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Useful reading

Research from around the world

Interested in finding out more about inner work, but prefer to do so in your own time and with reference to published literature and studies? Then these works from scholars in relevant fields around the world may prove helpful (in order of publication from most recent to earliest, and in the translated English versions where applicable):

  • Bessel van der Kolk (2014), The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma. UK and USA: Penguin Books. Critical review and discussion of recent groundbreaking research into traumatic stress and the mind-body connection thereof.

  • D. Fosha, D. J. Siegel and M. Solomon (eds.) (2011), The Healing Power of Emotion: Affective Neuroscience, Development & Clinical Practice. New York: WW Norton. Research and clinical applications exploring the role of emotions on various aspects of everyday life.

  • Pat Ogden (2009), Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology). New York: Norton. Presents a detailed review of research in neuroscience, trauma, dissociation and attachment theory that points to the need for an integrative mind-body approach in addressing painful experiences, beyond a 'talking cure' alone.

  • C. B. Nemeroff et al. (2003), 'Differential Responses to Psychotherapy versus Pharmacotherapy in Patients with Chronic Forms of Major Depression and Childhood Trauma,' Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 100, No. 24, 14293 - 96. A study of how effectively psychotherapy can address the later life effects of childhood trauma compared with medicated approaches. 

  • Pat Wyman (2001), Three Keys to Self-Understanding: An Innovative and Effective Combination of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment Tool, the Enneagram, and Inner-Child Healing. Gainesville: CAPT. Highly user-friendly and detailed exploration of the 'three keys' named in the title, on which the approaches used by Free Your Core are based.

  • Alice Miller (2001), The Truth Will Set You Free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness and Finding Your True Adult Self. New York: Basic Books. A historical and psychological look at the link between childhood abuse and violence in later life, including on a broader social scale.

  • V. Felitti et al. (1998), 'Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study,' American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 14, No. 4, 245 - 58. Presents the groundbreaking ACE study - the first of its kind to explicitly examine the link between childhood abuse and later dysfunctional patterns, such as addictions. A later Ted Talk, in 2014, by Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris, underlines the crucial importance of this research and paying attention to its implications.

  • Alice Miller (1996), The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self. New York: Basic Books. A seminal text on the adverse effects of negative early caregiving experiences on children's emotional lives. 

  • Thomas Maeder (1989), 'Wounded Healers', The Atlantic Monthly, 37-39. Finding a committed, ethical and intuitive guide for your inner work is key. Through humour and anecdotal evidence, this article makes key points about what to watch out for. 

  • C. G. Jung (1968), The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge. Exploration of the different inner aspects of our selves - archetypes - deemed to be common across cultures and times by this Swiss psychologist, whose work changed the face of the discipline in the mid-20th century, and whose theories of personality and of the mind inspired the 3Keys approach on which the inner work offered by Free Your Core is based.

  • C. G. Jung (1957), The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society. Trans. by R.F.C. Hull. New York: New American Library. A seminal philosophical and psychologically-rooted argument for the importance of understanding our true, inner nature as individuals in order to withstand adverse social forces.

This list is by no means exhaustive and is regularly updated throughout the year, so do check back to see the latest!

Finally, check out the meaningful reading and viewing blog series, digesting and reflecting on various works of literature and film that may be seen as valuable companions on all of our inner journeys.

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