Here are 100 books that The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook fans have personally recommended if you like
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.
Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
As a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, I have dedicated my life to understanding and healing the wounds of trauma and stress. My passion comes from witnessing the power of blending neuroscience with therapy in my personal and professional life. The resilience and healing I see daily inspire me. My work empowers individuals to reclaim their mental health and build resilient minds. This curated book list reflects my commitment to accessible, actionable tools for self-healing and growth. I believe mental health is a human right, though access to therapy is a privilege. These authors offer empowering, insightful works to put healing into everyone’s hands.
This book offers practical strategies for building inner strength and emotional stability. I love how Hanson combines the science of neuroplasticity with accessible, actionable steps for fostering resilience. His warm and engaging writing style makes complex concepts relatable, and the exercises can be easily integrated into daily life.
I find Hanson’s emphasis on the power of small, consistent practices to create lasting change both encouraging and motivating. This book has been a valuable companion in my personal and professional life, and I strongly recommend it for building resilience and finding calm amidst life’s challenges.
Your key to lasting happiness, self-love and inner peace
'A master of his craft' - Prof Mark Williams, bestselling author of Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
Rick Hanson, author of the New York Times bestselling Hardwiring Happiness, is known for his trademark blend of neuroscience, positive psychology and contemplative practices. In Resilient, he explains how to build the very foundations of well-being by harnessing the power of positive experiences to build an unshakeable core.
Dr. Hanson poses that anyone can build up resilience, the key to a positive mindset, unshakeable sense of self and…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
As a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, I have dedicated my life to understanding and healing the wounds of trauma and stress. My passion comes from witnessing the power of blending neuroscience with therapy in my personal and professional life. The resilience and healing I see daily inspire me. My work empowers individuals to reclaim their mental health and build resilient minds. This curated book list reflects my commitment to accessible, actionable tools for self-healing and growth. I believe mental health is a human right, though access to therapy is a privilege. These authors offer empowering, insightful works to put healing into everyone’s hands.
This book offers a practical, step-by-step guide to overcoming trauma by reconnecting with the body’s innate healing wisdom while building a loving relationship with oneself. I love this book because Levine’s somatic experiencing approach emphasizes the importance of body awareness, which is crucial in trauma recovery.
His gentle techniques for releasing trauma stored in the body are both simple and profound, making complex concepts easy to understand and implement. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to heal from trauma and build healthier relationships with their bodies.
An indispensable guide offers methods to overcome the challenges faced after experiencing a traumatic situation--such as an accident, disaster, or childhood trauma--helping survivors heal their traumas rather than relive them. Original.
As a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, I have dedicated my life to understanding and healing the wounds of trauma and stress. My passion comes from witnessing the power of blending neuroscience with therapy in my personal and professional life. The resilience and healing I see daily inspire me. My work empowers individuals to reclaim their mental health and build resilient minds. This curated book list reflects my commitment to accessible, actionable tools for self-healing and growth. I believe mental health is a human right, though access to therapy is a privilege. These authors offer empowering, insightful works to put healing into everyone’s hands.
This one provides a structured program for transforming trauma into an opportunity for growth. I personally appreciate Schwartz’s compassionate advice and actionable steps, which make the healing process approachable and empowering.
Her emphasis on posttraumatic growth rather than just recovery inspires me, encouraging readers to find meaning and purpose in their experiences. This guidebook is filled with practical exercises and strategies that have been invaluable in my work. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to turn adversity into strength and thrive in the face of challenges.
Traumatic life experiences can be devastating and they inevitably shape who you are. Such events can also become a powerful force that awakens you to an undercurrent of your own aliveness. Trauma recovery involves learning to trust in your capacity for new growth. In order to grow, we must make use of our suffering in order to find our happiness.
Within these pages, you will find an invitation to see yourself as the hero or heroine of your own life journey. A hero's journey involves walking into the darkness on a quest for wholeness. This interactive format calls for journaling…
The Guardian of the Palace is the first novel in a modern fantasy series set in a New York City where magic is real—but hidden, suppressed, and dangerous when exposed.
When an ancient magic begins to leak into the world, a small group of unlikely allies is forced to act…
As a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, I have dedicated my life to understanding and healing the wounds of trauma and stress. My passion comes from witnessing the power of blending neuroscience with therapy in my personal and professional life. The resilience and healing I see daily inspire me. My work empowers individuals to reclaim their mental health and build resilient minds. This curated book list reflects my commitment to accessible, actionable tools for self-healing and growth. I believe mental health is a human right, though access to therapy is a privilege. These authors offer empowering, insightful works to put healing into everyone’s hands.
This book offers a practical and holistic approach to managing anxiety. I love that this book has actionable coping strategies and mindfulness techniques designed to calm the mind and body. Seponara’s compassionate and accessible writing provides readers with tools to address anxiety in their daily lives.
Her emphasis on empirically grounded tools from cognitive behavioral therapy combined with self-care exercises and holistic healing resonates deeply with my own approach to mental health. Seponara’s personal anecdotes and professional insights make the book relatable and motivating.
This guide has been a valuable resource for my clients, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to take control of their anxiety and improve their overall well-being.
Discover practical, natural, on-the-go solutions for combating anxiety with this must-have guide.
How can you begin holistically tackling your anxiety whenever the moment strikes? In The Anxiety Healer's Guide licensed counselor and creator of the Instagram account @TheAnxietyHealer Alison Seponara brings her expertise and commitment to healing anxiety to the world. While the journey toward recovery might look different for everyone, this portable resource is full of concrete activities, tools, and techniques that have been scientifically proven to calm the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system and give sufferers a better sense of control over their minds and bodies.
I’ve lived with anxiety for most of my life. Whether it’s been with emetophobia (a phobia of vomit) or an intense bout of panic attacks, I know the story well. Now, as a psychologist, I’ve seen up close what works and what doesn’t. I love helping my clients and the audiences that I work with learn how to accept their anxiety, rather than try to make it go away. This is often counterintuitive at first but we can still live an empowered life, even with the anxiety present. When we do this, we’ve unlocked a whole new level of liberation where we can show up fully, worries and all.
This book is a staple in the field of psychology and mental health and for very good reason.
So many of us struggle with being kind to our mind and we worry that we’ll truly fall apart if we are compassionate to ourselves. Dr. Neff brings the evidence-backed research to prove that self-compassion is the antidote to anxiety and it has incredibly restorative potential to help us not only get back to baseline, but truly feel better.
THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW FOREWORD FROM KRISTIN NEFF
'Kristin Neff offers practical, wise guidance on the path of emotional healing and deep inner transformation.' Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance
Kristin Neff PhD, is a professor in educational psychology, and the world's expert on self-compassion. A pioneer who established self-compassion as a field of study, Kristin offers a powerful solution for combating negativity and insecurity - the symptoms of living in a high-pressure world.
Through tried and tested exercises and audio downloads, readers learn the 3 core components that will help to heal destructive emotional patterns…
I am a podcaster, author, and psychoeducator in the field of anxiety and anxiety disorders. I am also—as of 2022—a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling on the way to becoming a licensed psychotherapist. My own experience with anxiety and depression over 25+ years has fueled a passion for the theory and mechanics behind anxiety disorders and how they are treated. It would appear that my superpower is not only understanding these things, but also explaining them in a way that people can then understand for themselves. If that means I can help, then I’m happy to be doing what I do every day.
I love this book because Kim Quinlan takes a somewhat nebulous concept and explains it in very practical and engaging terms. People struggling to overcome OCD often wind up beating themselves up and treating themselves very un-kindly, making a difficult situation even more difficult. Kimberley strikes many chords in this book in the way she explains why being kind and compassionate to yourself is so important when working to overcome OCD. She doesn’t stop there. She offers many excellent, practical ways that one can explore and practice self-compassion. A must-read for anyone dealing with OCD.
A compassionate guide to help you manage OCD symptoms, overcome feelings of shame and stigma, and revitalize your life!
If you're one of millions who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you're all-too-familiar with feelings of anxiety, panic, shame, and uncertainty. In addition, the stigma associated with OCD can make you feel unworthy of receiving the compassion and kindness you need and deserve. You may even experience unwanted intrusive thoughts that result in harsh self-judgment-which can actually hinder your recovery and lead to additional mental health problems. So, how can you break this destructive cycle and start feeling better?
Aury and Scott travel to the Finger Lakes in New York’s wine country to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Songscape Winery. Disturbed furniture and curious noises are one thing, but when a customer winds up dead, it’s time to dig into the details and see…
I’m a writer, researcher, and lifelong learner. As the daughter of an Air Force pilot, I followed my father on his assignments around the world and went to 10 schools before graduating from high school. But my greatest education was learning how people from different cultures find joy, meaning, and peace of mind. I have a Ph.D. in English literature and a master’s degree in counseling. I’m now Professor Emeritus and Associate Director of the Applied Spirituality Institute at Santa Clara University, a professional certified coach, and lecturer in the Positive Psychology Guild in the UK. I love books that bring us greater peace of mind, inspiration, and hope.
I read Shauna Shapiro’s Good Morning, I Love You when I was going through some difficult times, dealing with old abusive family patterns and trying to give myself the love and acceptance I hadn’t received as a child.
Shauna tells how she discovered the approach to mindful kindness and loving self-acceptance when she was also going through difficult times, and her therapist told her to say, “Good morning, Shauna, I love you.”
It took her a while to do this, and it’s taken me a while to follow her example. But her book was like a kind, supportive friend, reminding me that I’m not alone, that I can give myself the loving acceptance that I need and heal my childhood pain, one day, one small act of kindness, at a time.
This book has made a positive difference in my life.
Learn how self-compassion can change everything about how you feel, how you relate, and how you live-for good
"Revolutionary findings in neuroscience have demonstrated that we can change our happiness setpoint. But it's not through changing our external world. It's through changing our internal landscape," writes Shauna Shapiro. In Good Morning, I Love You, Dr. Shapiro-one of the leading scientists studying the effects of mindfulness on well-being-shows us that acting with compassion toward ourselves is the key.
In short, lively chapters, Dr. Shapiro explains the basic brain science and offers numerous mindfulness and self-compassion practices. Stories from her life and…
The question “Who are you?” has been central to my practice over the last 30 years. This inquiry led me to live in a silent monastery for eight years. If we aren’t who we have been conditioned to see ourselves to be, then who are we? Who are we truly? This inquiry has led to happiness in my own life, it’s led to happiness in the lives of thousands of teens who have been served through the nonprofit I founded―Peace in Schools, and it’s led to happiness with the adults who have come to my workshops and retreats.
I absolutely loved this book because it offers a powerful blend of tender self-acceptance and fierce, assertive action. I found it incredibly empowering, especially as a woman navigating a world that often undermines our power. The practical tools and mindfulness practices resonated deeply with me, helping me cultivate both inner strength and compassion.
I was particularly moved by Dr. Neff's personal stories, which made the concepts feel relatable and applicable to my own life. This book has truly changed how I view self-compassion—not just as a gentle, passive act but as a bold, transformative force that allows me to stand up for myself and others.
A follow up from the bestselling Self-Compassion, this book shows why it is more urgent than ever that women acknowledge their areas of suffering, celebrate their inner voice and challenge the male-orientated status quo.
The book will draw on Kristin Neff's own life story as well as the stories of other women to show how readers can harness self-compassion and gain the strength, clarity and courage needed to be resilient and stand up for themselves in our male-dominated society.
She'll explore core issues such as gender differences, why we aren't more compassionate to ourselves, and what women do for love.…
I am a clinical psychologist who was surprised to realize that I am both Autistic and an ADHDer in my late 40s. I have always been fascinated by psychology, and now Autism and ADHD have become my areas of “special interest” (“spin”). I have been reading widely to learn more about myself, find practical ways to alleviate the chronic sense of overwhelm I experience and recover from burnout. Most of my clients are also late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have complex mental and physical health problems, so the reading I’ve been doing has given me fresh insights to share and helpful strategies we can test out together.
This beautiful book makes offering yourself compassion simple and achievable. I have been recommending this book for a long time because I love how Laura captures all the key skills of self-compassion and explains them in a way that is practical and easy to follow.
So many books about self-compassion are very long, theoretical, and unnecessarily complex, and I find them hard to read. This book is grounded in what researchers have shown can help (it’s evidence-based), but it doesn’t get bogged down in theory.
Instead, Laura’s simple worksheets, written exercises, mindfulness, and visualization scripts gave me new skills to tackle self-criticism and put self-compassion into action. I have even used exercises in the book with my clients and they’ve loved them too.
Practice deep self compassion with a wide range of strategies.
Today's the day to start loving yourself. How to Be Nice to Yourself makes it simple to start practicing self compassion with a wide variety of techniques and strategies that anyone can learn.
Filled with easy-to-use advice drawn from a variety of sources―including meditation, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy―this book will help you find the right way to start feeling good about yourself.
How to Be Nice to Yourself: The Everyday Guide to Self Compassion includes:
Proven Strategies―Learn a variety of ways to practice self compassion daily―with meditations, writing…
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
I’m a physical therapist, certified yoga therapist, and Hakomi practitioner who has spent over twenty-five years helping people heal from physical and emotional pain through the integration of yoga, mindfulness and western medicine. My passion for this topic comes from my own transformation—moving through trauma and burnout into a life guided by mindfulness, movement, and compassion. I’ve seen again and again that presence is the medicine that changes everything. Writing and teaching about this path feels like offering others the same lifeline that once saved me.
Tara Brach gave me the language of compassion I didn’t know I was missing.
Her teachings on the “trance of unworthiness” opened a doorway to self-forgiveness that changed my life and my work as a therapist. I love her mix of humor, psychology, and mindfulness practice. Each chapter feels like sitting in meditation beside a friend who understands exactly how the human heart struggles—and how it can heal.
Whenever I am having a bad day, I listen to Tara’s podcasts as well, and it feels like she is speaking directly to me.
For many of us, feelings of deficiency are right around the corner. It doesn’t take much--just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work--to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully. —from Radical Acceptance
“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering…
