Recommended Resources
I recommend A LOT of resources over the course of a counseling relationship.
Here are just a few of those I recommend most.
BOOKS
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
This powerful and insightful read reveals just how deeply trauma affects our minds and bodies. Drawing from extensive research and personal clinical experience, van der Kolk shows how trauma rearranges the brain's wiring, particularly in areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust, as well as the profound impact trauma can have on our overall health. He talks about EMDR, IFS, and other treatments like yoga, and neurofeedback, highlighting the importance of the body in the healing process. This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand and heal from trauma (big, small, repetitive, developmental).
Getting Past Your Past By Francine Shapiro.
This book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand their emotional responses and find effective ways to move beyond their past traumas. It will help you understand EMDR and really motivate you to do the work to free yourself from things you didn’t even know were affecting you. It also gives you some tools to use on your own to prepare for EMDR and motivates you to jump in. I encourage you to start a note and write down any memories that come to mind while reading it, because they are likely important.
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Singer guides readers through understanding their inner thoughts and emotions, teaching how to detach from habitual patterns and the grip of the incessant thinking mind. By letting go of limiting beliefs and embracing a state of mindfulness and openness, readers can achieve true liberation. This transformative book offers practical advice and profound insights for anyone seeking to transcend their inner struggles and live a more fulfilled, harmonious life.
The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson
Through many client stories and applicable research, Dr. Bradley Nelson explains how trapped emotions from past experiences can affect your health and happiness, and how to release them in a deceptively simple way. He teaches you to connect directly to the subconscious mind, where most of our information is stored, to quickly identify and release issues. Though this approach may seem unconventional for those not already familiar with energy work, remember, everything is outside the box in its beginnings. When Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch started saying that invisible germs were causing disease, they were seen as ridiculous. It took a while to catch on, but now we can’t imagine a doctor going into surgery without washing their hands and using sterilized tools- which in the 19th century was common practice. This book explains a form of energy work that I have found to be surprisingly effective.
Other EMDR recommendations
Accessible introductions
Getting Past Your Past — Francine Shapiro
Written by the psychologist who developed EMDR, this is the best place to begin if you want to understand how past experiences continue to shape present-day reactions. It includes practical exercises and many examples of EMDR in action.
The EMDR Revolution — Tal Croitoru
A shorter, highly accessible introduction with client stories that help make the EMDR process easier to understand.
For a deeper dive
Neurobiological Foundations for EMDR Practice — Uri Bergmann
For clinicians, neuroscience enthusiasts, and serious EMDR nerds who want to go much further into the brain science. Fascinating, substantial, and definitely not the light beach read.
Emotional Healing at Warp Speed — David Grand
An enthusiastic exploration of EMDR through clinical stories. The opening chapter offers a particularly vivid sense of why this work can feel so remarkable.
"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them."
~ Lemony Snicket