Hey guys,
First post here. I’ll give a brief summary then ask my question. I was abused most of my childhood, all types of abuse. I began struggling with depression since I was 14. Bipolar disorder crept in when I was around 20. I wasn’t officially diagnosed until 2010. Since then has been a roller coaster. I have been in therapy, on meds, and hospitalized a few times since then.
The problem I’m having now is that I am struggling with an episode, as you all know they come and go. My issues are starting to manifest in physical symptoms. I have been to my dr/ER/Urgent Care/other specialists and they all tell me there is nothing wrong. In talking to my therapist, he agrees that it is psychological in nature. I need to see my therapist and med provider more frequently to deal with these issues because they are overwhelming and my life is really sucking, not only emotionally/mentally but physically as well. The problem is that my copay recently doubled and I can’t afford to go as often as I need, only monthly.
Have you guys found any self-help books/programs that are effective with dealing with childhood abuse? They don’t have to include bipolar disorder but it may be helpful. I know I could google this, but I would like to hear from you guys, my peers who have gone through/are going through this as well.
Hey there,
There are actually a few books that are done by HeartSupport members that I have found helpful.
Dwarf Planet by Benjamin Sledge
ReWrite by Benjamin Sledge
Mountains by Jake Luhrs
Hey @greenbeast777,
Thank you for being here. 
Sounds that you’ve been through a lot already and I hope you’ll receive as much resources as you need. I’m sorry you can’t afford to see your therapist as much as needed, that really sucks, but I hope it’s only temporary. In any case, you’re right, even though it doesn’t replace a professional support, there are great resources out there, whether it’s to work on your depression, anxiety or traumas.
I’ve been through a pretty traumatic childhood myself - with a violent parent especially. At 27, I keep realizing how it shaped me in so many ways. I’ve been back and forth on therapy, and received at some point a diagnosis for C-PTSD - weird concept for me, but this brought me to look after some books and articles. I honestly didn’t read a lot of self-help books, but about this subject specifically I’d personally recommend you “Complex PTSD - From surviving to thriving” by Pete Walker. This book has been healing in so many ways (for me) because it reaches some very subtle aspects of being an adult after growing up in an unsafe environment. Some aspects that only you, with your own experience and story, can understand and relate to. I’d rather see it as a healing book than really a workbook. At least, this book speaks to my heart, and I personally like to get back to it from to time, even just to remind myself that how I feel is okay. I hope this one could be a good resource to you as it was for me.
Now, as @JoshC mentioned, HeartSupport has different kind of workbooks too. As you mentioned depression, Dward Planet is definitely a good one to read. If you’re curious about it, feel free to have a look at the category of this forum dedicated to the book : https://forum.heartsupport.com/tags/c/growth/61/dwarf-planet - Each chapter is composed of a writing by the author and questions/exercises. You can have an idea of them in the different topics here on the forum. Also for the first chapters, there are videos included to the posts - streams during which the chapters were read with the community. Again, a good way to have a first look at it!
Also, it’s a not a book specifically, but here’s a link to a reddit list with free online books and resources (related to various mental health aspects): https://www.reddit.com/r/dbtselfhelp/comments/6ujifl/self_help_workbooks_megapost/ - I’ve been keeping it in my browser since I saw this, the person who made the list did quite an amazing job! I’ve dig into some of these resources and they’re quite interesting.
I hope this can help. In any case, if you ever need to discuss, feel always free to post here. This community is here to support you as well.
Thanks @Micro. I’ll check out those links and the C-PTSD book. I have a friend who was also diagnosed with C-PTSD and we share a lot of the same past situations and current struggles. I will definitely look into that!