If there’s any other subject I’ve read countless books on, it’s psychology. Thus, in the second installment of my “Reading Recs” series, allow me to share my top selections of psychology books! The ­­50 books below are divided into ten categories – relationships, parenting, depth psychology, emotions, trauma, personality and self-esteem, health and wellness, mindfulness, spiritual psychology, and for clinicians – each topic having 5 recs. Again, next to each title, there will be an asterisk (*) if audio format is available.

If you are as passionate about psychology as I am, then please don’t hesitate to reach out directly for more specific recommendations in any category. And finally, I apologize in advance if this list feels overwhelming. Just remember that all the wisdom you’ll ever need can be found, not in books, but in yourself. Enjoy!

Relationships:

• Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself – Melody Beattie*
• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts – Gary Chapman*
• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert – John M. Gottman, Ph.D.*
• Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love – Dr. Sue Johnson*
• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life – Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Parenting:

• Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love – Robert Karen, Ph.D.
• The Skilled Profession of Child-Rearing – Sri Daya Mata
• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain – Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.*
• Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive – Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.*
• Parenting with Presence: Practices for Raising Conscious, Confident, Caring Kids – Susan Stiffelman, MFT*

Depth Psychology:

• The Hero with a Thousand Faces – Joseph Campbell*
• Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl*
• Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth – Robert A. Johnson*
• Memories, Dreams, Reflections – C. G. Jung*
• Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life – Thomas Moore*

Emotions:

• Healing the Shame that Binds You – John Bradshaw*
• Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want – Ronald J. Frederick, Ph.D.*
• Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ – Daniel Goleman*
• Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames – Thich Nhat Hanh
• Grief Day by Day: Simple Practices and Daily Guidance for Living with Loss – Jan Warner*

Trauma:

• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents – Lindsay C. Gibson*
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.*
• The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture – Gabor Mate, M.D.*
• Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy – Francine Shapiro, Ph.D.*
• It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle – Mark Wolynn*

Personality & Self-Esteem:

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain*
• The Lies We Tell Ourselves: How to Face the Truth, Accept Yourself, and Create a Better Life – Jon Frederickson, MSW
• Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty… And Start Speaking up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, and Unapologetically Being Yourself – Dr. Aziz Gazipura*
• Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence – David Keirsey
• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself – Kristin Neff, Ph.D.*

Health & Wellness:

• The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown, Ph.D., MSW*
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James Clear *
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Mark Manson*
• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art – James Nestor*
• Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain – Oliver Sacks*

Mindfulness:

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One – Dr. Joe Dispenza*
• Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, The Revolutionary Process Called “The Work” – Byron Katie
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom – Don Miguel Ruiz*
• Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence – Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.*

Spiritual Psychology:

• Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha – Tara Brach*
• There is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate – Cheri Huber
• Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark: Breaking Free from the Hidden Forces That Drive You – Robert Augustus Masters, Ph.D.*
• Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us from What Really Matters – Robert Augustus Masters, Ph.D.*
• Many Lives, Many Masters – Dr. Brian Weiss*

For Clinicians:

• Power in the Helping Professions – Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig
• Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process – Nancy McWilliams
• The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self – Alice Miller*
• The Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy – Edited by John J. Prendergast, Peter Fenner, and Sheila Krystal
• A Way of Being – Carl R. Rogers*

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