The connection between brain and body can be very complex. Here is a list of books that offer insight into the few of many ways our brain and body interact including substance use, ADHD, eating disorders, and trauma.
These titles have been recommended by folks in our community, including counsellors and people who have first-hand experience with hard feelings.
Click here to browse other book recommendations by topic.
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#Addiction
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction
By Gabor Mate In this timely and profoundly original book, writer and physician Gabor Maté looks at the epidemic of various addictions in our society, tells us why we are so prone to them and outlines what is needed to liberate ourselves from their hold. |
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#Trauma The Body Keeps the Sore: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma By Bessel Van Der Kolk In The Body Keeps the Score, Van Der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives. |
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#Trauma My Grandmothers Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies By Resmaa Menakem In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.
The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. |
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#ADD #ADHD Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder Dr. Maté describes the painful realities of ADD and its effect on children as well as on career and social paths in adults. He focuses on the things we can control: changes in environment, family dynamics, and parenting choices. |
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#Addiction Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is Not a Disease By Marc Lewis |
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#Addiction Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs By Marc Lewis |
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#ADD #ADHD Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder From Childhood Through Adulthood By Edward Hallowell and John Ratey |
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#ADD #ADHD The Queen of Distraction: How Women with ADHD Can Conquer Chaos, Find Focus, and Get More Done By Terry Matlen |
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#EatingDisorders The Inside Scoop On Eating Disorder Recovery: Advice From Two Therapists Who Have Been There By Colleen Reichmann & Jennifer Rollin |
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#EatingDisorders Talking to Eating Disorders: Simple Ways to Support Someone With Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Or Body Image Issues By Jeanne Albronda Heaton & Claudia J. Strauss |
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#EatingDisorders
The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt In America
By Virginia Sole-Smith |
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#Trauma
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
By Gabor Maté, with Daniel Maté |
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#Trauma
When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
By Gabor Maté |
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#Trauma Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma By Peter A. Levine |
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#Trauma In An Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness By Peter A. Levine |
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#Trauma Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body By David Emerson |
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#Trauma Journey Through Trauma: A Trail Guide to the 5-Phase Cycle of Healing Repeated Trauma By Gretchen L. Schmelzer |
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#Trauma Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe Healing By David A. Treleaven |