Healing Through Literature: 10 Must-Read Books For Complex Trauma Survivors

Complex traumaโ€”a severe mental health condition, yet one that remains unrecognized by the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is one of the most misunderstood psychological conditions.




The National Child Traumatic Stress Network defines complex trauma as โ€œchildrenโ€™s exposure to multiple traumatic eventsโ€”often of an invasive, interpersonal natureโ€”and the wide-ranging, long-term effects of this exposure.

These events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect.โ€ On their path to recovery, complex trauma survivors often seek validation, information, and hope. The following books are great resources for meeting these needs.



10 Must-Read Books For Complex Trauma Survivors

1. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence โ€“ from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Herman, M.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

Dr. Judith Herman is the grandmother of the complex trauma movement. She coined the term Complex PTSD and with other clinicians, such as Christine Courtois and Bessel a van der Kolk, she has advocated for the inclusion of Complex PTSD in the DSM since the 90s.

This book is groundbreaking as Dr. Herman conceptualizes trauma in a social context. She utilizes case studies and literature to illustrate the parallels between personal trauma, such as sexual assault, and public trauma, such as terrorism and exposure to war, to conclude that psychological trauma does not exist in a vacuum but as part of our culture, communities, and society.

2. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

If Judith Herman is the grandmother of the complex trauma movement, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is its grandfather. His book is considered a classic and required reading for all trauma clinicians. Itโ€™s also one of the most recommended books to clients by their clinicians. Dr. Kolk exceptionally describes how trauma impacts the brain and body.




He also explores effective methods to treat trauma, such as safe, trusting relationships, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), yoga, and neurofeedback. My favourite quote is, โ€œAfter trauma the world becomes sharply divided between those who know and those who donโ€™t.โ€

3. Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body by Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

When you think of complex trauma, you canโ€™t forget your body. Trauma lives in your body, and you may need to try strategies that focus specifically on your body to recover. Dr. Levine expands upon his theory of Somatic Experiencing (SE).

This therapy focuses on the connection between the mind and body, which he introduced in his book Waking the Tiger.

He provides a how-to guide for SE, including methods for uncovering the physiological roots of your emotions, emergency โ€œfirst-aidโ€ measures for times of distress, and ways to develop bodily self-awareness to โ€œrenegotiateโ€ and heal from traumas by โ€œrevisitingโ€ them rather than reliving them.

SE is highly adaptable: You donโ€™t have to focus solely on these interventions, as SE can often be combined with other recovery methods.

4. What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry M.D., and Oprah Winfrey

Best books for complex trauma survivors

What happens when media mogul Oprah Winfrey and psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry sit down for a conversation about complex trauma? This book.




Perry explains the science, provides vivid case studies and challenges readers to change their perceptions of trauma. Winfrey provides probing questions, exposes the impact of culture and intersectionality, and shares her story as a trauma survivor.

One of the most prominent themes in this book is the need to shift away from the question โ€œWhatโ€™s wrong with you?โ€ and to embrace, instead, the question โ€œWhat happened to you?โ€ Such a paradigm shift isnโ€™t insignificant as it challenges the current symptom-obsessed culture and encourages us to focus instead on the cause, which is often complex trauma.

I would also add the question, โ€œWhat didnโ€™t happen to you?โ€ which might be helpful for survivors who missed out on critical developmental experiences.

5. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

Best books for complex trauma survivors

A successful journalist is told that she has complex PTSD and embarks on a journey of research, recovery, and reckoning. Stephanie Fooโ€™s memoir is honest, informative, and validating as she describes how complex trauma impacted her health, relationships, and career.

She exposes the difficult journey from diagnosis to healing and the obstacles that trauma survivors often experience: breaking up with therapists, trying many different therapies, and navigating incapable family members.

Foo also explores how intergenerational trauma impacted her community, family, and adult relationships and reflected on her ability to find and embrace her chosen family. In the end, her message is one of humility and hope.

6. Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process by Cathy A. Malchiodi, Ph.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

If youโ€™ve tried talk therapy and it didnโ€™t work or only helped so much, this is the book for you. Pioneering expressive arts therapist Dr. Cathy A. Malchiodi shares decades of research, case studies, and interventions.




Expressive arts therapy utilizes bodily and sensory interventions, such as movement, sound, play, art, and drama, to treat traumaโ€”instead of relying solely upon talk therapy.

As a trauma therapist, I was able to implement these interventions immediately as this book includes templates and access to a website from which you can download and print materials.

The wide range of interventions includes strategies to enhance relationships, safety, self-regulation, resilience, and mindfulness, to name a few. A tremendous benefit of this book is that these interventions are designed for adults and children alike.

7. Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma by Pete Walker, LMFT

Best books for complex trauma survivors

Need a thoroughly researched and informative yet jargon-free self-help book? Marriage and family psychotherapist Pete Walker provides this vital resource as he addresses multiple topics, such as attachment, shrinking the inner and outer critic, managing co-dependency, and navigating common obstacles in trauma recovery.

He provides case studies to illustrate essential concepts, including his experiences as a complex trauma survivor, which are rarely included in books written by therapists.




Walker provides multiple strategies and options for recovery depending upon each survivorโ€™s distinct response to trauma, and he encourages survivors to abandon any methods that do not work for them. If you want a practical, effective, and educational self-help book, read this one.

8. The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

Can complex trauma stress cause serious medical illnesses in adulthood? Yes. Dr. Harris, a paediatrician, devoted to providing medical services to traumatized children, shares the results of her research into the biological effects of adverse childhood experiences. She provides scientific information, vivid case studies, humility, empathy, and compassion.

This book could have easily focused solely on traumaโ€™s impacts on the body, but it does not. Dr. Harris explores the effects of trauma on our families, communities, and societies. In addition, The Deepest Well discusses treatment tools, including exercise, mindfulness, diet, and therapy.

9. The Complex PTSD Workbook: A Mind-Body Approach to Regaining Emotional Control and Becoming Whole by Arielle Schwartz, Ph.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

Do you need something practical that will give you tools to use now? Dr. Schwartz provides a combination of easy-to-use mindfulness and body-based interventions to assist readers in their physical and emotional stabilization and overall self-care.

There is a focus on coping with intrusive, avoidant, and depressive symptoms, as complex trauma does not impact everyone the same.

Consider completing this workbook when participating in trauma therapy or preparing to engage in therapy. In addition to the practical, Dr. Schwartzโ€™s compassion and psychoeducational techniques make her tools safe and accessible for survivors.



10. Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body, and Brain by Daniel J Siegel, M.D., and Marion Solomon, Ph.D.

Best books for complex trauma survivors

Do you want to be exposed to different perspectives without reading many books on complex trauma? Drs. Siegel and Solomon have brought together contributors who are heavyweights in the field of trauma, such as Francine Shapiro and Bessel van der Kolk.

These diverse perspectives include insights into attachment research, neurobiology, EMDR, and successful treatment methods for complex trauma.

Donโ€™t skip Robert J. Neborshyโ€™s chapter, โ€œA Clinical Model for the Comprehensive Treatment of Trauma Using an Affect Experiencing โ€“ Attachment Theory Approach,โ€ as he provides a transcript of attachment-based psychotherapy. This book is jargon-heavy as its intended audience is mental health practitioners.

Also, drumrolls please, our new book and labour of love, Toxic Love Disorder is finally out. Itโ€™s a goldmine of information when it comes to toxic and abusive relationships. Do check it out and order your copy now!

References:

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Complex Trauma. Webpage retrieved at https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma#โ€ฆ
Gregory, A. 20022. 6 Must-Read Books for Complex Trauma Survivors. Psychology Today blog. Retrieved fromย https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/simplifying-complex-trauma/202207/6-must-read-books-complex-trauma-survivors

Receive a free eBook, 25 Trauma and Anxiety Coping Hacks, by signing up for a monthly newsletter HERE.


Amanda Ann Gregory is accepting speaking engagements. She provides trainings, conference break-out sessions, lunch and learns, and keynotes. Contact her at [email protected].


Written By Amanda Ann Gregory
Originally Appeared On Amanda Ann Gregory
complex trauma survivors


Published On:

Last updated on:

,

— About the Author —

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

8 Ways To Survive Motherโ€™s Day When You Have A Toxic Mom

Toxic Moms And 8 Ways To Survive This Mother's Day

The whole world is gearing up to celebrate Mother’s Day 2025, but what if your bond with your mother is not worth celebrating? Itโ€™s challenging to survive motherโ€™s day when you have a toxic mom. But thereโ€™re ways you can cope with those tangled emotions that arise during this time.

Mother’s day can be rough for many people. Thereโ€™re those who are without a child and those whose loving moms are no longer alive to celebrate with them. 

But for those unloved daughters and sons whose moms are a constant source of distress, the second Sunday of May can be a reminder of a childhood they donโ€™t cherish and didnโ€™t deserve.

If you were hurt, ridiculed, neglected, scapegoated, and unloved by you

Up Next

I Hate My Mom: What To Do When You Canโ€™t Help But Feel This Way

โ€œI Hate My Mom!โ€ 10 Things To Do If You Feel This Way

โ€œI hate my mom!โ€. As a teenager, you might have yelled this quite often whenever you didnโ€™t get your way. But now youโ€™re a full blown adult, itโ€™s mother’s day 2025, and you still carry that resentment. So, what to do when you hate your mom?

First things first – ditch the guilt. If youโ€™re a fully functioning grown up who is responsible and sincere, then harboring anger toward your mom must have some reason behind it.

Itโ€™s one thing to say โ€œI hate my momโ€ under your breathe, when she doesnโ€™t allow you to go to a concert on a school night or when she forbids you to date a much older bass player, and itโ€™s completely a different story when you in your mid 20s or late 30s feel a strong sense of hatred toward her.

We grow out of our rebellious years and start seeing our parentsโ€™ perspecti

Up Next

10 Powerful Trauma Books By Women You Need To Read

10 Powerful Trauma Books by Women You Need to Read

The best trauma books donโ€™t just tell a story โ€” they help you heal. These must-read trauma books by women highlight raw, powerful journeys. These unforgettable books written by women are bound to stay with you. If you’re looking for trauma books to read that truly resonate, start here.

These remarkable womenโ€”researchers, clinicians, medical doctors, professors, journalists, and all authorsโ€”have written groundbreaking books that benefit trauma survivors, their loved ones, mental health professionals, and society as a whole.

By contributing their unique perspectives, these women have enriched the mental health field and encourage readers to develop a deeper understanding of trauma and the journey of recovery.

Consider adding these books to your reading list.

Up Next

Why โ€œForgive And Forgetโ€ Is Bad Advice For Trauma Survivors

Why โ€œForgive and Forgetโ€ is Bad Advice for Trauma Survivors

The phrase โ€œforgive and forgetโ€ is a common slogan and recommendation. But does it make sense for trauma survivors?

While researching for my book, You Donโ€™t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms, I discovered that many trauma survivors, including myself, have been encouraged to forgive their offenders and to forget their offenses.

This advice can be well-intended as itโ€™s advocates might want us to feel better and to heal. Yet, โ€œforgive and forgetโ€ in trauma recovery can be highly problematic and counterproductive

Here are five re

Up Next

How Does Childhood Trauma Affect The Brain And Create Emotional Wounds

How Does Childhood Trauma Affect The Brain?4 Emotional Scars

When people say โ€œtrauma changed meโ€, believe them. A traumatized personโ€™s brain canโ€™t function like an average one and when this trauma injury happens during childhood, it just messes up your brain wirings. So, how does childhood trauma affect the brain in the long term?

A Trauma is a deeply disturbing and unsettling experience that negatively affects our functioning. It overwhelms our nervous system and interferes with our ability to cope, leaving long-lasting psychological, emotional, and neurological imprints.

A trauma can be a one time incident like an accident or a loss of a loved one, BUT, it can also be a prolonged exposure to adverse experiences like abuse, neglect, abandonment, betrayal, or chronic stress.

Up Next

10 Signs Of Childhood Trauma: You Had An Unhappy Childhood And The Realization Is Setting In Now!

10 Signs Of Childhood Trauma: When Past Threatens Future

Our unhappy childhood catches up with us pretty fast. But sadly, we wake up to the signs of childhood trauma, much later. Is it too late to be happy? Read on to know the truth!

Childhood experiences build the foundation of an individualโ€™s mental, emotional, and behavioral structure.

During our formative years, when our brain is still learning to process concepts like trust, care, dependency, love, etc., the information that gets fed into it becomes the basis on which our brain develops our personality; our personal programming, if you will.

This programming dictates everything; our belief system, tendencies, quirks, thought process, behavior, reactions, and most importantly, attachment styles – how we develop relationships with others, as adults.

Now,

Up Next

The 15 Types Of Trauma That Mess With Your Mind (And How To Break Free)

The Ultimate Guide To 15 Types of Trauma (And How To Heal)

What comes to your mind when you think of trauma? Big, life-shattering life events? Scary, violent situations? Even though trauma can be caused by these things, it comes in all shapes and sizes, and understanding the different types of trauma is so very important when it comes to moving on, healing and growth.

Be it intergenerational trauma that you still struggle with, or rejection trauma that still stings from childhood, trauma can impact anyone in countless ways.

Today, we are going to talk about the different types of trauma, and what you can do to deal with it and heal your inner child.

So, shall we get started?

Related: