Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff
How it can help – By learning to disarm the inner critic and develop a nurturing inner voice we can learn to be compassionate to ourselves instead of critical. This helps us reduce the pain and suffering of setbacks and learn from experiences. It can also make us more resilient and raise our happiness and wellbeing set point.
Hardwiring Happiness by Dr. Rick Hanson
How it can help – This books is a must have for anybody struggling with emotional reactivity or a pessimistic or hopeless outlook on life. Dr Hanson explains why our minds are velcro for the bad and teflon for the good due to evolutionary forces. Then he describes how to change your bias toward the negative to a focus on safety, satisfaction and connection.
This is a book I use with most of my clients. I used to train in DBT skills, but this is much more accessible and easier to apply and comprehend for most clients. Chp 1-3 give an overview of the problem and solution. Chp 4-9 explain the solution and give some examples. Chp 10 has over 18 practices that will help you take in the good and shift your set point from reactive to the responsive mode.
Resilient – by Dr. Rick Hanson with Forest Hanson
How it can help – This book gives and overview of the HEAL method outlined in Hardwiring Happiness and many other tools to help take in the good. Loaded with practical tools and exercies and a hopeful outlook.
The Places That Scare You, by Pema Chodron
How it can help – This book is an excellent overview on the
How To Meditate, by Pema Chodron
How it can help – This book is an excellent overview on the methods to cultivate mindfulness. It is straight forward and practical. Explaining what a good meditation posture is and what to do when you meditate. It also has practical examples of how to work with difficult meditation experiences. This is one of the most clear and helpful books on meditation I have ever found and I have been meditating for over 25 years. When I teach meditation classes this is a goto book.
How to Practice Shamatha Meditation: TheCultivation of Meditative Quiescence, by Gen Lamrimpa and B. Alan Wallace
How it can help –
Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with Practice of RAIN by Tara Brach
How it can help –
When Panic Attacks and Feeling Great by Dr David Burns. (DML, Self Defeating Beliefs, Feared Fantasy, Externalization of Voices)
How it can help –