Dr. Matt’s Bookshelf

I’ve been wisely told, ‘The menu is not the food,’ meaning knowledge is not the same as experience. However maps and signposts can be extremely helpful on an uncertain journey. I hope these resources can serve as inspiration and direction, for you as they have for me, towards truly seeing and tasting what’s alive in our selves.

Best of the Best

The Divided Mind:
The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders
by John Sarno

Unlearn Your Pain:
A 28-day process to reprogram your brain
by Howard Schubiner

The Way Out:
A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
by Alan Gordon

When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection
by Gabor Maté

Nonviolent Communication
A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
by Marshall Rosenberg

Radical Acceptance:
Awakening the Love That Heals Fear and Shame
by Tara Brach

Falling Upward:
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
by Richard Rohr

It’s Not Always Depression:
Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self
by Hilary Jacobs-Hendel

Diagnosis and Treatment of Tension Myoneural Syndrome (TMS), Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD), MindBody Syndrome (MBS)

Healing Back Pain:
The Mind-Body Connection
by John Sarno

The Mindbody Prescription:
Healing the Body, Healing the Pain
by John Sarno

The Divided Mind:
The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders
by John Sarno

The Way Out:
A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain
by Alan Gordon

They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!:
7 Keys to Understanding, Treating, and Healing Stress Illness
by David Clarke

The Meaning of Truth:
Embrace your truth. Create your life.
by Nicole Sachs

Dr. John Sarno’s Top 10 Healing Discoveries
by Steve Ozanich

Back Pain Permanent Healing:
Understanding the Myths, Lies, and Confusion
by Steve Ozanich

The Great Pain Deception:
Faulty Medical Advice is Making Us Worse
by Steve Ozanich

Unlearn Your Pain:
A 28-day process to reprogram your brain
by Howard Schubiner

Back in Control:
A Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain
by David Hanscom

Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?:
Take Control With a Surgeon’s Advice
by David Hanscom

The Neurobiology, Consequences, and Treatment of Trauma

When the Body Says No:
Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection
by Gabor Mate

The Body Keeps the Score:
Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel Van Der Kolk

The Drama of the Gifted Child:
The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition
by Alice Miller

In an Unspoken Voice:
How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness
by Peter Levine

Waking the Tiger:
Healing Trauma
by Peter Levine

What Happened to You?:
Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry

Beyond Symptoms: Understanding, Experience, and Efficacy for your Self and Life

It’s Not Always Depression:
Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self
by Hilary Jacobs-Hendel

No Bad Parts:
Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
by Richard Schwartz

Radical Acceptance:
Awakening the Love That Heals Fear and Shame
by Tara Brach

Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression:
A Self-Guided Process to Reprogram Your Brain
by Howard Schubiner

Living Like You Mean It:
Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want
by Ronald J. Frederick

Loving Like You Mean It:
Use the Power of Emotional Mindfulness to Transform Your Relationships
by Ronald J. Frederick

Nonviolent Communication:
A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
by Marshall Rosenberg

Focusing
by Eugene Gendlin

Self-Compassion:
The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
by Kristin Neff

Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship
by Stan Tatkin

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem:
The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field
by Nathaniel Branden

The Gifts of Imperfection:
Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
by Brené Brown

Loving What Is:
Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
by Byron Katie

The Four Agreements:
Toltec Wisdom Collection
by Don Miguel Ruiz

Addiction and Habits

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts:
Close Encounters with Addiction
by Gabor Maté

Atomic Habits:
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by James Clear

Addiction and Grace:
Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions
by Gerald May

Pain and Neuroscience

Why Do I Hurt?:
A Patient Book About the Neuroscience of Pain
by Adriaan Louw

Why Do I Hurt?:
Workbook – Neuroscience Education Workbook for Patients with Pain
by Adriaan Louw

Painful Yarns:
Metaphors and Stories to Help Understand the Biology of Pain
by Lorimer Moseley

The Brain That Changes Itself:
Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
by Norman Doidge

Books on Mindfulness and Contemplative Spirituality

Full Catastrophe Living:
Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Wherever You Go, There You Are:
Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn

True Refuge:
Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart
by Tara Brach

The Power of Now:
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth:
Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
by Eckhart Tolle

10% Happier:
How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story
by Dan Harris

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics:
A 10% Happier How-to Book
by Dan Harris

The Naked Now:
Learning To See As the Mystics See
by Richard Rohr

Open Mind, Open Heart:
The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
by Thomas Keating

Other Fantastic and Influential Books

Falling Upward:
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
by Richard Rohr

Hold On to Your Kids:
Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté

Scattered Minds:
The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder
by Gabor Maté

How to Change Your Mind:
What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
by Michael Pollan

Find Your Why:
A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team
by Simon Sinek

For Professionals

Reaching Through Resistance:
Advanced Psychotherapy Techniques
by Allan Abbass

Co-Creating Change:
Effective Dynamic Therapy Techniques
by Jon Frederickson

Lives Transformed:
A Revolutionary Method of Dynamic Psychotherapy
by David Malan and Patricia C. Della Selva

Treating Affect Phobia:
A Manual for Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
by Leigh McCullough

Internal Family Systems Therapy, Second Edition
by Richard C. Schwartz

The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy:
Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation
by Deborah A. Dana

How Emotions Are Made:
The Secret Life of the Brain
by Lisa Barrett

Focusing
by Eugene Gendlin

The Power of Focusing:
A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing
by Ann Weiser Cornell

Trauma and Memory:
Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory
by Peter Levine

The Drama of the Gifted Child:
The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition
by Alice Miller

The Body Never Lies:
The Lingering Effects of Hurtful Parenting
by Alice Miller

Psychophysiologic Disorders:
Trauma Informed, Interprofessional Diagnosis and Treatment
by David Clarke

Hidden From View:
A clinician’s guide to psychophysiologic disorders
by Allan Abbass and Howard Schubiner

Co-Creating Safety:
Healing the Fragile Patient
by Jon Frederickson

The Body Keeps the Score:
Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Explain Pain:
Super Charged
by David Butler and Lorimer Moseley

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