Heretic Bonus: I Poured My Guts Out on HuffPo
Plus book recommendations!
ICYMI, I published a personal essay on complex PTSD on HuffPo earlier this week. I feel both proud of the piece and the inevitable vulnerability hangover. Writing about my own life feels both necessary and fraught—I’m aware that my story is not just about me, I’m also telling stories about others, stories they might not want told. It’s a big responsibility, and one that I fret over. But I’ve come down on the side of telling, because writing has been one of the vehicles of my recovery. I’m also encouraged by those who have reached out to let me know that the piece was illuminating for them.
By far the biggest comment I’ve received since the piece came out was “What was the book you were reading on vacation?” I don’t know that this book was in any way magical, but it came to me at the right place and time. In that spirit, I thought I’d share a list of books I’ve found helpful as I’ve recovered from childhood trauma.
The ACOA Trauma Syndrome by Tien Dayton, PhD (my magic vacation book)
Emotional Sobriety by Tien Dayton, PhD (there’s also a good workbook for this one)
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay. C. Gibson
The Gaslight Effect by Dr. Robin Stern
Healing the Adult Children of Narcissists by Shahida Arabi
Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries by Anne Katherine
I’ve also got a few more boundaries books in my TBR pile: Nedra Tawwab’s Set Boundaries, Find Peace and the Boundaries series by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. Shoutout to reader Emma for that last recommendation—the pair of doctors are teaching boundaries from a Christian perspective, which is not something I ever encountered during my religious upbringing, so I’m very curious!
Do you have book/podcast/video/whatever recommendations for those recovering from trauma? Please share in the comments!
I could totally relate to your HuffPost article. Thanks for sharing bravely! I grew up in Mormon culture and stepped out of it decades ago. Threads of it still run through my life and relationships. JR mentioned The Body Keeps the Score - a good book and an accurate statement! I feel that is true not only for our own selves but also those of our ancestors. I have a lot to grateful for but also a lot of processing and healing to do. I’m appreciative of your sharing, Katharine; it’s always reassuring and relatable to connect with someone on a similar path!
OMGosh! Great HuffPo article! Thanks for sharing! As a single queer male that never wanted children or to be married, your story was actually quite relate-able, digestible, and gave a good chuckle or 2. Great book list too (copy that!) (some of which I've read like The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker-both really good)! There's a doctor/book writer out there named Gabor Maté. You might find some of his stuff interesting or know of his stuff already. He's got a gazillion talks on youtube. https://drgabormate.com/the-wisdom-of-trauma/
Vulnerability hangovers are real. I get them just from writing out my opinion of a book on Goodreads.