Here are 85 books that The Healing Power of Pleasure fans have personally recommended if you like The Healing Power of Pleasure. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

Diana Richardson Author Of Slow Sex

From my list on a life of harmony & happiness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being born during the apartheid era in South Africa motivated me to study law and pursue justice, so I completed a 6-year university degree (BA LLB). However, when I finally arrived in the law courts, I realized this was just not me. I foresaw a life of mind, having to be smart and clever, when in fact I wanted a life of hands and heart. I then trained in therapeutic massage, and in my early 30’s, I began exploring sex – relaxing, being more present, trusting my body. This innocent curiosity totally turned my life around – I’ve written 8 books and thousands of couples have participated in my Making Love Retreats. 

Diana's book list on a life of harmony & happiness

Diana Richardson Why Diana loves this book

This book has been a blessing for my life and my relationships.

I learned how to express my needs without blame or demand, and how to listen so that others feel both heard and understood. What also amazed me was to realize how limited my vocabulary was. I was basically using generic words like nice or good or great or fine, without actually giving any color or content of my experience in that present moment. I also noticed the tendency to say “I feel” a certain thing when, in fact, I was thinking a certain thing. Not feeling at all.

Rosenberg brings a clarity to language which encouraged me to expand my vocabulary and choose words with more content. And, most importantly, to communicate in a gentle, clear, non-blaming or violating way.

By Marshall B. Rosenberg ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Nonviolent Communication as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


5,000,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE • TRANSLATED IN MORE THAN 35 LANGUAGES

What is Violent Communication?
 
If “violent” means acting in ways that result in hurt or harm, then much of how we communicate—judging others, bullying, having racial bias, blaming, finger pointing, discriminating, speaking without listening, criticizing others or ourselves, name-calling, reacting when angry, using political rhetoric, being defensive or judging who’s “good/bad” or what’s “right/wrong” with people—could indeed be called “violent communication.”
 
What is Nonviolent Communication?
 
Nonviolent Communication is the integration of four things:
 
• Consciousness: a set of principles that support living a life of compassion, collaboration, courage, and…


If you love The Healing Power of Pleasure...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Book cover of The Slow Down Diet

Diana Richardson Author Of Slow Sex

From my list on a life of harmony & happiness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being born during the apartheid era in South Africa motivated me to study law and pursue justice, so I completed a 6-year university degree (BA LLB). However, when I finally arrived in the law courts, I realized this was just not me. I foresaw a life of mind, having to be smart and clever, when in fact I wanted a life of hands and heart. I then trained in therapeutic massage, and in my early 30’s, I began exploring sex – relaxing, being more present, trusting my body. This innocent curiosity totally turned my life around – I’ve written 8 books and thousands of couples have participated in my Making Love Retreats. 

Diana's book list on a life of harmony & happiness

Diana Richardson Why Diana loves this book

I read this book shortly before I started writing my book called Slow Sex.

I was especially struck by how David highlights elements like relaxation, pleasure, awareness, and rhythm as essential to metabolism. I also discovered the existence of Yoga’s universal metabolic enhancers, which I knew nothing about!

All this fascinated me because it is precisely these metabolic enhancers that are completely parallel with the qualities I incorporated into my sexual exploration four decades ago. These qualities then became the principles of Slow Sex that I propose, because they profoundly shape and impact the quality of intimacy.

This book was also a reminder to avoid distractions while eating, to eat more consciously, to chew more thoroughly so as to liberate the flavors, and to savor them. A great book!

By Marc David ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Slow Down Diet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Our modern culture revolves around fitting as much as possible into the least amount of time. As a result, most people propel themselves through life at a dizzying pace that is contrary to a healthy lifestyle. We eat fast, on the run, and often under stress, not only removing most of the pleasure we might derive from our food and creating digestive upset but also wreaking havoc on our metabolism. Many of us come to the end of a day feeling undernourished, uninspired, and overweight.

In this 10th anniversary edition, Marc David presents a new way to understand our relationship…


Book cover of Putting the Heart Back into Business

Diana Richardson Author Of Slow Sex

From my list on a life of harmony & happiness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being born during the apartheid era in South Africa motivated me to study law and pursue justice, so I completed a 6-year university degree (BA LLB). However, when I finally arrived in the law courts, I realized this was just not me. I foresaw a life of mind, having to be smart and clever, when in fact I wanted a life of hands and heart. I then trained in therapeutic massage, and in my early 30’s, I began exploring sex – relaxing, being more present, trusting my body. This innocent curiosity totally turned my life around – I’ve written 8 books and thousands of couples have participated in my Making Love Retreats. 

Diana's book list on a life of harmony & happiness

Diana Richardson Why Diana loves this book

I was attracted by the title of this book, and interestingly, it so much overlaps with my experience of life.

At the same time, I had not really applied what I had discovered through my personal relationships to the business world. Essentially, the authors, Thornton & Pascall, are coming at the same challenges from a different perspective—that of the workplace.

I became aware that life has presented me with the same challenges in different aspects of my life. My work is with couples, the relationships between them, focusing on how to create the best possible dynamic. This book essentially addresses the same issues, just in a different setting.

10 principles of being an authentic leader at work are outlined – I could easily say the same list applies to being authentic in a couple; they talk about being of integrity, being appreciative, being vulnerable etc. In fact, these principles are…

By Andrew Thornton , Eudora Pascall ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Putting the Heart Back into Business as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you feel there should be more to running a business than the focus on profit alone?

Do you ever wonder why you work so hard yet still feel that something is missing?

In this uniquely honest and ground-breaking book, entrepreneur Andrew Thornton and coach Eudora Pascall propose a better way of being in business - one that enables everyone to truly be themselves, harnesses people's strengths and individuality, and puts people and planet first - whilst trusting that profit will still follow.

With the inspiring story of the transformation that took place in a multicultural North London supermarket as…


If you love Julia Paulette Hollenbery...

Book cover of Mother of Trees

Mother of Trees by Steven J. Morris,

Mother of Trees is the first book in an epic fantasy series about a dying goddess, a broken world, and a young elf born without magic in a society ruled by it.

When the ancient being that anchors the world’s power begins to fail, the consequences ripple outward—through prophecy, politics,…

Book cover of Initiations in Love

Diana Richardson Author Of Slow Sex

From my list on a life of harmony & happiness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being born during the apartheid era in South Africa motivated me to study law and pursue justice, so I completed a 6-year university degree (BA LLB). However, when I finally arrived in the law courts, I realized this was just not me. I foresaw a life of mind, having to be smart and clever, when in fact I wanted a life of hands and heart. I then trained in therapeutic massage, and in my early 30’s, I began exploring sex – relaxing, being more present, trusting my body. This innocent curiosity totally turned my life around – I’ve written 8 books and thousands of couples have participated in my Making Love Retreats. 

Diana's book list on a life of harmony & happiness

Diana Richardson Why Diana loves this book

This book resonated deeply with me, especially as I have spent decades exploring and teaching about the transformative power of presence.

I was touched by the author’s raw, tender, and illuminating writing. Eskey expresses herself with an engaging vulnerability and wisdom, and her life story illustrates how challenges can serve as a catalyst for personal growth and spiritual awakening. It caused me to reflect on my own life’s challenges in a more creative way.

I was also impressed by her capacity to access and recall all the nuances of her feelings, be it the agony or the ecstasy, from decades previously. Not only romantic love, but also the kind of love that emerges when we truly meet ourselves. A truly inspiring memoir of a life lived in love. 

By Britta Eskey ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Initiations in Love as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Embark on a transformative journey with Britta Eskey in Initiations in Love. In this captivating spiritual memoir, Eskey invites readers to explore one of life's most important questions: What do we do with our pain? Through the lens of Love's five initiation stages-The Awakening, The Call, The Transformation Cauldron, The Emerging, and The Gift- she unveils a roadmap for navigating suffering and discovering profound meaning.

Sharing her passage-from her German atheistic roots to immersion in New Age practices, Indian ashrams, and U.S. Catholic monasteries-with poignant insight and unwavering honesty, Eskey's spiritual journey is as unconventional as it is enlightening.

Eskey's…


Book cover of The Secret Language of the Body

Lory Widmer Hess Author Of When Fragments Make a Whole

From my list on making space for transformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I wanted to fly away to the land of Oz or walk through a wardrobe into Narnia, but as I grew up, I learned that magic can truly be found in the most ordinary of circumstances. It’s in our commitment to caring for and supporting each other, sometimes through painful struggle, allowing a wider reality to shine through. Today, while I still love a good tale of wonder and enchantment, I find the most spiritually sustaining practices keep me grounded in the everyday, opening up a space for transformation that doesn’t suck me into another world, but reveals the latent beauty and hidden dimensions of this one.

Lory's book list on making space for transformation

Lory Widmer Hess Why Lory loves this book

After reading this book, I couldn’t wait to get to work. It offers a compact explanation of how nervous system dysregulation occurs and a paradigm for moving toward a healthier, more regulated state. It also offers loads of exercises and body-based practices that help us come back to ourselves when life has knocked us out of balance.

I love the flexibility—everyone gets to design their own way of using the exercises—and the clear, sensible framework, which puts many confusing experiences into context and helps to reduce my anxiety all by itself. This is a healing workbook that truly addresses body, soul, and spirit.

By Jennifer Mann , Karden Rabin ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Secret Language of the Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Inspiring, refreshing and practical' Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score

The new essential self-healing bible - a revolutionary body-first guide to regulating your nervous system, curing long-term pain and healing from trauma for good.

Anxious, burnt out, tired, overthinking, angry, shutting down, disassociating, procrastinating, people-pleasing, physical pain, chronic unexplained symptoms. If you're stuck, we can help.

Many of us have heard of nervous system dysregulation - but what does it actually mean, and what can we do about it? The Secret Language of the Body is your essential guide for moving out of survival mode,…


Book cover of Ancestral Tarot: Uncover Your Past and Chart Your Future

Tania Pryputniewicz Author Of Heart's Compass Tarot

From my list on tarot improvisation for writers and artists.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a poet, tarot muse, and artist whose childhood experiences with vivid night-time dreams and a handful of years on a commune in the cornfields ignited my passion for exploring inner imagery. I read voraciously from science fiction to fairytales to channelings. I discovered tarot in my twenties, using it to read for others, mend my broken heart, and get squared away enough to apply to graduate school for poetry in the heartland at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Ever since, tarot is my favorite mirror for self-reflection. Author of two poetry collections, I wrote a workbook to help others apply the tarot in joyful, healing ways through writing and art.

Tania's book list on tarot improvisation for writers and artists

Tania Pryputniewicz Why Tania loves this book

Because I love understanding the roots of my present by looking at my past, I loved using Nancy Hendrickson’s Ancestral Tarot exercises to begin a relationship with my own ancestors. Hendrickson defines types of ancestors (blood, place, and time) and suggests practical ways to connect. Journaling prompts encourage you to create a paper trail of your journey. Hendrickson gives us layouts and delves into tools (sigils, moon energy, pendulums runes, oracles). You can dive deep to look at patterns surrounding addiction, generational incarnations, DNA, and more. As soon as I brought this book into my home (while preparing to teach a class with it) I had a powerful and moving dream that connected me to a loving ancestor.

By Nancy Hendrickson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ancestral Tarot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A practical, hands-on guide for using tarot to connect with your ancestors and gain access to their insights for healing, self-protection, and personal powers.

With a tarot deck in hand, readers will learn how to identify and access ancestral gifts, messages, powers, protectors, and healers.

Tarot expert Nancy Hendrickson guides readers through the basics of finding recent ancestors, and navigating the confusing maze of DNA and ethnic heritage. As a longtime tarot enthusiast, she shows readers how to incorporate a metaphysical tool into a world of tradition.

Ancestral Tarot spreads are included in relevant chapters. Each chapter includes three journal…


If you love The Healing Power of Pleasure...

Book cover of Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South

Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South by William D. Auman,

Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.

Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…

Book cover of Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity

Lauren Walker Author Of The Energy to Heal: Find Lasting Freedom From Stress and Trauma Through Energy Medicine Yoga

From my list on understanding what energy is and how to use it.

Why am I passionate about this?

I remember being a kid and wanting to know everything about everything. After I’d been teaching yoga for several years, and finding myself struggling with stress and trauma that the yoga wasn’t helping, I really started to dive into the world of Energy. That world is fascinating, endless, and powerful. And the more I study and learn, the better my life gets. I’ve created my own teaching methodology from all the studies I’ve done and helped thousands of people find their own inner strength and healing. I love learning how other people overcame their struggles and how at the root, we basically all want to help each other! That's the kind of world I aspire to. 

Lauren's book list on understanding what energy is and how to use it

Lauren Walker Why Lauren loves this book

In our house, we now talk about having a Tracee Stanley day, or hour, or time out. A time to nurture deeply and find peace and rejuvenation. In the busy world we all live in, this is a must-do practice.  Tracee’s book is wonderful, clear and comprehensive, and gives so much valuable information on why it is important to rest, why we resist rest, and what we gain by taking rest. Many people think working harder is the way to go, but Tracee lovingly and convincingly teaches the opposite. The more you nurture yourself, the more you are able to show up in your life with wisdom, calm, and energy.

By Tracee Stanley ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Radiant Rest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Develop a powerful practice of deep relaxation and transformative self-inquiry with this essential guide to yoga nidra, accompanied by downloadable audio meditations.

Yoga nidra is a practice devoted to allowing your body and mind to rest while your consciousness remains awake and aware, creating the opportunity for you to tap into a deeper understanding of yourself and your true nature. At its heart, yoga nidra is about waking up to the fullness of your life. In Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley draws on over twenty years of experience as a yoga nidra teacher and practitioner to introduce the history of yoga…


Book cover of Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Enhance Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself

Brandon LaGreca Author Of Cancer, Stress & Mindset: Focusing the Mind to Empower Healing and Resilience

From my list on to read after a cancer diagnosis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was 32 when diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As a clinician, and now cancer survivor, I’ve become increasingly focused on empowering cancer patients through and beyond remission. Nearly two decades of clinical practice have taught me that an informed and committed patient makes better decisions about their care, harmoniously interfaces with their healthcare team, and stays focused on living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve read countless books about cancer, but this list outlines the essentials that I recommend to patients beginning their healing journey.

Brandon's book list on to read after a cancer diagnosis

Brandon LaGreca Why Brandon loves this book

The perennial classic on a healing mindset, legendary integrative medical doctor Andrew Weil, shares stories of natural healing with case studies covering many disparate health challenges, including a chapter dedicated to cancer. Dr. Weil reviews his eight-week program for optimal healing and how to avoid obstacles to wellness, such as medical pessimism and environmental toxins. Spontaneous Healing leaves little doubt that the body’s natural ability to heal can be enhanced when the power of the mind and spirit are properly leveraged.

By Andrew Weil ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spontaneous Healing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this work Dr Andrew Weil aims to show how the the concept of spontaneous healing can change all our lives for the better. Examining the mechanisms and processes of the body's own healing system he describes the operation of this system and explains its interactions with the mind, its biological organization and its methods of self-diagnosis, self-repair and regeneration. Numerous case histories provide evidence of the success of spontaneous healing in dealing with serious medical conditions, ranging from arthritis to heart disease to cancer. Calling on his traditional training as a medical doctor, and his knowledge of alternative treatments,…


Book cover of Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity

Rebecca E. Williams Author Of The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, and Anger That Trigger Addictive Behaviors, 2nd Edition

From my list on ridiculously simple self-care in addiction recovery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a psychologist, an award-winning author, and a yoga and meditation devotee. Growing up in the Bronx, New York I saw firsthand the devastating impact addiction can have on individuals and families. That is why I have dedicated my professional life to understanding and supporting people recovering from addiction, mental illness, and life's challenges. I’m also the co-author of The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction, which offers lots of strategies to manage daily stressors. I wholeheartedly believe there is a path back to wellness. It takes a foundation of self-compassion and daily focus on your healing. You deserve to be healthy and happy.

Rebecca's book list on ridiculously simple self-care in addiction recovery

Rebecca E. Williams Why Rebecca loves this book

If you desire to be well this is the first step on the journey. Dr. Saundra is a truly kind and compassionate doctor. She guides us through the tough issues of not taking proper care of ourselves and offers inspiration on how to give us a soft place to rest. She gives us action steps we can do every day to reclaim our emotional, physical, and spiritual health. I was thrilled to be an invited guest on her ground-breaking I Choose My Best Life podcast to talk about resilience and recovery from addiction. I hope you love this book as much as I did!

By Saundra Dalton-Smith ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sacred Rest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested-now there's a challenge.

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In SACRED REST, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative-and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have…


If you love Julia Paulette Hollenbery...

Book cover of Transforming Pandora

Transforming Pandora by Carolyn Mathews,

Transforming Pandora, women's fiction with a metaphysical undercurrent, is written with humour and a light touch. As the plot slips between two time frames, separated by more than thirty years, the reader explores her life and loves: her ups and downs.

In the opening chapter, Pandora is attempting to…

Book cover of The Fear Cure

Shanita Liu Author Of Dear Durga

From my list on BYE to fear and HELLO to courage.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mama bear, I must be courageous for my three little warriors. It took a while, however, before I could activate my courage. Why? Because I had to face years of fears related to cultural shame, family guilt, inner criticism caused by oppressive patriarchal rules, and ancestral traumas. I even wrote a warm and witty memoir to capture my journey. I love sharing my stories and teaching my Courage Kit® framework to adults and kids. Fun fact: At age 8, I was a book presenter on the PBS series Reading Rainbow

Shanita's book list on BYE to fear and HELLO to courage

Shanita Liu Why Shanita loves this book

I loved how Dr. Lissa Rankin focused on how fear (in all its devious forms) shows up in life. I learned all about her methodology for calling in courage and the physiological impacts of fear on the human body (this was especially enlightening as I was accepting my ever-changing postpartum body). 

I also appreciated Rankin’s advice to readers about courage not being a “one-size-fits-all” approach. I felt reassured that I can customize my courage-cultivating journey however I like. I was able to take away her “prescription for courage,” which included concrete steps to reframe scary thoughts and a few meditations to do during stressful moments.

By Lissa Rankin ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Fear Cure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Not many people in the medical world are talking about how being afraid can make us sick-but the truth is that fear, left untreated, becomes a serious risk factor for conditions from heart disease to diabetes to cancer. Now Lissa Rankin, M.D., explains why we need to heal ourselves from the fear that puts our health at risk and robs our lives of joy-and shows us how fear can ultimately cure us by opening our eyes to all that needs healing in our lives. Drawing on peer-reviewed studies and powerful true stories, The Fear Cure presents a breakthrough understanding of…


Book cover of Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
Book cover of The Slow Down Diet
Book cover of Putting the Heart Back into Business

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