Books for Healing

by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT

For individuals experiencing anxiety and overthinking who are interested in mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches to managing distress.

Offers accessible mindfulness-based tools for reducing anxious thoughts and improving emotional resilience.

by Judson Brewer, MD, PhD

For individuals struggling with anxiety, worry, or stress who want evidence-based, mindfulness-informed strategies for changing anxiety patterns.

Uses neuroscience and mindfulness strategies to help readers understand and change anxiety-driven habits.

by Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD and John Gottman, PhD

For couples who want to handle conflict more effectively, strengthen communication, and build a healthier relationship.

It offers practical, research-based tools for managing conflict in ways that promote understanding, respect, and emotional connection rather than distance and resentment.

by Alan E. Fruzzetti, PhD

For couples experiencing frequent, intense conflict who want evidence-based strategies to reduce hostility and improve their relationship.

Offers evidence-based interventions for reducing conflict and increasing emotional safety.

by Dr. Sue Johnson

For couples seeking to deepen emotional connection, improve communication, and strengthen attachment in their relationship.

Introduces attachment-based conversations that help couples move out of negative cycles and build deeper intimacy by the founder of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT).

by Jessica Fern

For individuals and partners practicing or exploring consensual non-monogamy, polyamory, or other forms of ethically non-monogamous relationships, as well as therapists interested in attachment-informed approaches to relationship diversity.

Polysecure applies attachment theory to non-monogamous relationships and offers practical tools for building trust, security, and healthy communication in ENM relationships. While written with polyamorous and ethically non-monogamous relationships in mind, many of its insights about attachment and relational security are valuable for people in all relationship structures.

by Stan Tatkin, PsyD

For couples interested in understanding how attachment styles and neuroscience affect intimacy, trust, and connection.

Provides practical relationship tools grounded in research on attachment, trust, and emotional connection.

by Megan Devine

For people grieving a significant loss, as well as those supporting them, who want a compassionate and validating perspective on grief.

Validates the realities of grief without rushing people toward "getting over it," offering compassion and understanding instead.

by Linda Kay Klein

For individuals healing from the effects of purity culture, religious sexual shame, or restrictive beliefs about sexuality and relationships.

Examines the long-term effects of shame-based messages about sexuality while encouraging self-compassion and healing.

by Wendy Maltz

For adult survivors of sexual abuse seeking a structured path toward healing, recovery, and healthy sexuality.

Provides a structured, sensitive framework for healing trauma and developing a healthier relationship with sexuality.

by Janis A. Spring, PhD

For couples dealing with the aftermath of infidelity who want guidance on healing, rebuilding trust, and deciding the future of the relationship.

Offers a compassionate and practical roadmap for processing hurt, rebuilding trust, and deciding how to move forward.

by Shirley P. Glass, PhD

For individuals and couples seeking to prevent, understand, or recover from emotional and sexual infidelity.

Helps readers recognize boundary violations before they become major relationship crises and provides guidance for healing after betrayal.

by Dr Frank Pittman

For individuals and couples struggling with secrecy, dishonesty, betrayal, or boundary issues in intimate relationships.

Explores how dishonesty develops in relationships and provides insight into rebuilding integrity and trust.

by Pete Walker

For adults coping with complex trauma, childhood abuse, neglect, or chronic relational wounds who want practical strategies for healing and recovery.

Provides practical tools for understanding trauma responses, emotional regulation, and long-term recovery.

Bill O'Hanlon

For individuals recovering from trauma, adversity, or difficult life experiences who are seeking hope, healing, and resilience.

Offers hope, resilience, and encouragement for rebuilding a meaningful life after adversity.

by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

For trauma survivors, clinicians, students, and helping professionals seeking to understand how trauma affects the brain, body, and recovery process.

Explains how trauma affects both the brain and body and introduces evidence-informed approaches to recovery.

by Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., and Oprah Winfrey

Individuals seeking to understand the impact of trauma, adversity, and life experiences on behavior, emotions, and relationships, as well as clinicians, caregivers, educators, and helping professionals.

This book shifts the question from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" It combining neuroscience, clinical insights, and personal stories, to show how past experiences shape present-day reactions and behaviors. It offers a compassionate, trauma-informed framework that promotes self-understanding, resilience, and healing while reducing shame and self-blame.

by Julia R. Heiman & Joseph Lopiccolo

For women who experience difficulty reaching orgasm and are seeking structured, research-supported exercises to improve sexual functioning.

Offers structured, evidence-based exercises that have helped many women improve sexual functioning and confidence.

by Emily Nagoski, PhD

For individuals who want to better understand the science of sexual desire, arousal, and sexual wellbeing while addressing common barriers to intimacy.

Uses research to normalize sexual experiences and helps readers reduce shame while enhancing sexual wellbeing.

by Emily Nagoski, PhD

For readers of Come As You Are who want guided exercises and practical tools to apply concepts related to desire, pleasure, and sexual health.

Provides guided exercises that help translate knowledge into meaningful personal change.

by Alice Wong

For disabled individuals, partners, clinicians, and allies interested in understanding intimacy, relationships, and sexuality through a disability justice lens.

Broadens conversations about intimacy and relationships by centering disability, access, and connection.

by Peggy J. Kleinplatz, PhD & A. Dana Ménard, PhD

For couples and individuals interested in cultivating emotionally connected, meaningful, and fulfilling sexual experiences.

Highlights the emotional, relational, and experiential qualities that contribute to truly satisfying sexual intimacy.

by Esther Perel

For individuals and couples seeking to better understand the balance between emotional closeness and sexual desire in long-term relationships.

Perel offers a thought-provoking perspective on how intimacy, autonomy, novelty, and desire interact over time. This book helps readers explore common challenges in sustaining erotic connection in committed relationships and encourages conversations about desire without shame or judgment.

by Claire Cavanah & Rachel Venning

A good primer for all bodies and sexual orientations seeking to enhance sexual pleasure, deepen body awareness, and develop practical skills for greater sexual satisfaction.

Encourages exploration of pleasure, body awareness, and sexual empowerment in an approachable, inclusive and affirming way. Written by the owners of Toys in Babeland.

by Nadia Bolz-Weber

For those wanting to overcome sexual shame (especially shame due to religious upbringing) and embrace their sexual wellbeing and right to pleasure.

Promotes a sex-positive perspective that supports self-acceptance, empowerment, and healthier (shameless) sexual wellbeing. Bolz-Weber is the founder and former pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Denver, House for All Sinners and Saints.

by Justin J. Lehmiller

For individuals and couples interested in understanding sexual fantasies, desires, and communication about sexuality in a healthy, evidence-based way.

Encourages healthy conversations about desire while reducing shame and misconceptions about sexual thoughts.

by Patricia L. Papernow

For couples entering or building a blended family who want practical strategies for creating healthy stepfamily dynamics.

Helps families establish realistic expectations and develop stronger foundations during the transition to stepfamily life.

by Patricia L. Papernow

For stepfamily members, stepparents, and remarried couples looking to strengthen relationships and address common stepfamily challenges.

Normalizes common stepfamily challenges and provides practical strategies for building stronger relationships.