Suggested Reading on Trauma, Relationships, Identity & Healing — Eileen Chen, Psy.D. — Licensed Psychologist

Suggested Reading

Books for Trauma Healing

What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey

An insightful exploration of how trauma impacts our lives and relationships, featuring conversations that emphasize the importance of understanding one's past to foster resilience and healing.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

Delve into the effects of trauma on the body and mind, and gain new insights and methods for recovery through a holistic approach to healing.
The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris

A compelling examination of how childhood adversity affects long-term health, with a focus on early intervention and holistic healing practices to combat the lasting effects of trauma.
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

An exploration of how racial trauma is stored in the body across generations, providing practical guidance on healing and addressing systemic racism through body-based practices.

Books for Asian Americans

Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans by Jenny Wang

A guide to mental health for Asian Americans, addressing cultural stigmas and offering tools for healing, self-acceptance, and reclaiming one's identity.
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

A thought-provoking collection of essays that confront the complexities of Asian American identity, exploring themes of racism, cultural dislocation, and the emotional landscape of marginalization.
Ingratitude: The Debt-Bound Daughter in Asian American Literature by Erin Khuê Ninh

An academic analysis of how themes of duty, sacrifice, and indebtedness are portrayed in Asian American literature, focusing on the fraught dynamics between daughters and their immigrant parents.
The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans: Heal from Racism, Build Resilience, and Find Strength in Your Identity by Helen Hsu

A practical and empowering workbook designed to help Asian Americans heal from the impacts of racism, enhance resilience, and embrace their cultural identity through guided exercises and therapeutic strategies.
Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity by Soo Jin Lee and Linda Yoon

An insightful exploration of the Asian American experience, focusing on healing from trauma and embracing cultural identity, while navigating the complexities of belonging and self-acceptance.

Books for Growing

How We Love: Notes on a Life by Clementine Ford

A candid memoir exploring the nature of love and relationships through personal anecdotes, offering reflections on vulnerability, connection, and self-discovery.
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff

A comprehensive guide on the practice of self-compassion, providing research-based techniques and exercises to cultivate kindness towards oneself, reduce self-criticism, and improve overall well-being.
The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living by Russ Harris

A practical guide to overcoming the pursuit of constant happiness through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), offering tools and exercises to help readers embrace life's challenges, live in alignment with their values, and find deeper fulfillment.
Tiny Buddha's 365 Tiny Love Challenges by Lori Deschene

A collection of daily love challenges designed to foster deeper connections and personal growth, featuring simple yet profound exercises to enhance relationships and self-love.
Stepping into Freedom: An Introduction to Buddhist Monastic Training by Thich Nhat Hanh

An introduction to the principles and practices of Buddhist monastic life, offering insights into how mindfulness, simplicity, and discipline can lead to spiritual freedom and inner peace.
Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye

A modern, accessible guide to Buddhist principles and practices, presented in a straightforward manner to help readers integrate mindfulness, compassion, and simplicity into their everyday lives.

Books for Parents

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

A practical parenting guide that offers brain-based strategies to help children manage emotions, improve decision-making, and foster healthy development, focusing on integrating different parts of the brain for balanced growth.
Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide" by Britt Hawthorne & Natasha Yglesias

A comprehensive guide for parents aiming to raise children who are aware of and actively oppose racism, providing practical advice, activities, and tools for fostering inclusivity, empathy, and social justice from an early age.
Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields

A mindfulness-based parenting guide that helps parents break free from reactive patterns, teaching strategies to cultivate kindness, emotional regulation, and confidence in their children, while fostering a more peaceful and intentional approach to parenting.
The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired by Daniel J. Siegel M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson

A parenting guide that emphasizes the critical role of consistent parental presence in a child's development, explaining how being emotionally and physically available helps shape their brain, builds secure attachment, and influences who they become.
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge

A compassionate guide offering insights into the unique emotional needs and challenges faced by adopted children, providing adoptive parents with valuable perspectives to help them better understand and support their children's journey.

Books for Couples

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson

A practical guide to enhancing romantic relationships through seven key conversations designed to strengthen emotional bonds and address underlying issues, based on the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). This audiobook offers actionable strategies to foster lasting love and connection.
The Hold Me Tight Workbook: A Couple's Guide for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson and Harriet Fraser

An interactive workbook that complements Hold Me Tight, providing exercises and tools for couples to apply EFT principles, enhance their relationship, and build a lasting, loving connection.
Hold Me Tight: Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships by Sue Johnson

A guide to Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), offering practical strategies to strengthen romantic relationships by improving emotional connection and communication, based on the principles of attachment theory.

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