Books to Get Through a Breakup

Check out 11 Empowering Books to Get You Through Your Breakup from relationship experts, including myself, on Pretty Progressive.

Below are my three suggestions from the article:

The Journey From Abandonment to Healing by Susan Anderson

The end of a relationship is a deep loss, like any other grief. Many of my therapy clients have felt abandoned when a partner leaves. I have seen this book validate their experience of feeling alone as well as give them a clear path forward to get through the sorrow. This book offers an understanding of the neurological and behavioral instincts that accompany grief. My clients have been able to see that their seemingly intense responses are normal and that the intensity will dissipate with time. Finding meaning in grief creates a powerful alchemy towards change.

Not Nice by Dr Aziz Gazipura

For many of my therapy clients the last stages of a relationship meant compromising themselves and their integrity to try to save the connection. In the ashes of break-up or divorce, this book has helped my clients learn to reclaim their identities, have clear boundaries and get the life they want. At the core of this book is an understanding of how being too nice is actually detrimental to the foundation of a healthy relationship, so that next time around my clients can be happier and feel less guilty getting their needs met with a partner.

Whole Again by Jackson MacKenzie

Sometimes a breakup is more than just the end of something beautiful. Many of my therapy clients have had to extricate themselves from emotionally abusive or toxic relationships. The healing process for this kind of relationship ending can be a bit more intense and involved. This book does a wonderful job of validating the experiences of people who have felt stuck in unhealthy relationships. The author offers daily practices to find a way back into feeling confident and positive about yourself. My clients in these situations often worry about getting stuck in another abusive partnership when they are ready to date again; this book teaches how to clearly see the patterns that they may have missed, so they never feel powerless again.