Books as Sanctuary: My Path to Bibliotherapy

IGrowing up in the remote Yukon in the early 2000s taught me a lot about space, silence, and resourcefulness. When local resources were sparse and physical distances were vast, books became my lifelines. They were my mentors, my community, my escapism, and my sanctuary. Long before I had the formal language for it, I was practicing bibliotherapy—using the written word to facilitate psychological growth, self-reflection, and deep healing.

If you work with me, you will almost certainly hear me say, "I have a book recommendation for you."

My bookshelf is an eclectic, intentional space. It bridges individual somatic healing with systemic awareness, non-traditional relationship structures, neurodivergence, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Some of these titles are practical self-help; others are memoirs, poetry, or sacred ceremony in written form. All of them contain healing words.

Here is a curated collection of the books that have anchored, challenged, and transformed me over the years.

A Gentle Note Before You Read: As with everything I recommend, take what is helpful and leave the rest. Some of these books touch on deep trauma, systemic oppression, and heavy emotional landscapes—they can be activating, so please read with care and honor your capacity.

Indigenous Healing & Decolonial Wisdom

• Healing the Soul Wound: Trauma-Informed Counselling for Indigenous Communities — Eduardo Duran

• Buddha in Redface — Eduardo Duran

• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants — Robin Wall Kimmerer

• Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations — Richard Wagamese

• One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet — Richard Wagamese

• One Story, One Song — Richard Wagamese

• Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies — Renee Linklater

• Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma and Politicizing Your Practice — Jennifer Mullan

• Grandmothers Counsel the World — Carol Schaefer

• Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Vol. 1: Summary — TRC of Canada

• All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward — Tanya Talega

• 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act — Bob Joseph

Trauma, Somatics & Body Wisdom

• What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma — Stephanie Foo

• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies — Resmaa Menakem

• Healing Trauma: Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body — Peter Levine

• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — Peter Levine

• The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk

• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction — Gabor Maté

• When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection — Gabor Maté

• Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving — Pete Walker

• The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing, and Social Justice — Staci Haines

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle — Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski

• Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory — Deb Dana

Social Justice, Culture & Anti-Oppression

• Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto — Tricia Hersey

• Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind — Fariha Roisin

• Beyond the Gender Binary — Alok Vaid-Menon & Ashley Lukashevsky

• Feminism Is for Everybody — bell hooks

• Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom — bell hooks

• All About Love: New Visions — bell hooks

• Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good — adrienne maree brown

• The Good Ally — Nova Reid

Relational Depth, Attachment & Non-Monogamy

• Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment — Amir Levine & Rachel Heller

• Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy — Jessica Fern

• Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships — Tristan Taormino

• The Ethical Slut — Janet W. Hardy & Dossie Easton

• The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity — Esther Perel

• Codependent No More — Melody Beattie

• I Love You But I Don’t Trust You — Mira Kirshenbaum

• The 5 Love Languages — Gary Chapman

• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work — John Gottman & Nan Silver

Sexuality, Body Neutrality & Neurodiversity

• Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life — Emily Nagoski

• Want Me: A Sex Writer’s Journey Into the Heart of Desire — Tracy Clark-Flory

• The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love — Sonya Renee Taylor

• Step Aside Barbie! You’re Blocking My View… of Me! — Suzann Kingston

• A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD — Sari Solden & Michelle Frank

Psychedelics, Sacred Consciousness & Soul Work

• How to Change Your Mind — Michael Pollan

• Psychedelics and Psychotherapy — Tim Read & Maria Papaspyrou

• The Ethics of Caring: Finding Right Relationship with Clients — Kylea Taylor (for practitioners)

• Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine — Allyson Grey, Maria Papaspyrou, et al.

• Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection from Soul to Psychedelics — Julie Holland

• Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations — Thomas Moore

• Soul Mates: Honoring the Mysteries of Love and Relationship — Thomas Moore

• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself — Michael A. Singer

• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose — Eckhart Tolle

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking — Susan Cain

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself — Dr. Kristin Neff

Which of these titles has been a turning point in your own journey, or is there one here calling to you today?