Books and Films

As an adjunct to psychotherapy, I often recommend books or films for my clients to read or watch. Sometimes nothing explains a point better, or is a better catalyst for further exploration, than the written word or the characters in a film struggling with similar issues.

There is a caveat, however. I recommend these books and movies as an addition to psychotherapy. We can't read away our pain, nor work through it ourselves by watching others do so. That would be like learning to swim by watching the Olympics. We have to get in the water ourselves.

Actually, there is a second caveat. None of these recommendations should be interpreted to mean that I am in agreement with all aspects of the books or films listed. Nor am I responsible in any way for their content.

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive list. There are many more that could be listed. These are some of my favorites, however, and ones that have been helpful to my clients. I encourage you to do your own search and trust what speaks to you.

I've tried to include a diversity of titles and issues under each topic. They are organized by issue, since that is likely how you will be searching them. If you have any questions, please call me.

ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

Books:

Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family. Sharon Wegscheider. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books, Inc., 1981.

Codependent No More. Melody Beattie. Center City, MN: Hazelden Educational Materials, 1987.

It Will Never Happen To Me. Claudia Black, Ph.D., MSW. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, Inc., 1981.

Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics. Herbert L. Gravitz and Julie D. Bowden. New York, NY: Fireside/Learning Publication Book, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1985.

Time to Heal, A: The Road to Recovery for Adult Children of Alcoholics. Timmen L. Cermak, MD. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1988.

Films:

Affliction. Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek. Director: Paul Schrader, 1998.

Blue Sky. Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones. Director: Tony Richardson, 1992.

Days of Wine and Roses. Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick. Director: Blake Edwards, 1962.

When A Man Loves A Woman. Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan. Director: Luis Mandoki, 1994.

ADULT CHILDREN OF NARCISSISTS

Books:

Children of the Self-Absorbed: A Grownup's Guide to Getting Over Narcissistic Parents. Nina W. Brown, Ed.D., LPC. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2001.

Narcissism: Denial of the True Self. Alexander Lowen, MD. New York, NY: Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1983.

Narcissistic Family, The. Diagnosis and Treatment. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman and Robert M. Pressman. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, 1994.

Trapped In The Mirror: Adult Children of Narcissists in Their Struggle for Self. Elan Golomb, PhD. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, 1992.

Why Is It Always About You? The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism. Sandy Hotchkiss, LCSW. New York, NY: Free Press, A Division of Simon and Schuster, 2002.

Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissists, The: Coping with the One-Way Relationship in Work, Love, and Family. Eleanor D. Payson, MSW. Royal Oak, MI: Julian Day Publications, 2002.

Films:

Frida. Salma Hayek, Alfred Molna. Director: Julie Taymor, 2002.

Shine. Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud. Director: Scott Hicks, 1997.

The Talented Mr. Ripley. Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett. Director: Anthony Minghella.

White Oleander. Michelle Pfeiffer, Alison Lohman. Director: Peter Kosminksy, 2002.

ANXIETY

Books:

Coping With Anxiety: Integrated Approaches to Treatment. W. Walter Menninger, MD., editor. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1996.

End to Panic, An: Breakthrough Techniques for Overcoming Panic Disorder. Elke Zuercher-White, Ph.D. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 1995.

BIPOLAR DISORDER

Books:

Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke. Patty Duke and Kenneth Turan. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1987.

Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperment. Kay Redfield Jamison. New York, NY: Free Press, Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1993.

Unquiet Mind, An. Kay Redfield Jamison. New York, NY: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 1995.

COUPLES/FAMILY THERAPY

Books:

After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful. Janis Abrahms Spring, Ph.D. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.

Conscious Loving: The Journey to Co-Commitment: A Way to Be Fully Together Without Giving Up Yourself. Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., & Kathlyn Hendricks, Ph.D. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1990.

Emotionally Abusive Relationship, The. Beverly Engel. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.

How Can I Get Through to You? (Reconnecting Men and Women). Terrence Real. New York, NY: Scribner, 2002.

Permanent Partners: Building Gay and Lesbian Relationships That Last. Betty Berzon, Ph.D. New York, NY: Penguin Books, Inc., 1988.

Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. John M. Gottman, Ph.D. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1999.

Should You Leave? A Psychiatrist Explores Intimacy and Autonomy – and the Nature of Advice. Peter D. Kramer. New York, NY: Scribner, 1997.

Films:

Gaslight. Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotton. Director: Thorold Dickinson, 1940, 1944.

In America. Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine. Director: Jim Sheridan, 2002.

Life Is Beautiful. Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi. Director: Roberto Benigni, 1998.

Mirror Has Two Faces, The. Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges. Director: Barbra Streisand, 1996.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan. Director: Joel Zwick, 2001.

Ordinary People. Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton. Director: Robert Redford, 1980.

DEPRESSION

Books:

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. Daniel Goleman. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1995. Not about depression per se, but a groundbreaking book on emotions.

I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression. Terrence Real. New York, NY: Scribner, 1997.

Mood Apart, A: Depression, Mania, and Other Afflictions of the Self. Peter C. Whybrow, MD. New York, NY: BasicBooks, a Division of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1997.

Noonday Demon, The: An Atlas of Depression. Andrew Solomon. New York, NY: Scribner, 2001.

Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You. Richard O'Connor, PhD. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1997.

When Words Are Not Enough: The Women's Prescription for Depression and Anxiety. Valerie Davis Raskin, MD.

Films:

Country Girl, The. Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden. Director: George Seaton, 1954. (also about alcoholism)

Dark Victory. Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Reagan. Director: Edmund Goulding, 1939.

Girl, Interrupted. Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie. Director: James Mangold, 1999.

FINANCIAL/ABUNDANCE ISSUES

Books:

Courage to Be Rich, The, Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance. Suze Orman. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1999.

Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood. Marsha Sinetar. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1987.

God Wants You To Be Rich: How and Why Everyone Can Enjoy Material and Spiritual Wealth in Our Abundant World. Paul Zane Pilzer. New York, NY: Fireside Books, Simon and Schuster, 1995.

For Richer, Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples. Ruth L. Hayden. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 1999.

Richest Man in Babylon, The. George S. Clason. New York, NY: Signet, New American Library, 1988. Copyright, 1926.

Secret Meaning of Money, The: How It Binds Together Families in Love, Envy, Compassion or Anger. Cloe' Madanes with Claudio Madanes. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass Publishers, 1994.

Films:

Field of Dreams. Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones. Director: Phil Alden Robinson, 1989.

Pleasantville. Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, and Reese Witherspoon. Director: Gary Ross, 1998.

GRIEF AND LOSS

Books:

Death: The Final Stage of Growth. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. New York, NY: Touchstone Book, Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1975.

How to Survive the Loss of a Love. Melba Colgrove, Ph.D., Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D., and Peter McWilliams. Los Angeles, CA: Prelude Press, 1976, 1991.

Living Beyond Loss: Death in the Family. Froma Walsh and Monica McGoldrick. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1991.

Mourning Handbook, The: A Complete Guide for the Bereaved. Helen Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1994.

On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing, Inc., 1969.

Silent Grief: Living in the Wake of Suicide. Christopher Lukas and Henry M. Seiden. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1997. Originally published, 1987.

Starting Over: Help For Young Widows & Widowers. Adele Rice Nudel. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1987.

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. Mitch Albom. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997.

When Life Becomes Precious: A Guide for Loved Ones and Friends of Cancer Patients. Elise NeeDell Babcock. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1997.

Unspeakable Losses: Understanding the Experience of Pregnancy Loss, Miscarriage, and Abortion. Kim Kluger-Bell. New York, NY: W. W. Norton and Company, 1998.

Films:

Always. Holly Hunter, Richard Dreyfuss, John Goodman. Director: Steven Spielberg, 1999.

Ghost. Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg. Director: Jerry Zucker, 1990.

Life As A House. Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christenson, Jena Malone. Director: Irwin Winkler, 2002.

What Dreams May Come. Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Annabella Sciorra. Director: Vincent Ward, 1998.

SEXUAL ABUSE, INCEST, PTSD (POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER)

Books:

Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love Was Sexually Abused as a Child. Laura Davis. New York, NY: HarperCollins, Inc., 1991.

Betrayal of Innocence: Incest and Its Devastation. Susan Forward, MSW, and Craig Buck. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1979.

Courage to Heal, The: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. Ellen Bass and Laura Davis. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1988.

Father-Daughter Incest. Judith Lewis Herman. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1981.

Female Sexual Abuse of Children. Edited by Michele Elliott. New York, NY: The Guilford Press, 1994.

I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. Edited by Ellen Bass and Louise Thornton. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1983.

Me Nobody Knows, The: A Guide for Teen Survivors. Barbara Bean and Shari Bennett. New York, NY: Lexington Books, Macmillan, Inc., 1993.

Right to Innocence, The: Healing the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Beverly Engel, MFCC. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, division of Random House, 1989.

Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and Its Aftereffects in Women. E. Sue Blume. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1991; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1990.

Victims No Longer: Men Recovering from Incest and Othr Sexual Child Abuse. Mike Lew. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1988, 1990.

Films:

Antwone Fisher. Denzel Washington, Derek Luke. Director: Denzel Washington, 2002.

Bastard Out of Carolina. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jena Malone. Director: Angelica Huston, 1996.

Nuts. Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss. Director: Martin Ritt, 1987.

Prince of Tides. Barbra Streisand, Nick Nolte. Director: Barbra Streisand, 1991.

Thousand Acres, A. Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jason Robards. Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse, 1997.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Books:

Family Patterns Workbook, The: Breaking Free from Your Past & Creating a Life of Your Own. Carolyn Foster. New York, NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Perigee Books, 1993.

What You Feel, You Can Heal: A Guide for Enriching Relationships. John Gray, Ph.D. Mill Valley, CA: Heart Publishing, 1984.

Also: see the page on Control Mastery Theory for additional titles.

Films:

Don Juan DeMarco. Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway. Director: Jeremy Leven, 1995.

Good Will Hunting. Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver. Director: Gus Van Sant, 1997.