Resources for Trauma Recovery, Healing and Community Support

Welcome to Resources for Trauma Recovery and Healing—a carefully curated collection designed to support you wherever you are on your healing journey. Here you’ll find links to key blog categories that explore different aspects of trauma recovery, from emotional healing to boundary-setting. At the bottom of the page, you’ll discover a personal selection of resources supporting me in my recovery, including LGBTQ+ supports and crisis lines. This space is here to guide, empower, and remind you that you’re not alone.

Podcast Trauma Demystified

Trauma Demystified provides accessible guidance and insights for anyone navigating trauma or supporting someone who is. Explore each episode below to deepen your understanding and find tools to aid recovery.

Want to dive deeper?

Check out my blog posts on these topics — each one breaks down concepts, tools, and ideas to support your healing journey.

Crisis support in Canada

Experiencing a crisis can feel overwhelming, but it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Reaching out for help is a brave step and a sign of strength—not weakness. Support is available to help you navigate this challenging time, so please don’t hesitate to seek the care you deserve.

Crisis support Canada

Resources for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals

Finding the support can make all the difference for quee folks. Below is a list of nonprofit organizations that provide resources, advocacy, and community for LGBTQ+ individuals. Whether you’re seeking mental health support or a welcoming space to connect, these groups are here to help.

Calgary Outlink

Outlink is Calgary’s centre for gender and sexual diversity. Their services include peer support and the 2SLGBTQ+ resource line You Matter.

Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is a non-profit suicide prevention organization that provides 24/7 crisis support services, research, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ young people.

Additional resources for trauma recovery

Please note that these resources are only suggestions. Some may work for you, others may not. This doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you. It just means that it is not a good resource for you right now. Experiment with the different resources and find out what works for you.

 

Guided imagery and affirmations

Guided Imagery for Posttraumatic Stress: Healing Trauma, Belleruth Naparstek
Guided Imagery to Ease Grief, Belleruth Naparstek
A Guided Meditation to Help you Relieve Depression, Belleruth Naparstek

Mindfulness & buddhist meditation

International Zen Association, Information about centers and retreats, http://www.zen-azi.org/
Mindfulness and the work of Thich Nhat, a vietnamist buddhist monk, his teachings and retreats: http://www.plumvillage.org/
Book explaining what you can find if you practice Zen meditation: “Zen and the art to love”, Dr. Brenda Shoshanna

Book resources

The following list includes books that I found helpful throughout my own healing journey. While most of them are available in English, some of them are only available in Spanish or German.

Castanyer, Olga. La asertividad: Expresión de una sana autoestima [Assertiveness: Expression of a Healthy Self-Esteem]. Bilbao, Spain: Editorial Desclée de Brouwer, S.A., 2004.

Dana, Deb. Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2020.

Hendrix, Harville. Keeping the Love You Find: A Single Person’s Guide to Achieving Lasting Love. London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 1995.

Kritsberg, Wayne. The Invisible Wound: A New Approach to Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. On Death and Dying. New York: Scribner, 1997. First published 1969 by Macmillan.

Kuebler-Ross, Elisabeth. Death: The Final Stage of Growth. New York: Simon and Schuster / Touchstone, 1986. First published 1975 by Prentice-Hall

Kyle, Liisa. Self-Worth Essentials: A Workbook to Understand Yourself, Accept Yourself, Like Yourself, Respect Yourself, Be Confident, Enjoy Yourself and Love Yourself.

Myers, Linda Joy. The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010.

Naparstek, Belleruth. Your Sixth Sense: Unlocking the Power of Your Intuition. New York: HaperCollins Publishers, 1997.

Noguchi, Yoshinori. La ley del espejo: Una regla mágica que da solución a cualquier problema en la vida [The Law of the Mirror: A Magic Rule to Solve Any Problem in Life]. Barcelona: Comanegra, 2009.

Orloff, Judith, M.D. Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2009.

Paul, Margaret, and Erika J. Chopich. Das Arbeitsbuch zur Aussoehnung mit dem Inneren Kind [The Workbook for Reconciliation with the Inner Child]. Berlin: Ullstein Taschenbuch, 2005.

Riso, Walter. Los límites del amor: Como amar sin renunciar a ti mismo [The Limits of Love: How to Love Without Giving Up Yourself]. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, 2009.

Schaefer, Thomas. Was die Seele krank macht und was sie heilt: Die psychotherapeutische Arbeit von Bert Hellinger [What Makes the Soul Ill and What It Heals: The Psychotherapeutic Work of Bert Hellinger]. Munich: Droemersche Verlagsanstalt Th. Knaur Nachf., 1997.

Thoele, Sue Patton. The Courage to Be Yourself: A Woman’s Guide to Emotional Strength and Self-Esteem

West, Cameron. First Person Plural: My Life As a Multiple – A memoir about a person living with Dissociative Identity Disorder.