Our team members shared the reads that have deepened their understanding of addiction and inspired their recovery journeys. You can explore their selected titles below and maybe even add a couple to your reading list. 

A Million Little Pieces 

by James Frey

“At the age of 23, James Frey woke up on a plane to find his front teeth knocked out and his nose broken. He had no idea where the plane was headed nor any recollection of the past two weeks. An alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three, he checked into a treatment facility shortly after landing. There he was told he could either stop using or die before he reached age 24. This is Frey’s acclaimed account of his six weeks in rehab.”

A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” 

by Marianne Williamson

“Marianne Williamson shares her reflections on A Course in Miracles and her insights on the application of love in the search for inner peace. Williamson reveals how we each can become a miracle worker by accepting God and by the expression of love in our daily lives. Whether psychic pain is in the area of relationships, career, or health, she shows us how love is a potent force, the key to inner peace, and how by practicing love we can make our own lives more fulfilling while creating a more peaceful and loving world for our children.”

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction 

by Gabor Maté, MD

“Blending first-person accounts, riveting case studies, cutting-edge research and passionate argument, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction takes a panoramic yet highly intimate look at this widespread and perplexing human ailment. Countering prevailing notions of addiction as either a genetic disease or an individual moral failure, Dr. Gabor Maté presents an eloquent case that addiction – all addiction – is in fact a case of human development gone askew.”

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) 

by Don Miguel Ruiz

“Everything we do is based on agreements we have made – agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.”

The Mindful Addict: A Memoir of the Awakening of a Spirit 

by Tom Catton

“In the mid-sixties, Tom Catton searched for meaning by experimenting with drugs, but instead of the spiritual connection he sought, Catton found himself hooked in the web of addiction and consumed by feelings of separation. In this earnest, insightful book, Catton, now in long-term recovery, describes how he transcended his challenges through the study and practice of meditation and introspection.”

The Untethered Soul: Practices to Journey Beyond Yourself 

by Michael A. Singer

“By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, author and spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization.”

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

“Drawing on more than thirty years at the forefront of research and clinical practice, Bessel van der Kolk shows that the terror and isolation at the core of trauma literally reshape both brain and body. New insights into our survival instincts explain why traumatized people experience incomprehensible anxiety and numbing and intolerable rage, and how trauma affects their capacity to concentrate, to remember, to form trusting relationships, and even to feel at home in their own bodies. Having lost the sense of control of themselves and frustrated by failed therapies, they often fear that they are damaged beyond repair.”

CREATE A NEW STORY AT WASATCH CREST

At Wasatch Crest, our addiction treatment programs guide clients in creating purposeful, meaningful lives in recovery. Many of our specialists have struggled with addiction themselves and understand the healing process firsthand. Through individual, group, and adventure-based experiential therapy, we guide clients in gaining insight into addiction while also helping them integrate healthy coping strategies for lasting recovery. Reach out to learn more about our addiction treatment programs in Heber, UT.