keeps the Score remains a longstanding bestseller.
The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
One of the best-known books on trauma, The Body Keeps the Score explores how traumatic experiences can continue to affect the brain, body and nervous system. Bessel van der Kolk explains why trauma can influence emotions, relationships and our sense of safety, while also exploring different approaches to recovery.
A strong choice for anyone wanting to understand why the effects of trauma can remain long after the experience itself.
The Body Keeps the Score
A bestselling exploration of how trauma affects both mind and body, and what can support recovery.
What Happened to You? – Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
What Happened to You? explores how early experiences and trauma can shape the way we respond to stress, relationships and the world around us. Rather than asking “What’s wrong with you?”, the book encourages a more compassionate question: “What happened to you?”
Accessible and conversational, it’s a good choice for anyone beginning to understand trauma and its lasting impact.
What Happened to You?
A compassionate and accessible look at how our experiences can shape the way we think, feel and respond to the world.
The Myth of Normal – Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté
The Myth of Normal explores the connections between trauma, stress, emotional wellbeing and physical health. Gabor Maté examines how our experiences and wider environment shape how we cope, while considering what healing and recovery might involve.
An accessible choice for readers who want to understand trauma in the wider context of modern life.
The Myth of Normal
A thought-provoking exploration of trauma, stress and the influence of modern life on our emotional and physical wellbeing.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving – Pete Walker
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving focuses on the lasting effects of childhood and prolonged trauma. Pete Walker explores emotional flashbacks, the inner critic, and common survival responses, helping readers understand how these patterns develop.
A particularly useful read for anyone who wants to understand complex trauma and the recovery process.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
A practical and compassionate guide to understanding complex trauma, emotional flashbacks and the journey towards recovery.
What My Bones Know – Stephanie Foo
What My Bones Know is Stephanie Foo’s memoir about living with complex PTSD following childhood trauma. She combines her personal experience with an exploration of trauma, relationships and different approaches to healing.
An engaging choice for readers who prefer learning about trauma through a personal story rather than a traditional psychology book.
What My Bones Know
A powerful personal account of complex PTSD, childhood trauma and the search for understanding and healing.
It Didn’t Start with You – Mark Wolynn
It Didn’t Start with You explores the idea that the effects of trauma can extend across generations and influence patterns of fear, anxiety and relationships. Mark Wolynn examines family histories and inherited patterns, along with ways to understand their influence.
An interesting choice for readers wanting to explore trauma from an intergenerational perspective.
It Didn't Start with You
An accessible exploration of intergenerational trauma and how patterns within families may continue to influence our lives.
Waking the Tiger – Peter A. Levine
Waking the Tiger explores trauma through the mind-body connection. Peter Levine looks at our instinctive responses to threat and why traumatic experiences can sometimes leave us feeling stuck in patterns of fear or heightened alertness.
A useful read for anyone interested in the physical and nervous-system aspects of trauma recovery.
Waking the Tiger
An influential exploration of trauma, the body's response to threat and the role of the nervous system in recovery.
View Book on AmazonThe Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – Bruce D. Perry & Maia Szalavitz
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog uses real clinical stories to explore how childhood trauma can affect the developing brain, behaviour and relationships. Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz explain complex ideas in an engaging and accessible way.
A compelling choice for understanding the impact of early trauma and the importance of relationships in recovery.
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
An engaging exploration of childhood trauma, brain development and the powerful role relationships can play in recovery.
Explore More Recommended Reading
Interested in a particular area? Explore my book recommendations on EMDR therapy and understanding the nervous system.
