Frequently Asked Questions

 

Are there any self-help books you recommend for trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Choosing a self-help book from the vast number of choices can be really difficult. For one, a self-help author does not need to have any professional credentials—anyone can write a self-help book. In addition, even though a self-help book may be written by a respected researcher or therapist in the field and is based on sound, well-researched principles, there is no guarantee that someone picking the book off the shelf will find it helpful.

In short, there are a lot of self-help books out there and very little available evidence showing they are helpful or not helpful. We simply don’t know in most cases if a book is useful.

One self-help book I can recommend is not targeted specifically at PTSD: Forsyth and Eifert’s The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety. Dr. Forsyth gave free copies of his book through an Internet site and evaluated people before receiving the book and 12-weeks later. Those who used the book showed strong improvements in anxiety, depression, and PTSD! This was in addition to psychotherapy and/or medication, as many people were receiving some form of treatment at the same time. Although the book was aimed at anxiety, people with PTSD also showed improvements in PTSD.

If you’re interested in the book, you can get it through Amazon here. Or locally through Powell’s Books here.