Medically reviewed by Bethany Juby, PsyD — Written by Jillian Goltzman — Updated on September 27, 2022.
A quick look at the 12 best mental health books:
- Best for people battling trauma: The Body Keeps the Score
- Best for anxiety: Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now
- Best for recovery from addiction: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober
- Best for women survivors of relationship abuse: Healing the Trauma of Abuse: A Women’s Workbook
- Best for understanding a therapist’s perspective: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- Best for battling burnout: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
- Best for healing from emotional pain: Emotional First Aid
- Best for understanding family trauma: It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle
- Best for navigating relationships: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love
- Best for highly sensitive people: The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
- Best for practicing self-love: Loving Bravely
- Best for finding order in life: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Books are more than just a comfort. They can be a portal to different worlds, a bridge to a new past or future, an outpost for philosophies, and a support system for times of need.
In a literal sense, research shows that reading has the power to change your brain and create different patterns within it. On a practical level, reading allows you to learn new information and skills you might’ve not known before.
While dealing with a mental illness can feel isolating, 20 percent of the U.S. population experiences mental illness each year. Therapy and mindfulness are powerful steps in seeking help. For those looking to learn new skills outside of therapy, libraries and bookstores are teaming with options written by experts and licensed professionals.
Mental health books can be a useful way to process your experiences, learn about psychology, and often find techniques and tools to help you in your daily life. They can aid your mental health toolkit by providing different techniques, scientific research, and stories of others who have faced the same hurdles.
Melinda
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lookingforthelight.blog 
thanks: a most useful list :)
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I had feedback that some of the books are really good.
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Healing The Hurting Soul by Louis Wynne is supposed to be a must read for family scapegoats according to a highly respected survivor friend I had.
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How to keep people from pushing your buttons; How to make friends and influence people
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I’ve read the later and it’s an all time favorite.
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Some of these books are difficult to read or even bad but still useful. “Feeling Good” comes to mind, I didn’t even complete it and still learned a lot.
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I’m with you, there are books that are to much at the time. Maybe another time but not then. Your minds not ready.
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The body keeps the score is an amazing book. It was so helpful to me!
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The connection between reading and brain development is particularly fascinating; it’s incredible how engaging with a good book can literally reshape our cognitive patterns. Very nice post .
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The brain is one amazing organ! I’m not sure we’ll ever understand the brain completely. Have a great day.
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Thanks same to you . Have a great day.
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