instead of the body keeps the score
look into these books that are widely varied on the topic of trauma, with a more empathetic and understanding approach and perspective.






PAIN au chocolat
These books try to get to the root of what pain is and where it comes from and how humans have tried to treat it. From chronic illness, disability to medication. Nonfiction regarding health, women's health, mental health, painkillers, opium, the body and autoimmune diseases. This list is NOT about finding healing (since that is a very individual journey) but how to be seen and understood and how to find the words to describe pain and sickness.






somatics
i’m a massage therapist by trade, obsessed with the growing body of research around trauma, fascia, and the role of somatics in whole-self healing. some of these selections are more hard science based, some memoir, and some more ‘woo-woo’ - but all of them are informing my thinking around bodywork for myself and my clients.






so, you wanna read like a therapist?
books that are well known in the therapy & mental health world - often read & recommended by therapists, social workers, and other professionals in the field 💕






Trauma studies
A syllabus






Who needs healthcare when you can read a book?
This list started with actual recs from different health pros (naturopath, therapist, OB-GYN) and works cited therein. Relationships with Western science vary.
My bias: rigour & evidence-based analysis are important; Western science can assume these don’t exist in traditional ways.
I’m not a doctor. This isn’t medical advice. Trusted recs welcome.
Got a vagina? See @Chelssicle’s list






Chronic Pain Help
Books that helped me in my journey living with chronic pain.






If you can’t afford a therapist






Grief and healing
Collective trauma and personal grief





