Self-help books can be a wonderful tool to begin the healing process after you have been assaulted or abused. It's important to choose the right book for your current state of mind. Triggering material like personal stories can be difficult for survivors to read. I find that books which focus on overall mental health are the best first step.
| This classic book by Dr. David D. Burns is not a substitute for therapy, but can be valuable to help you recognize the negative feelings and emotional traps that can occur after trauma. Learning about the Cognitive Distortions that occur in mild depression, like constant negative thoughts and distortions of reality, and how to overcome them by practicing simple coping strategies are powerful weapons in the healing process. |
| "Resilience", by Dr. Frederic Flach, can teach you how to develop the characteristics of people who recover more easily from trauma and stress. Learn why creativity, a wide support network, and even letting yourself "appropriately collapse" after a traumatic event can be powerful aids to healing." |
It is so important for partners of incest survivors to understand the trauma and pain their loved ones suffered. One of the best ways to do that is to read a book with first person accounts and straightforward talk. This book should be part of your library if your partner is an incest survivor.
Harriet Lerner wrote several "The Dance Of..." books for women. This book deals with one of the unspoken emotions in women. Anger can be frightening to deal with. Anger turned inward can cause depression. Learn to change your response patterns using the real-life examples in this book.
Did you feel worse after the events of 9/11/01? Dr. Judith Herman draws parallels to personal crimes and the aftereffects of terrorism and war. Every case of incest, sexual assault, abuse, and rape results in trauma to the victim. Learn how post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) manifests itself after these crimes. Dr. Herman adds another facet to PTSD, naming the disease complex-PTSD, and offers solutions toward recovery.
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