3 Books Recommended By My Therapist
I used to be a voracious reader as a child. That all changed when I became an adult. While I can’t pinpoint exactly why I stopped reading at my book-a-week rate, I recently started reading again as a part of my therapy treatment. I expected to gain insight into my past and hoped for “Ah hah!” moments, but what I didn’t expect was the range of emotions certain topics caused to come rushing to the surface.
Take that as fair warning should you decide to pick up any of these books: they might trigger you and you might have to put the book down for awhile before continuing on. Just make sure you finish reading them as they should help you on your healing path. I hope they help you on your journey as they have helped me on mine.
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For anyone that has dealt with narcissistic abuse or for anyone suspecting what they experienced was (or is) narcissistic abuse, I recommend Out of the Fog. While the book focuses more so on romantic relationships, there are plenty of tidbits that would help if you experienced narcissistic abuse from a parent as well. Sometimes, you don’t even realize what you experienced was the trait of a narcissist, and then you read that exact scenario in this book and realize the severity of what you endured. You will definitely gain clarity for your healing journey.
2. The Book of Boundaries: Set the Limits That Will Set You Free by Melissa Urban
Are you the kind of person that often puts on a smile and agrees to things they don’t want to agree to through gritted teeth? Do you say “Yes” to things you often want to say “No” to just because you can’t find the words to say no and you feel guilty doing so? Then I recommend this book. For those of us that let others walk all over them, this book offers scripts and specific scenarios in which to use them to get started on setting boundaries and taking control of your life.
If either of your parents, or both, are the master of guilt trips and victimhood, they might be an emotionally immature parent. If they fall into this category, you might not realize just how damaging their behavior was and how it influenced you as an adult. This book will help you realize the connection between their behavior and your insecurities and call out behaviors you didn’t realize were the traits of emotional immaturity. This book made me realize things I couldn’t quite place about one of my parents and helped me gain a more realistic picture of my past.
If you purchase or have read any of these books, please leave me a comment and let me know how you liked them. I highly recommend each of these books. They might even be worth a re-read in the future.