Bibliotherapy is an important part of the process of feeling better for most people. As an adjunct to therapy, or even before you make a call to a therapist, take a look at one or more of the following books. (Click on the links below to see availability at local libraries and online bookstores.)
Awareness
The Sage’s Tao Te Ching: A New Interpretation by William Martin
Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind by Dzogchen Ponlop
The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein
Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
Soulcraft by Bill Plotkin
Assertiveness, Boundaries and Abuse
Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse by Mic Hunter
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Dance of Anger by Harriet Goldhor Lerner
When I Say “No” I Feel Guilty by Manuel J. Smith
Career and Creativity
Art and Fear by Ted Orland
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity by David Whyte
Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
Expect the Unexpected (or You Won’t Find It): A Creativity Tool Based on the Ancient Wisdom of Heraclitus by Roger von Oech
How to Find the Work You Love by Laurence G. Boldt
Compulsive Behaviors
Breaking Free from Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth
Don’t Call it Love by Patrick Carnes
When Food Is Love by Geneen Roth
Depression, Anxiety and Loss
Feeling Good Handbook by David D. Burns
How to Heal Depression by Harold H. Bloomfield and Peter McWilliams
How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Melba Colgrove, Harold H. Bloomfield, and Peter McWilliams
On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Gestalt
Creative Process in Gestalt Therapy by Joseph Zinker
Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality by Frederick Perls, Ralph Hefferline, and Paul Goodman
Gestalt Therapy: Perspectives and Applications edited by Edwin C. Nevis
Identity
Please Understand Me by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates
Understanding the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Relationships
After the Affair by Janis Abrahms Spring
Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix
Making Peace with Your Parents by Harold Blumfield and Leonard Felder
The New Male Sexuality by Bernie Zilbergeld
Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch
People Skills by Robert Bolton
The Relationship Cure by John Gottman
The Seven Principles of Successful Marriage by John Gottman
Spirituality
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
The Plague by Albert Camus
What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality by Daniel Helminiak
Transgender/Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay Interest
Being Homosexual by Richard A. Isay
Growing up Gay in a Dysfunctional Family by Rik Isensee
Outing Yourself by Michelangelo Signorile
Trans Forming Families by Mary Boenke, Delores Dudley and Lori Bowden