is quite extensive, but these are some of the books that I’ve found helpful in dealing with a dissociative disorder and recovering from trauma. I make these available to anyone for a refundable deposit. I am constantly adding to this collection, and donations from my wishlist are gratefully received!

• First Person Plural, Cameron West
• The Dissociative Identity Disorder Sourcebook, Deborah Haddock
• Got Parts?, by ATW
• The Flock, Joan Francis Casey, Lynn Wilson (my review)

• Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman
• Treating Attachment Disorders, Karl Heinz Brisch
• Victims No Longer, Mike Lew
• Facing the Wolf, Theresa Sheppard Alexander
• Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E Frankl
• Sickened, Julie Gregory
• Stalking the Soul, Marie-France Hirigoyen
• Stepping out of the shadows, published by Yarrow Place
• Trauma Model Therapy, Colin A Ross
• New Shoes, Rebecca Mitchell
• Understanding Trauma, Roger Baker
• The PTSD Workbook, Mary Beth Williams, Soili Poijula
• The Courage to Heal, Ellen Bass & Laura Davis
• Beginning to Heal, Ellen Bass & Laura Davis
• The Sexual Healing Journey, Wendy Maltz 
• Re-Authoring Lives: Interviews and Essays, Michael White

• Love and Survival, Dean Ornish
• 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder, Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb
• The Yipping Tiger, Perminder Sachdev
• The Broken Mirror, Katharine A Phillips
• Follow Your Heart, Andrew Matthews
• Panic Free, Lynne Freeman
• Women and Anxiety, Helen DeRosis
• Journeys with the Black Dog, ed. Tessa Wigney, Kerrie Eyers & Gordon Parker
• The Art of Being, Constance Rhodes
• The Brain that Changes Itself, Norman Doidge
• There’s Something I have to Tell You, Charles Foster
• Understanding Panic Attacks and Overcoming Fear, Roger Baker
• Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder, Valerie Porr
• The Dance of Intimacy, Harriet Lerner
• The Dance of Deception, Harriet Lerner
• Safe People, Cloud and Townsend
• Who’s Pushing Your Buttons, Dr John Townsend
• The Magic of Make Believe, Lee Pascoe
• I just want you to be Happy, Rowe Bennett Tonge
• Exuberance, Kay Redfield Jamison
• Women who run with the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes
• The Soul’s Code, James Hillman
• Raising Real People, creating a resilient family, Andrew Fuller

• A colour of his own, Leo Lionni
• My Many Coloured Days, by Dr Seuss

I’ve found something useful in all of these books as I’ve worked on my own recovery journey, but that doesn’t mean I agree with all or even most of the content of some of them. Some of them are useful to me in that they document the older development of certain perspectives in psychology. Some of the older biographies about DID have graphic abuse histories recounted, some books are from a religious perspective, some promote a particular type of therapy, some are quite clinical in their language, others have only the most tangential connection to mental health, so please exercise judgement in choosing what you wish to read, and avoid those that don’t suit you. I’ve been doing pretty widespread research into dissociation, trauma recovery, mental health, abuse, relationships, group dynamics and all sorts for a number of years, and this collection is only the tip of the iceberg. I draw upon ideas, strategies, and interesting theories from many different places to inform my own opinions or cobble together my personal recovery approach. This works well for me, but may not be quite what you had in mind!

It’s been brought to my attention that my wishlist link isn’t always working. Here’s a list of the books in it, I thought may be a useful addition to my library for the group to borrow (in no particular order) if the link isn’t working for you. Most of these books are available at Book Depository.

• Standing in the Spaces, Philip M Bromberg
• Depersonalization, Mauricio Sierra
• Trauma, Dissociation and Multiplicity, Valerie Sinason
• Attachment, Trauma and Multiplicity, Valerie Sinason
• Creativity and the Dissociative Patient, Lani Gerity
• The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris
• First Person Plural, Stephen E Braude
• The Haunted Self, Otton Van Der Hart
• Trauma and Dissociation in a Cross Cultural Perspective, Vedet Sar
• Awakening the Dreamer, Philip M Bromberg
• The Minds of Billy Milligan, Daniel Keyes
• Living with Intensity, Susan Daniels
• The Trauma Recovery Group, Michaela Mendelsohn
• Stop Walking on Eggshells, Paul T Mason
• Cutting, Steven Levenkron
• Compassion and Self Hate, I Rubin Theodore
• Parts Psychology, Jay Noricks
• The Selfish Pigs Guide to Caring, Hugh Marriott
• Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making, Viki Kind
• Feeling Unreal, Daphne Simeon
• Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder, Fugen Nerizoglu
• Somatoform Dissocation, Ellert R S Nijernaus
• Betrayal Trauma, Jennifer J Freyd
• The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown
• 8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery, Babette Rothschild
• Creating Resilient Families, Andrew Fuller
• Finding Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Dialogues with Forgotten Voices, Harvey L Schwartz
• The Dissociative Mind, Elizabeth F Howell
• Understanding and Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder, Elizabeth F Howell
• Healing the Divided Self, Maggie Phillips
• The Sum of My Parts, Olga Trujillo
• Coming Present, Caroline Lighthouse
• The Plural Self, John Rowan
• Trauma and the Avoidant Client, Robert T Muller
• Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, Marsha M Linehan
• Sexual Orientation and Mental Health, Allen M Omoto
• Identity, Erik H Erikson
• The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker
• Internal Family Systems Therapy, Richard C Schwartz
• Trauma and Dreams, Deidre Barrett
• The Complete Facilitator’s Handbook, John Heron
• Unformulated Experience, Stern
• The Body Remembers, Babette Rothschild
• The Body Remembers Casebook, Babette Rosthchild
• Feeling Unreal (Depersonalisation) My Cure!, Steven Batt
• Beyond Integration, Doris Bryant
• The Family Inside, Doris Bryant
• Non-Violent Communication, A Language of Life, Marshall B Rosenberg
• The Courage to Heal, Ellen Bass
• Not Otherwise Specified, Leah Peah

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!