Below is a list of books that I have found useful on my journey. I have them split between recommendations for therapists and recommendations for patients. The books for therapists are a bit heavier and more technical in content but are in no way limited to therapists. The books in the category for clients are a very small portion of the books I have fallen in love over the years and that have assisted in my healing journey.
Book Recommendations for Therapists
I highly recommend this list of books to therapists who work with race and intergenerational trauma, for educators of social justice, and for those who wish to understand the racialized history of the United States. These are helpful texts for reflecting our shared past and are useful in understanding some of the ancestral ghosts that might show up in the therapeutic space. They also offer some suggestions on how one might work with this energy.
Note: Caste is heartbreaking and I recommend having support while reading it.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
by Isabel Wilkerson
The Burden of Heritage: Hauntings of Generational Trauma on Black Lives
by Aileen Alleyne
The Racial Complex: A Jungian Perspective on Culture and Race
by Fanny Brewster
Transcending the Legacies of Slavery: A Psychoanalytic View
by Barbara Fletchman Smith
Healing the Soul Wound: Trauma-Informed Counseling for Indigenous Communities
by Eduardo Duran
The Work of Whiteness: A Psychoanalytic Perspective
by Helen Morgan
Book Recommendations for Patients
The Myth Of Freedom
by Chogyam Trungpa
In Our Element: Using the Five Elements as Soul Medicine to Unleash Your Personal Power
by Lindsay Fauntleroy
The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling
by James Hillman
The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin
by Idries Shah