Books That Helped Me on My Healing Journey
I’ve read a lot of books over the years, but these are the ones I’ve actually come back to — the ones that made me pause, reflect, and shift something in how I think or show up.
Some landed straight away. Others only made sense when I revisited them later. It wasn’t about reading more, it was about what I could actually apply and integrate into my own life.
This isn’t a perfect list, but if you’re somewhere in your own healing process — understanding patterns, working on self-worth, navigating change — these are the ones I found genuinely useful.
The Mountain Is You — Brianna Wiest
This is the one I’d recommend if you feel stuck in the same patterns but can’t fully understand why. It helped me look at my own self-sabotage in a more honest way — not as something to fix immediately, but something to understand properly. It made me reflect on how my emotional reactions, habits, and beliefs were all connected. I found it especially useful for taking responsibility without slipping into self-criticism.
This Is How You Heal — Brianna Wiest
This felt much softer and more supportive. I didn’t rush through it — it’s the kind of book you sit with. It helped me slow down and actually process things instead of constantly trying to move on or “be better.” I found it useful during times where I needed steadiness rather than pressure.
This is one I picked up when I needed something simple but grounding. It helped me reflect on attachment, letting go, and how I was showing up in relationships. The writing is very straightforward, but it made me notice where I was holding on too tightly or repeating patterns without realising.
This made me question a lot around identity and conditioning. It pushed me to look at where I was following expectations versus actually trusting myself. I found it useful for thinking more honestly about alignment — not in a vague way, but in the decisions I was making day to day.
Good Vibes, Good Life — Vex King
A good starting point if you’re newer to personal growth. I found it helpful for building self-worth and shifting my mindset without it feeling overwhelming. It’s quite accessible, but it still made me reflect on how I speak to myself and what I believe I deserve.
A Monk’s Guide to Happiness — Gelong Thubten
This helped me understand stress and anxiety in a more practical way. It breaks down how the mind works and why we get caught in certain loops. I found it useful for bringing things back to basics and having simple tools I could actually use day to day.
The Courage to Be Disliked — Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
This one challenged me quite a bit. It really shifts the focus onto personal responsibility and letting go of needing approval. Some parts are uncomfortable because it calls you out, but it helped me rethink how much control I actually have over my choices and direction.
If you tend to people-please, this is quite a confronting read. It helped me see where I was avoiding honesty or shrinking myself to keep others comfortable. What stood out most was realising how much that was costing me in energy and self-respect.
The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron
I didn’t approach this as a creative book. The journaling practice alone helped me clear a lot of mental noise and become more aware of what I was actually thinking and feeling. It’s simple, but it works if you stick with it.
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
This gave me a deeper understanding of trauma and why certain patterns don’t just go away with logic. It connects emotional experiences to what’s happening in the body, which helped me make more sense of my own responses. It’s heavier, but important if you want to understand things properly.
I May Be Wrong — Björn Natthiko Lindeblad
A quieter book, but one that stayed with me. It helped me loosen my grip on needing certainty or always needing to be right. It shifted my perspective in a subtle way, especially around control and acceptance.
Get Your Sh*t Together — Sarah Knight
This is more direct and practical. I found it useful when I was overthinking and needed to actually take action. It cuts through excuses and brings things back to what you can control, which was helpful at certain points.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari — Robin Sharma
Simple, but effective. It reinforces the basics — discipline, purpose, and balance. It’s one of those books that’s easy to revisit when you feel like you’ve drifted or need a reset.
Things No One Taught Us About Love — Vex King
This helped me look at relationships more realistically. It covers attachment, emotional responsibility, and what healthy love actually looks like. I found it useful for understanding both my own patterns and what I was accepting from others.
This one felt very real and honest. It’s about her relationship with alcohol, but more than that, it’s about self-worth, shame, and the patterns behind why we numb or escape. It made me reflect more honestly on my own habits and where I might be avoiding things rather than dealing with them.
This feels more like sitting with someone who’s being very honest about life not being linear or polished. It covers relationships, identity, career shifts, and starting again. I liked that it doesn’t try to tie everything up neatly — it leans into the reality of things being messy while still encouraging you to keep moving forward.
Bigger Than Us — Fearne Cotton
This one goes a bit deeper into the more reflective and spiritual side of things. It looks at connection, intuition, and meaning in a way that made me step back and think about the bigger picture. It’s introspective, but still grounded enough to take something practical from.