Appendix B. Recommended Reading (Balanced Library)

This list includes evidence-based resources as well as popular authors that some readers find motivating. For medical or psychological claims, prioritize peer-reviewed sources and licensed clinicians.

Trauma, Nervous System, and Recovery

• Herman, J. (1992; updated ed. 2015). Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books.
• Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
• Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. North Atlantic Books.
• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.

Habits, Behavior Change, and Identity

• Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Mindfulness, Attention, and Awareness

• Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990; updated ed. 2013). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Bantam Books.
• Harris, R. (2009; 2nd ed. 2019). ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New Harbinger. (First edition published 2009, not 2006.)

Popular Mind-Body Authors (Use Discernment)

The following authors are widely read and can be motivating entry points, but their claims sometimes outpace the peer-reviewed evidence. Read alongside the academic sources above.

• Dispenza, J. Selected works, including Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (2012) and You Are the Placebo (2014). Hay House.
• Leaf, C. Selected works, including Switch On Your Brain (2013). Baker Books. (Leaf holds a PhD in Communication Pathology; her neuroscience claims vary in evidentiary support.)
• Lipton, B. H. Selected works, including The Biology of Belief (2005; 10th anniv. ed. 2015). Hay House. (Lipton holds a PhD in developmental cell biology; his epigenetics claims are contested in mainstream biology.)