Lived Experience Forum

[sara74]

"The Haunted Self" by Onno Van Der Hart. Must read if you are in therapy because it helps to understand how dissociation works, and why traumatized people behave the way they do. 

[Anna_]

Hi,

just want to say thanks for creating this post,  i look forward to reading these books already mentioned.

As part of my recovery I fell in love with reading again. For someone who struggles to talk about their experiences, i find something strangely comforting about bearing witness to other people's mental illness experiences. Maybe it's just me, but it helps me feel less isolated to know other people have walked this path before, or in some cases are still walking it. 
My three book suggestions are:

Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig , 

First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Story about Anxiety - Sarah Wilson, 

The Man Who Couldnt Stop - David Adam

[Jaker]

I've read a book recently called 'Knitting, Tatting and Nervous Breakdowns' by Alison Bryson. It's about her experience with acute anxiety and depression. It's very honest and includes her attempt at self-harm before explaining what she learned about managing anxiety. Hope this helps.