Trauma can take many forms, whether it’s surviving childhood or adult abuse, witnessing animal cruelty or being a firefighter or paramedic. This can create ‘aftershock’ that can go on for years, if not dealt with effectively. Here are some books to help, if you can’t afford private therapy or the NHS waiting list for counselling is too long.
After Trauma is a story of grit, defiance, choice and hope, with each chapter offering a lesson to help readers overcome their own trauma, with advice on how to restory your life after adversity. The author is a former firefighter who experienced overt sexism and sexual violence, until the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder led her to swap careers to become a counsellor for people who had suffered domestic violence and sexual assault.
Find Your Strength helps you overcome obstacles if you feel anxious, burned out or over-stimulated. Psychotherapist April Snow offers a book for highly sensitive people to create a lifestyle to support your needs. Learn how to navigate relationships and create healthy boundaries. Discover methods to help you thrive at work, and turn your sensitive nature into a force for good, for you and the world.
Your Brain is a Safe Space is a book to help you heal from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) by Michele Rosenthal, who struggled with the condition for 25 years. Packed with tips on how to heal trauma your own way, the recovery path is worth it. Connect to your inner power and use healing measures like mindfulness and meditation.
The Essential Guide to Trauma-Sensitive Yoga is a manual for yoga teachers and students to create a trauma-sensitive practice to benefit all, and alienate no-one. The practice of yoga can be triggering for people with a history of trauma. This beautifully illustrated book contains 260 photos of poses and sequences modelled by trauma survivors, who also share stories of how yoga helped them heal.