I am an avid reader. There is nothing as satisfying as reading a good book. I read voraciously, and I always have a stack of books I am working on. Over the last three years, I discovered books that helped in my healing journey. I read the first three books on this list during the 2020 lockdown. They helped me get through a dark time while giving me a better understanding of myself.
Each book on this list is best read slowly and carefully. You need time to ponder and think about what you read. I suggest keeping a notebook nearby as you read. And now, here’s the list:
Intimacy With God: An Introduction To Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating
Written by a Catholic monk, Intimacy With God is a book about centering prayer, a type of contemplative prayer. Keating lays down guidelines for centering prayer, starting with choosing a sacred word symbolic of your intention to consent to God’s presence. During prayer, you silently repeat your sacred word when your mind wanders. He also explains the benefits of centering prayer, including the psychological benefits. If you are interested in beginning a practice of centering prayer, this is a must-read book.
“If we persist in the practice of centering prayer, the real issues will reassert themselves, and eventually our growing trust in God enables us to endure the healing process.”
Immortal Diamond: The Search For the True Self by Richard Rohr
This is another book written by a Catholic monk. The book's premise is that we have false and true selves. He defines the false self as “how you define yourself outside of love relationship, or divine union.” Moving beyond your false self “will always feel like losing or dying” because “it’s all you know.” The concept of true and false selves resonates with me as a childhood trauma survivor. I constructed a false self as a child for survival. I defined myself as not enough and not worthy.
Your true self is “who you are at your core,” Rohr tells us. We are born with our true selves. It is innate. We fall into our true selves, not climb up to some ideal. This becoming feels like dying; we die to our false self, the image we created for survival. Just as a frog must shed its tadpole self or a butterfly sheds its worm, we shed our false selves to become our true form.
“All people have access to their true self from their very first inhalation and exhalation.”
Mindfulness For Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Do not let the title fool you. This book is good for both mindfulness beginners and those more practiced in it. Each chapter is short, just one or two pages, making it easy for daily reading. Mindfulness is essential for trauma recovery, and mindfulness is simply awareness. Kabat-Zinn’s book serves as a manual for cultivating mindfulness and the reasons why we need mindfulness.
“The challenge for each of us is to find out who we are and to live our way into our own calling.”
The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want By Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
The book is written in a devotional style, with an entry for each day of the year. Nepo ends each entry with a suggested meditation. Full disclosure, I am reading the book for the second time, and I have yet to do one of the meditations. I plan to start doing them when 2024 starts. Until then, I will savor the entry for each day. This is a book every trauma survivor needs as Nepo has much to say about what matters in life and love.
“Our blessing and curse is to learn and relearn when to reach and hold, and when to put our hands in our pockets.”
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Have you read “what my bones know” by Stephanie foo? Since you’re a voracious reader I’m sure you have but I read it recently and seeing your post made me think of it!
Excellent choices for everyone