Emotional Dysregulation
The Dialectic Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook
Matthew McKay, Ph.D., Jeffrey C. Wood, Psy.D., & Jeffrey Brantley, M.D.
Workbook for building emotional regulation. Lots of exercises, approachable and understandable. Excellent place to start in developing your own emotional regulation skills.
Marsha Linehan
Memoir of Marsha Linehan’s life as she experienced horrific emotional dysregulation, learned how to survive it, and then dedicated her life to helping others come out of that darkness. She’s a real hero. Includes some Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, but is primarily a readable story about her life.
Attachment
Leslie Becker-Phelps, Ph.D.
Book about attachment with really good practical exercises for healing. Focuses on anxious and avoidant attachments. Feels very warm and supportive.
Amir Levine M.D. & Rachel S.F. Heller, M.A.
Good introduction to attachment styles and what to do about them. Really good chapter on breakups. Has excellent science information.
Surviving Trauma
Dr. Ingrid Clayton
Explores how people who survive trauma can be so focused on pleasing others that they lose connection to their own emotions. Extremely warm and non-shaming, with good descriptions of activities to reconnect with yourself.
Patricia A. Resick, Ph.D., Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, Ph.D., & Stefanie T. LoSavio, Ph.D.
Workbook for Cognitive Processing Therapy. Very helpful, lots of practical exercises. Addressing PTSD will increase your emotional dysregulation, so being in an emotionally stable place first is important. It’s often a good idea to do it with therapist support.
Podcasts
These are a few of my favorite things….
Bear in mind that they all discuss trauma and healing in different ways, so be ready for some honest discussion of very painful topics.
Specific stories:
Podcasts generally of interest, often covering trauma topics:
