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Book List
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Classics on stress, trauma, and the connection they hold to the body:
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Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
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In An Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness by Peter Levine
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The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency by Robert Scaer
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When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection by Gabor Maté
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The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease by Robert Scaer
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Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker
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Newer books related to healing trauma that are also really helpful:​​
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Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley
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What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
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Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time by Laura Khoudari
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Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism by Stanley Rosenberg
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What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry
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My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
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It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
Books specifically on the topic of pain:
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Reversing Chronic Pain by Maggie Phillips
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Freedom From Pain: Discover Your Body's Power to Overcome Physical Pain by Peter Levine and Maggie Phillips
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The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief by David Biro
General/other:
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Awareness Through Movement by Moshe Feldenkrais
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Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient by Norman Cousins
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The Practice of Emodying Emotions by Raja Selvam
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Brain-Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools by Maggie Kline
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How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
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Trauma-Proofing Your Kids by Peter Levine and Maggie Kline
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Trauma Through a Child's Eyes by Peter Levine and Maggie Kline
Online Resources
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The Connections Between Emotional Stress, Trauma and Physical Pain - a Psychology Today article
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Emotional and Physical Pain Activate Similar Brain Regions - article
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This Might Hurt - a documentary film about an unconventional pain treatment program in Detroit, MI that has been identified by the National Institute of Health as the way America will overcome the opioid crisis
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Take the ACE Quiz -- stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, this short 10-question quiz about your childhood will give a score that correlates with health issues later in life.
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What ACEs do you have? - an in-depth look at what your ACE score means, what conditions it may correlate with, and other important factors to consider.
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How the Brain Causes Chronic Pain & How to Stop It - by the developers of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), which is a component of the treatment used in the above-mentioned film "This Might Hurt"
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Healing Chronic Illness [including chronic pain]: 11 Tools for Addressing Nervous System Perceptions of Threat and Finding Your Pathway to Healing - a very good blog by a M.D. and somatic psychotherapist who specializes in gathering research about the connection between stress/trauma and chronic illnesses/pain
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We've Got Depression All Wrong. It's Trying to Save Us. - article
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Descendants of Holocaust Survivors Have Altered Stress Hormones - article that speaks to intergenerational trauma
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People With Neurological Conditions Often Experienced Childhood Trauma - article
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Selling Bad Therapy to Trauma Victims - one person's opinion about why the American Psychological Association's current guidelines for treating trauma with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be ignored
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Pain - a blog post with helpful explanations of the kinds of pain
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Troubleshooting Pain - a helpful blog post by Petra Fisher, movement specialist and educator, on how to troubleshoot the source of your physical pain. (Because where you feel the pain is not usually the source of the problem.)
Self-Treatment Tools
Natural Movement & Minimalist/Barefoot Footwear
for Greater Balance and Less Pain in Feet, Ankles, Legs, Knees, and Hips
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Shoespiracy - a short informational video about how we ended up with shoes that don't fit our natural foot shape and that don't allow for natural movement as we are designed for.
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Free Your Feet exercise program - a FREE program by Petra Fisher to build strength and flexibility in the muscles of your feet. An awesome program for those new to the world of minimalist shoes or for those who need improved foot function or pain relief. I can't recommend it enough!
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How Do I Transition to Minimalist Shoes? - a blog post and wonderful resource by Petra Fisher about the hows and whys of switching to minimalist shoes, including info for those who have been wearing orthotics or other support devices.
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Anya's Reviews - a blog where you can find tons of helpful info about minimalist shoes, where to find them, what brands are good for different foot types, and reviews of them all
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Natural Movement Facebook group - a great place to learn and ask questions related to foot health, minimalist shoes, and healthy movement patterns
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Barefoot Style Facebook group - another great place to learn about these topics
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Minimalist Shoe Buy/Sell/Trade - because minimalist shoes that are designed for natural movement in mind can be expensive and hard to find!
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Correct Toes - toe spacers made by a company here in the U.S. that knows what they are doing! Everyone online says they are worth the extra cost compared to cheaper versions found on Amazon. If your toes need retrained to be splayed out for optimal balance, these will do the trick.
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Katy Bowman, a biomechanist with a large following, has authored several books about what she calls "nutritious movement". Find here on Amazon.