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Influential Books from my Recovery




Tuxedo Cat on Bookshelf
Tuxedo Cat on Bookshelf


These reviews are solely based on my opinions and experience in exploring and discovering some of the most current understanding of neuroscience, trauma and addiction. By no means am i suggesting that reading these will cure or heal you. They, for me, have been extraordinarily helpful in my recovery, abstinence, sobriety and maintenance.




'What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing'

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




For me this book helped me recognize the effects of trauma in my life and how it has influenced my life on the subconscious levels. It was instrumental in reconfirm and encouraged me to find my tribe, make connections not just in the recovery community but in my greater community. The opposite of addiction is connections. I'm still building the outer circle even though experience has left me untrusting. I know that there were other parts that spoke deeply to me and aided in re-enforcing my recovery, and i am most grateful for community and connections. Recovery is contagious.



'It Didn't Start with You'

Mark Wolynn




This read was helpful and instrumental by introducing me to the connection of generational trauma which until recently was only a theory. Neuroscience now has proof, showing that our DNA is actually changed by trauma and this trauma is passed down through generations. This was helpful in addressing shame and guilt which i could not connect or understand in my own trauma. i heal now for generations behind me and the generation ahead of me.



'The Body Keeps the Score'

Bessel van der Kolk M.D.



Be aware there maybe some triggering content in the review and book. For me and my trauma i found this book helpful with identifying and addressing my personal trauma as well as giving ways in which to manage and build healthy tools to heal. van der Kolk shows how trauma changes the brain on multiple levels, while designed to help us survive trauma after the trauma the system is not easily turned back off and can wreak havoc in our world when PTSD occurs throwing us head long back into the trauma as though it is happening again. As a follow up I can not recommend Huberman Laboratories lecture regarding fear and trauma. and how to rewrite our trauma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31wjVhCcI5Y



'No Bad Parts'

Richard C Schwartz Ph.D


Review: 'No Bad Parts' will introduce you to Internal Family Systems (IFS) and how we have different parts of our psyche and personality that help manage our interactions on the daily. Gabor Maté found this very helpful in his understanding and treatment with addicts. Our mind is a mix of personalities that influence our lives down to the simplest to most complex level. This book shows a way to begin healing and integrating our parts to work as they should in collaboration instead of in conflict. Schwartz shows how trauma affects these parts causing these parts to stop working together and even destroy our lives. I have had a struggle learning about my inner child and how to speak with it and heal it, this book shows that there are many parts that are our inner child and trauma has frozen them or kicked them in to hyper mode. Now you will have a dialog and with the help of a therapist who works with IFS will help you reintegrate these parts and heal them.


'TINSA: Trauma Induced Sexual Addiction'

Michael Barta, Ph.D., LPC, CSAT-S


Review with Ai Assist: TINSA (Trauma Induced Sexual Addiction) is a neurological model of sex addiction developed by Dr. Michael Barta that links childhood trauma to compulsive sexual behaviors, explaining that the brain neurobiologically adapts to cope with trauma. The TINSA model provides a framework for recovery by removing stigma and emphasizing that addiction is not a moral failing but a learned, neurobiological process. While i do not agree with no-tolerance stance on slips, my experience has been that slips are inevitable, however this does not mean starting over in the recovery process. If your goal is the dopamine reset you do have to successfully pass with at minimum of 90 days of abstinence, this is just biology and has nothing to do with your recovery, shame or guilt. Understanding sexual addiction or an intimacy disorder in this context helps alleviate some of the stigma surrounding popular opinions regarding sexual addiction. Having a clear understanding of how and why the addiction manifested helps those in recovery create a more successful recovery plan.


 



'In the Realm of Hungry Ghost'

Gaber Maté M.D.




This book is a deep dive surrounding the stigma of addiction and how society is manipulated in its view of the addict. He breaks the stereo types and reinvests in our humanness of addiction. I found Gabor's book very helpful in processing guilt, shame and understanding the correlation of societies miss understanding, disconnection and dehumanizing of the addict. If you want to understand the human connection and be shown you are a human being deserving acceptance, understanding and even love, Gabor is the man. He also taught me to listen and always ask why. While this book was difficult to read because of the repeated narratives of addicts and how they are perceived and treated by institutions, government and even family; it provided a clear sociological challenge to change how we handle addicts.


'Going Deeper: How the Inner Child Impacts Your Sexual Addiction'

Eddie Capparucci Ph.D.



Capparucci uses understandable language to paint a clear picture of the internal mechanisms that can lead to sex addition. It was helpful seeing the principles of healing the inner child being in my opinion the best response and perhaps even critical for any sustained recovery, while re-enforcing the relevance of all the other writings explored here.



 
 
 

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