Recommended books

Last Updated on 29 August 2024

The following books are often used by participants within 12-step programs and therapy.
We have found them to be helpful for finding and living the new recovery life.
The views of the authors come out of their own personal research and therapy with people in recovery.
This is non-SLAA literature. For program literature, go here.

With affiliate links to Amazon.com.au – also check sites like booktopia.com.au
– all of these books are available as either ebooks or physical, except the ones marked [PB only] which are only available in physical book form.

Patrick Carnes

• Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction
• Don’t Call It Love: Recovery From Sexual Addiction
• Sexual Anorexia: Overcoming Sexual Self-Hatred
• In the Shadows of the Net – breaking free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behaviour
• A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery
• A Gentle Path through the Twelve Principles: Living the Values Behind the Steps
• A Gentle Path Through the 12 Steps and 12 Principles Bundle
• Facing the Shadows – starting sexual and relationship recovery – new – kindle edition now available
• Workbook Shadows of the Cross – a Christian companion to Facing the Shadow.
• The Betrayal Bond: Breaking Free of Exploitive Relationships

• Stephanie Carnes – Mending A Shattered Heart – A guide for partners of sex addicts
• Carol Juergenen Sheets and Allan J. Katz – Help Her Heal: An Empathy Workbook for Sex Addicts to Help Their Partners Heal

Curt Thompson

• Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships
• The Soul of Shame – Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves
• The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope

John Bradshaw

• Healing the Shame That Binds You
• Homecoming: Reclaiming and Healing Your Inner Child
• Bradshaw On: The Family: A New Way of Creating Solid Self-Esteem

Melody Beattie

• Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
• Beyond Codependency: And Getting Better All the Time

Pia Mellody

• [PB only] Facing Codependence [Audiobook also available]
• [PB only] – workbook Breaking Free: A Recovery Workbook For Facing Codependence
• The Intimacy Factor – The Ground Rules for Overcoming the Obstacles to Truth, Respect, and Lasting Love

The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel Van Der Kolk
– available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible

What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry
– available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible

Susan David

• Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life

Jonice Webb

• Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect
• Running on Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships With Your Partner, Your Parents and Your Children

Laurel Mellin

• Wired for Joy! – a method for creating joy from within

Anna Lembke

• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Caroline Leaf

• Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking

Tristen & Jon Collins

• Why Emotions Matter: Recognize Your Body Signals. Grow in Emotional Intelligence. Discover an Embodied Spirituality.

Johann Hari

• Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope

David Richo

• How to Be an Adult: A Handbook on Psychological and Spiritual Integration

• Mary Faulkner – Easy Does It Dating Guide: For People in Recovery

Brené Brown

• Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
• Braving the Wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Richard Rohr ofm

• Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
• Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self
• Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps

Pema Chödrön

• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
• Meditation: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind
• Start Where You Are: A Guide To Compassionate Living

Robert Glover

• No More Mr Nice Guy – A Proven Plan For Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life
• Dating Essentials for Men: The Only Dating Guide You Will Ever Need

Bonnie Badernoch

• The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationship

Iain McGilchrist

• The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World

Alice Miller

• The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Hurtful Parenting
• The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self