Resources

Self-healers circle

This is also available on the web, which is how I prefer to use it. It requires a subscription, but I cannot tell you how amazing this site is. There are constantly available workshops that promote all types of healing work. I'm taking a course about how the fascia stores trauma (chronic tight muscles/tendons).

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Insight Timer

This is a general meditation app, but it has a bunch of free "Yoga Nidra" (a guided meditation practice that induces profound relaxation while maintaining conscious awareness, often described as a state between wakefulness and sleep) and Trauma-Informed Mindfulness tracks that are worth checking out, especially for people who are not experienced with meditation techniques.

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PTSD Coach

This is a very popular trauma app that offers self-assessments, tools for managing issues in the moment and educational resources.

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The Simplest Self

This app is somatic (body-based) therapy and yoga-informed trauma recovery. It helps you learn how to feel safe in your body.

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Wysa

This is an AI-driven app that is sort of like a 'pocket coach' that uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help process emotions in real-time.

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Sanvello

This app helps track moods and identifies patterns in your moods. It includes community support and a 'coaching' feature to help keep you motivated.

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MyNARA

This app is specifically for people recovering from narcissistic abuse. It offers tracking tools and recovery guides

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Make sure and look for these on used book sites, like Thrift Books. You can also see if there are used versions on Amazon.

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"The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma" by Bessel van der Kolk

I highly recommend this book for people like me who have lasting physical issues that doctors cannot explain.
 

“Adult Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers: Quiet the Critical Voice in Your Head, Heal Self-Doubt, and Live the Life You Deserve” by Stephanie Kreisberg

"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents" by Lindsay C. Gibson
 

"Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" by Pete Walker

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"Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" by Joe Dispenza

"I Didn't Choose to Be Born: How to Recover from Being Raised by Emotionally Distant, Neglectful, Unsupportive or Narcissistic Parents and Reclaim Your Sense of Self-Worth and Inner Peace" by Lineo Ratia

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"Adult Daughters of Immature Mothers: How to Recover From Maternal Rejection, Emotional Neglect, and Parental Narcissism" by Peg Biggie

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"The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad You Did)" by Philippa Perry

"Emotional Healing" by Karen Paine-Gernee and Terry Hunt

"Secrets to Tell, Secrets to Keep" by Terry Hunt and Karen Paine-Gernee

"Mother Hunger" by Kelly McDaniel

"Cycle Breakers: Free Yourself from Emotionally Immature Parents and Be the Parent You Wish You'd Had" by Harriet Shearsmith
 

"The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse" by Ellen Bass & Laura Davis

"How to be the LOVE you seek" by Nicole LePera

"Reparenting the Inner Child" by Nicole LePera

"It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle" by Mark Wolynn
 

"Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents" by Lindsay C. Gibson

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"Difficult Mothers: Understanding and Overcoming Their Power" by Terri Apter

“Forgiving What You Can't Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again” by Lysa Terkeurst.

This book has an accompanying journal.

“The Wolf in Your Bed: How to use writing to recover from emotional abuse” by Jill Harris

“Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy” by Francine Shapiro

1. AACAP – Child Abuse Resource Center

A comprehensive resource hub from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, offering guides, FAQs, and treatment information related to all forms of child abuse, including emotional abuse.
🔗 https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Child_Abuse_Resource_Center/Home.aspx
 

2. EndCAN – National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect

Provides extensive educational resources on childhood abuse, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), bullying, emotional abuse, child rights, and family support.
🔗 https://endcan.org/resources/ [endcan.org]
 

3. Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

Offers 24/7 live chat, phone, and text support for survivors of child abuse, including guidance on healing from emotional abuse. A confidential, survivor‑centered resource.
🔗 https://www.childhelphotline.org/
 

4. Dr. Jonice Webb – Resources for Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN)

Dr. Jonice Webb specializes in childhood emotional neglect and provides articles, explanations, and recovery tools for adults who grew up with emotional invisibility or invalidation.
🔗 https://drjonicewebb.com/9-resources-to-help-and-support-your-recovery-from-childhood-emotional-neglect/
 

5. All For Kids / Children’s Bureau – Healing from Emotional Abuse as a Child

Educational articles explaining emotional abuse, its signs, and actionable healing steps for children and families.
🔗 https://www.allforkids.org/news/blog/how-to-heal-from-emotional-abuse-as-a-child/ [allforkids.org]
 

6. The MEND Project – Emotional Abuse Support & Training

Focused specifically on identifying, understanding, and healing from emotional abuse (including covert forms). Offers free webinars, quizzes, articles, and survivor stories.
🔗 https://themendproject.com/

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7. Child sexual abuse resources

This site is connected to a sexual abuse law office in Washington, but the link provides a wonderful list of resources for child sexual abuse.

https://www.oslundlegal.com/child-sexual-abuse-resources/
 

If you live in Washington and need sexual abuse representation, consider Oslund Legal.

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1. Trauma‑Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF‑CBT)
 

TF‑CBT is an evidence‑based therapy designed for people who have experienced trauma, including abuse. It combines cognitive‑behavioral techniques with trauma‑sensitive practices to help reframe harmful beliefs, reduce emotional distress, and manage trauma triggers. 

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2. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
 

EMDR helps both children and adults process traumatic memories using bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements). This reduces the emotional intensity of traumatic experiences and is especially helpful for PTSD, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks rooted in childhood abuse.

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3. Group Therapy & Peer Support
 

Group therapy connects survivors with others who have similar experiences. It reduces isolation, provides validation, and promotes healing through shared understanding. Many child advocacy and community centers offer age‑specific trauma recovery groups.

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4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
 

CBT helps survivors understand how trauma has shaped their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. It teaches coping skills to manage anxiety, depression, and distorted beliefs formed by emotional abuse. Many trauma‑informed therapists use CBT as a foundation.

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5. Somatic Therapies (e.g., Somatic Experiencing)
 

These therapies focus on how trauma is stored in the body. Through grounding, body awareness, and nervous‑system regulation, somatic therapy helps reduce hypervigilance, anxiety, and trauma‑related physical symptoms. Frequently recommended for survivors who experience bodily responses to emotional abuse.

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6. Tapping therapy, or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
 

EFT is a mind‑body therapeutic approach that combines elements of cognitive or exposure therapy with gentle tapping on acupressure points on the face and upper body. It is based on the idea that stimulating specific “meridian points” can help regulate the body’s stress response while you bring attention to a painful memory, emotion, or physical sensation. Usually you speak through a script while tapping these points. Not all therapists are certified in this type of therapy, but it is powerful.

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7. Meditation

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Meditation is not a therapy, per se, but a method of self-healing. You can find guided meditations on YouTube specifically for nervous system reset, ridding yourself of negative thoughts, healing from abuse, and more. It requires a place where you can be alone without distractions for a specific period of time. Learning how to meditate can take a little time, but it is something very worthwhile to consider.

• Recovering From Childhood Emotional Abuse (Psychology Today, Dec 2025)
  Key Focus: A breakdown of how emotional abuse creates a "false self" to survive. It covers specific behaviors like character assassination, treating the child as a burden, and managing children through intense guilt.
   

• Childhood Verbal Abuse: The Impact on Adult Mental Health (EurekAlert! / BMJ Open, Aug 2025)
  Key Focus: Discusses a major study showing that verbal abuse (yelling, belittling) has an impact on adult mental health just as severe—and sometimes more protracted—than physical abuse.
   

• Recognizing the Warning Signs of Emotional Abuse (Virtual Lab School, 2025)
  Key Focus: Provides a clear list of indicators, such as a child being "overly compliant" or "passive," and parents who describe their child in purely negative terms (e.g., "evil" or "worthless").
   

• Why So Many People Are Going “No Contact” With Their Parents (The New Yorker, 2024)

  Note: This article sparked a lot of conversation online. It explores the cultural shift toward "estrangement" as a tool for mental health rather than a sign of failure.
   

• Emotional Abuse: What It Is and Signs to Watch For (Healthline)

  Key Focus: A straightforward checklist of behaviors (like "character assassination" and "public embarrassment") that constitute emotional abuse.
   

• The Invisible Wounds of Growing Up with the Narcissistic Parent (Ondina Wellness)

  Key Focus: Uses the metaphor of "invisible crutches" to describe how adult children often feel they are struggling with things that seem easy for others.
   

• How Narcissistic Parents Create Emotional Voids in Adulthood (Psychology Today, 2025)
  Key Focus: Explains how being used as a "tool" for a parent's ego leads to a sense of emptiness and "gaps" in your own identity as an adult.
   

• The Narcissistic Family’s Scapegoat: Survival and Recovery (J. Reid Therapy)

  Key Focus: A deep dive into why one child is often singled out for blame and how that person can reclaim their sense of reality.
   

• 8 Common, Long-Lasting Effects of Narcissistic Parenting (Psychology Today)

  Key Focus: Introduces the concept of "Echoism"—where a child learns to have no needs of their own to survive the parent's outbursts.
   

• How to Heal From Narcissistic Parents (Talkspace, 2024)

  Key Focus: A practical guide on setting boundaries, resisting gaslighting, and building a "chosen family" when the biological one isn't safe.