Books on Trauma, Shame, and Deconstruction

• I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t) — Brené Brown

  • Understanding shame resilience and how silence and secrecy maintain shame.

• When Religion Hurts You — Laura Anderson

  • Explores the psychological impact of religious trauma and pathways toward healing.

• Leaving the Fold — Marlene Winell

  • A foundational guide for people recovering from religious fundamentalism.

• Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors — Janina Fisher

  • A practical framework for understanding trauma, dissociation, and internal parts.

• The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk

  • How trauma shapes the brain and body and what supports recovery.

• Waking the Tiger — Peter Levine

  • Introduction to Somatic Experiencing and nervous system healing.

• What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo

  • A memoir exploring complex trauma and recovery.

• The Myth of Normal — Gabor Maté & Daniel Maté

  • How trauma and stress shape health and behavior.

• ​My Grandmother’s Hands — Resmaa Menakem

  • Explores how trauma lives in the body and how somatic practices can support healing from personal, cultural, and intergenerational trauma.

• Attached — Amir Levine & Rachel Heller

  • An accessible guide to attachment styles and relationship dynamics.

• Polywise — Jessica Fern

  • Explores attachment, trauma, and relational awareness in nontraditional relationship structures.

• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work — John Gottman & Nan Silver

  • Research based principles for building healthier communication and connection.

• Hold Me Tight — Sue Johnson

  • Attachment based practices for strengthening emotional connection.

• Set Boundaries, Find Peace — Nedra Glover Tawwab

  • A guide to establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries.

• All About Love — bell hooks

  • Reimagining love beyond control, obligation, and shame.

• Ambiguous Loss — Pauline Boss

  • Understanding grief when closure or resolution is unclear.

• It’s OK That You’re Not OK — Megan Devine

  • A compassionate approach to grief that challenges cultural pressure to “move on.”

• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

  • Reflections on meaning, suffering, and human resilience.

• Tuesdays with Morrie — Mitch Albom

  • Lessons about life, loss, and connection.

• Health at Every Size — Linda Bacon

  • A weight-inclusive approach to health and body respect.

• Intuitive Eating — Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

  • A framework for reconnecting with internal body signals around food.

• More Than a Body — Lexie Kite & Lindsay Kite

  • Reframing body image beyond appearance.

• The F*ck It Diet — Caroline Dooner

  • A critical look at diet culture and reclaiming body autonomy.

• Braiding Sweetgrass — Robin Wall Kimmerer

  • Indigenous wisdom, ecology, and relational ways of knowing.

• Untamed — Glennon Doyle

  • A memoir about reclaiming self-trust and identity.

• Rumors, Secrets & Lies: Poems about Pregnancy, Abortion & Choice — Carol Knight & Kristine Snodgrass (Editors)

• The Rewilding — Ada Limón

• The Marriage Portrait — Maggie O’Farrell

• Poets are also the Fourth Estate — Gordon Magill

• The Iceman Cometh — Roger West

• On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs — Renee Nicole Macklin Good

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The books listed here are educational resources referenced in the Raised on Shame podcast and are offered as starting points for learning and reflection. Inclusion on this page does not constitute professional endorsement, and these resources are not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or professional mental health care. Some links may be affiliate links, which means this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.