Start Here: Foundational Reading

• The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
  A foundational overview of how trauma lives in the body and nervous system, and why talk therapy alone is often not enough.

• In an Unspoken Voice – Peter A. Levine
  A deeper somatic lens on how the body completes defensive responses and restores regulation.

• Befriending Your Nervous System – Deb Dana
  Highly accessible, practical support for understanding and working with the nervous system.

• When Things Fall Apart – Pema Chödrön
  Gentle, grounded wisdom for meeting pain and uncertainty with compassion.

Trauma, the Nervous System & Somatic Healing

• Waking the Tiger – Peter A. Levine
  An accessible introduction to somatic approaches to trauma healing.

• Nurturing Resilience – Kathy L. Kain & Stephen J. Terrell
  A developmental and attachment-based somatic perspective on trauma and resilience.

• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook – Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer
  Practical tools for cultivating kindness toward oneself in the healing process.

Meaning, Grief & Resilience

• Man's Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl

• A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis

• The Art of Happiness – Dalai Lama XIV & Howard C. Cutler

Mindfulness & Buddhist Psychology

• The Miracle of Mindfulness – Thich Nhat Hanh

• Radical Acceptance – Tara Brach

• Radical Compassion – Tara Brach

• The Joy of Living – Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

• Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions – Dalai Lama & Thubten Chodron

• Confession of a Buddhist Atheist – Stephen Batchelor