Childhood trauma is unfortunately more common than you might think. According to recent data from SAMHSA, nearly two-thirds of children reported experiencing at least 1 traumatic event by the age of 16. That is why childhood trauma books are so useful in therapy. Whether you have experienced childhood trauma firsthand, or you’re a therapist working with someone who has, these childhood trauma books make excellent resources for client and therapist alike.
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, including links to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend resources, products, and services that I adore and find to be useful. If you happen to make a purchase using one of my affiliate links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Read more about our policies here.
Childhood Trauma Books
I’ve included some useful info on childhood trauma directly below, but if you’d prefer, you can click here to skip to the book list.
Childhood Trauma and Its Impact
According to the Center for Disease Control, ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) are quite prevalent in the US. Nearly 1 in 6 adults surveyed experienced 4 or more ACEs during childhood.
Examples of Childhood Trauma
Here are just a few examples of what the CDC considers to be adverse child experiences that result in childhood trauma.
- Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, etc.)
- Neglect
- Domestic Violence
- Substance Use in the Home
- Severe Mental Health Issues in the Home
- Parental Separation, Divorce, or Incarceration
- Death of a Loved One By Suicide
Research on Childhood Trauma
The CDC-Kaiser ACE Study, one of the largest investigations of adverse childhood experiences and later-life health and well-being, found that “almost two-thirds of study participants reported at least one ACE, and more than one in five reported three or more ACEs.”
The study also found that some communities and populations, like women and racial minorities, are more at risk for a number of factors.
Additionally, the CDC study found that ACEs can have some serious lasting effects on overall health and well-being.
Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma
There are many ways childhood trauma can have an impact, both on children and into adulthood. There is so much data out there about the effects of childhood trauma, much more than this one post can cover. But here are a few important ones to consider.
Because a child’s brain and body develops at such a rapid rate, adverse childhood experiences can significantly impact that development.
Childhood trauma can impact brain growth and development. Traumatic experiences like abuse, neglect, and toxic stress stemming from environmental factors can have a negative impact on brain development. This impact can be observed in brain functions such as attention, impulsivity, decision-making, learning processes, and stress response.
Early traumatic experiences can lead to health problems later in life. These negative experiences can cause health issues like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental health issues, and death by suicide.
ACEs can also interfere with attachment and relationships. Instability of caregivers, inconsistent parenting, and abusive discipline can all lead to attachment problems. This can influence the way family systems function,
Childhood trauma can impact access to opportunities for financial stability, wellness, and healing. Childhood trauma can influence your access to opportunities, including well-funded education, career options, and community resources. This in turn, negatively impacts your ability to successfully heal from your trauma, often leading to cycles of generational trauma. What’s more, some communities face additional exposure to toxic stress due to systemic racism and historical racial trauma.
Treating Childhood Trauma
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), many children who are affected by trauma do not receive treatment. And for those who do, treatment varies widely. Many treatment modalities being used today have not been empirically studied. (They might be helpful, but it hasn’t yet been established via research.)
The Therapeutic Relationship is Key
The APA recommends ensuring a safe environment and trusting relationship before embarking on trauma work. “Like all clinical work, the quality of the therapeutic relationships among therapist, child, and parents/caretakers is the foundation for treatment of trauma. Safe, secure, and trusting therapeutic relationships support recovery processes and encourage children and parents to do the hard work of dealing with the impact of traumatic exposure.”
The APA cites that this is especially critical for families of racial minority groups, who may have experienced additional trauma related to racism and discrimination, which makes their trauma more complex and results in more distrust of larger systems. Gaining and understanding of a client or family’s cultural context can help design treatment that respects their particular set of life experiences.
Understanding Trauma Reactions & Psychoeducation
It’s really important to keep in mind that the brain, body, and nervous system respond to and cope with childhood trauma via survival mechanisms. These coping processes should be treated with respect. Don’t force your clients to delve into their trauma until you both agree they are ready.
Using psychoeducation to discuss trauma responses and how the brain and body go into protective mode can be helpful for clients and families. For parents and adult clients, it can be helpful to recommend some of the childhood trauma books on this list to use in therapy.
How Childhood Trauma Books Can Help
Childhood trauma books can do a number of helpful things when it comes to addressing childhood trauma. Here are just a few ways childhood trauma books can help with healing. Childhood trauma books can:
- Provide Psychoeducation for Clients
- Offer Additional Training and Information to Therapists
- Enhance Therapeutic Work
- Provide a Framework for Clients to Gain Self-Awareness
- Suggest Strategies and Treatment Options for Healing
7 Best Childhood Trauma Books
These childhood trauma books offer some of the best information on childhood trauma written by experts in the field and those with lived experience.
Here are my picks for the 5 best childhood trauma books, as recommended by a licensed counselor, certified family-based therapist, and art therapist:
- The Body Keeps the Score
- My Grandmother’s Hands
- The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
- Running on Empty
- The Deepest Well
- Trauma is Really Strange
1. The Body Keeps the Score
by Bessel van der Kolk
This is a must-read if you are interested in trauma and how it impacts the body and brain. Beloved by therapists and clients alike, The Body Keeps the Score is moving, informative, and written by one of the field’s top trauma experts.
Trigger Warning: The contents of this book may be triggering for some individuals.
2. My Grandmother’s Hands
by Resmaa Menakem
This amazing book explores how generational, racialized trauma impacts us all, and the imperative need for social justice and change. Author and therapist Resmaa Menakem not only shares her brilliant writing in this book, but offers a way forward.
3. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
by Bruce D. Perry
World-renowned psychiatrist, Bruce D. Perry, M.D., explores the various ways trauma affects children in this incredible book. While he shares some significantly extreme cases of childhood trauma, Dr. Perry also offers a path toward healing and recovery.
Trigger Warning: The contents of this book may be triggering for some individuals.
Get more book recommendations to use in therapy on our Therapy Books resource page.
4. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
by Lindsay Gibson
Clinical psychologist and author, Lindsay Gibson, reveals how emotionally immature or unavailable parents can have a huge impact on all facets of their child’s development. This amazing book provides insight into what it’s like to have parents who fit this description, as well as ways to heal the wounds they caused.
5. Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect
by Jonice Webb
This beloved book is all about the childhood trauma that comes from emotional neglect. Psychologist Jonice Webb helps readers identify the ways they were neglected as children impacts their present day wellness. And she offers strategies toward healing.
6. The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity
by Nadine Burke Harris
This award-winning book offers invaluable information about the effects of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Dr. Nadine Burke Harris devoted her career to learning more the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses, and she shares her research in this excellent book.
7. Trauma is Really Strange
by by Steve Haines (Author), Sophie Standing (Illustrator)
This cool little book not only provides accessible info about the body and brain’s responses to trauma, but also does so via unique visual graphics. Plus, it suggest some helpful “Trauma Releasing Exercises” to help tackle stuckness from traumatic experiences. Great handout for clients beginning to work through trauma.
Read More Books with Audiobooks
If you’re like me, you have a tough time squeezing in quality reading time.
The one thing that has helped me read more books is listening to audiobooks. I listen in the car, at the gym, and during chore time. ?
My go-to app is Audible. If you don’t have audible yet, highly recommend you check it out. You can listen to the incredible books on this list, or any of the other countless titles they have in their library.
References
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). (2021, April 2). Center for Disease Control. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from this resource link
Children and Trauma. (2011). American Psychological Association. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from this resource link
Saunders, B. E., & Adams, Z. W. (2014). Epidemiology of Traumatic Experiences in Childhood. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(2), 167–184.
Stevens, J. E. (2017, April 26). Nearly 35 million U.S. children have experienced one or more types of childhood trauma. ACEs Too High. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from this resource link
Understanding Child Trauma. (2021, October 8). SAMHSA. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from this resource link
