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Resources
del described a number of resources in addition to those she quoted from, and there are many other resources available locally, regionally, and online. If you, or someone you know, might benefit from learning more, here is a sampling of resources that focuses on the techniques that helped del, current as of September 2025. I plan to update this list periodically.
If you believe a good resource is missing, please email me (darien@dariensimon.com) and use subject line: Resource Idea or use the I’d Love to Hear From You page’s contact form.
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Trauma, Grief, and Healing
dels’s top choice if you want to understand how developmental trauma impacts the mind and body:
van der Kolk, Bessel, MD The Body Keeps the Score, 2015, Penguin Books. ISBN-10: 0143127748 ISBN-13: 978-0143127741 https://www.besselvanderkolk.com
And a classic, a foundation for much that has developed in the last 25 years or so:
Levine, Peter A. with Frederick, Ann. 1997. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books. ISBN-10: 155643233X SBN-13: 978-1556432330. Creator of Somatic Experiencing. Ergos Institute, Inc. https://www.somaticexperiencing.com
Other excellent resources:
Apigian, Aimee. The Biology of Trauma (Sept. 2025), BenBella Books, ISBN-10: 1637746237 ISBN-13: 978-1637746233. “Understanding and treating the Biology of Trauma®has been the missing piece in medicine and trauma therapy. We connect the two so you can truly heal.” https://traumahealingaccelerated.com/about/
Bal, Roland, Process Awakening LLC. Complex PTSD/trauma recovery. “[I]t is the many years of group dialogue interactions and working with many clients that have taught me the most over the years. It is people like you and me really, connecting, sharing suffering and touching upon a state of loving, which allows us to be more inherently ourselves.” https://rolandbal.com/complex-trauma-ptsd/
Contreras, Antonieta. 2025. How Deep Is the Wound?: A Guide to Investigating, Understanding, and Resolving Your Emotional Pain. Sentiment Publishing. Antonieta “is a trauma psychotherapist who graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from NYU. After forming her clinical skills as a gestalt therapist and training at agencies with highly traumatized people, she received a specialization in Trauma Studies from the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapies (ICP) and in Human Sexuality from NYU School of Medicine. She maintains a private practice where she combines different trauma modalities as well as the contemplative techniques that she learned from studying within Buddhist traditions.” https://www.antonietacontreras.com/about-antonieta-contreras
CPTSD Foundation, “Bridging the healing gap, leaving a legacy of healing for future generations.” https://cptsdfoundation.org
Fisher, Janina, PhD. Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment, a “trauma-informed parts model”. “the most powerful and gifted teachers I have had are my patients. These survivors have given me a window into the inner experience of the legacy of trauma, taught me what always to say and what never to say, and helped to validate or disprove what the experts were claiming.” https://janinafisher.com
Goldstein, Esther LCSW, Integrative Psychotherapy. “Relationships are where we heal, and that is why we take a strong relational approach.” https://integrativepsych.co/about-us
Hanson, Rick, Neuroplasticity. “We all have challenges. The good news is that we can use the power of positive neuroplasticity to change our brain and grow inner strengths so we can be happier, more confident, and more calm — no matter what life throws our way.” https://rickhanson.com
Howard, Alex. Conscious Life online learning platform including trauma recovery. “For many years I considered myself a therapist by day and an entrepreneur by night. These days I’m not sure what my job title is, but what drives me is helping others to experience the same transformation and healing which saved my life.” https://www.alexhoward.com
Maull, Fleet, PhD, Heart Mind Institute. Personal growth and healing courses (rewiring your brain, mindfulness, resilience, psychedelics) “Steeped in contemplative wisdom traditions, the psychology of self- actualization and current neuroscience, Dr. Fleet Maull is a modern dharma teacher willing to leverage both ancient wisdom and current science in order to inspire and empower people in reaching their greatest potential.” https://www.heartmind.co/
Mandeville, Rebecca C. Family Scapegoating Abuse: “Family Scapegoating Abuse (or Family Scapegoat Abuse) areterms coined by Rebecca C. Mandeville, LMFT, CCTP. They are based on over 15 years of qualitative and quantitative research studies on the abusive aspects of scapegoating dynamics impacting child victims and adult survivors. To learn more about FSA and its effects and access resources supporting FSA recovery, visit her website at: https://www.scapegoatrecovery.com.”
PsychCentral trauma hub and PTSD resources. https://psychcentral.com/program/trauma. https://psychcentral.com/ptsd
Runkle, Anna, The Crappy Childhood Fairy. PTSD, Childhood trauma recovery. “Most people struggling with symptoms of early trauma don’t even realize it.” https://awakenconsulting.com.au/tps://crappychildhoodfairy.com
Schwartz, Arielle, PhD. Reslience, polyvagal theory, EMDR, yoga for healing. “The journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.” https://drarielleschwartz.com https://resilienceinformedtherapy.com
Grieving
Kevorkian, Kriss, PhD. Grief and grieving (especially environmental, which appealed to del). https://drkkevorkian.com
Speaking Grief. “Speaking Grief explores the transformative experience of losing a family member in a death- and grief-avoidant society.” https://speakinggrief.org
Internal Family Systems:
Anderson, Frank, M.D. “Committed to promoting compassion, hope, healing and non-violence in the world, Dr. Anderson specializes in understanding and treating the effects of psychic pain and trauma.” https://www.frankandersonmd.com
Schwartz, Richard, PhD. “Grounded in systems thinking, Dr. Schwartz developed Internal Family Systems (IFS) in response to clients’ descriptions of various parts within themselves. He focused on the relationships among these parts and noticed that there were systemic patterns to the way they were organized across clients.” https://ifs-institute.com
Polyvagal Theory
Dana, Deb, LCSW. Deb’s “work is focused on using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma in our lives.” https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/about-deb https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/about
Porges, Stephen, PhD. “In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.”. https://www.stephenporges.com https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory
General healing, family, and child resources
BeyondPsychub “a page dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing.” https://beyondpsychub.com
Cooperative Extension (US). “Every university teaches. Most conduct research. But only the Nation’s more than 100 Land-grant Colleges and Universities have a third, critical mission—sharing that research-based knowledge and information to every county in the United States through Cooperative Extension.” [Full disclosure: I worked for Cooperative Extension in Wisconsin for two years.] https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/what-we-do/extension/cooperative-extension-system#:~:text=Cooperative%20Extension%20System%20(CES)%20empowers,emergencies%2C%20and%20protect%20our%20environment
The Mind Journal “a collective of everyday thinkers, passionate writers, and expert voices from across the world. A platform where human experiences—raw, deep, and diverse—meet expert insights to inspire healing and growth.”
https://themindsjournal.com/
For autism
Online assessments (accurate when tested on myself and for del): https://autism360.com (small fee (<$5 US) to download detailed results). https://embrace–autism.com/autism–tests/ (multiple test options available including masking).
Autism Speaks “dedicated to creating an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan.” https://www.autismspeaks.org
Avelar, Christina, The Neurodivergent Brain “Research. Education. Empowerment.” https://theneurodivergentbrain.org/
Grandin, Temple, PhD. Oliver Sacks wrote in the forward of Thinking in Pictures that her first book Emergence: Labeled Autistic was “unprecedented because there had never before been an inside narrative of autism.” Dr. Sacks profiled Dr. Grandin in his best selling book Anthropologist on Mars. https://www.templegrandin.com https://theneurodivergentbrain.org/temple/
Micallef, Paul. “After discovering he was autistic at age 30, Paul Micallef shifted his career focus from aerospace engineering to working with those in the autistic community. Sharing his experience through public speaking and advocacy, he started a YouTube channel which now has over 400,000 subscribers, and became an ICF accredited life-coach in 2024.” https://www.autismfromtheinside.com.au https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/Aspergers_from_the_Inside
Dr. Megan Anna Neff, Neurodivergent Insights. Multiple topics including: Alexithymia, ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Burnout, Misdiagnosis Monday, Neurodivergent Identity, Nervous System & Sensory Regulation, Relationship Support. https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog
Raede, Danny. Help for parents and families with autistic children from an autist. https://www.aspergerexperts.com
Thriving Autistic has an evolving list of “advocacy organisations run by and for Autistic people” including multiple countries, though they are mostly US/UK and Commonwealth/EU based. https://www.thrivingautistic.org/advocacy-orgs
Social media: there is a diverse, active community of autists on Bluesky.
Healing techniques and technologies
For several of these techniques there are multiple schools, each with its particular perspective on the technique. Best advice? Check out several, then see which one(s) resonate best with you. That pertains to any healing methodogies, really. Each of us is unique, so there is no “one size fits all” for healing.
Reiki: when del refers to using Reiki, she means the traditional Usui method, however, there are others. https://www.udemy.com offers an accredited certification for Usui levels 1 – 3 and Master Teacher.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, aka “tapping”): when del refers to using EFT, she means the Gary Craig method (https://www.palaceofpossibilities.com). However, there are others like https://www.thetappingsolution.com
Brainwave entrainment (del used Holosync) https://www.holosync.com/ https://www.diygenius.com/brainwave-entrainment/ https://mybrainrewired.com/theta-waves/different-types-of-brainwave entrainment/
Meditative Mind (del’s favourite Meditation audio/video). https://www.youtube.com/@meditativemind
Mind Movies “transforms a boring vision board into a fun, digital video vision board filled with positive affirmations, inspiring images and motivating music.” https://www.mindmovies.com/mm.com
Psychedelics: [NOTE: especially if you have PTSD or another trauma-related issue, please do not pursue psychedelic therapy without the guidance of a professional trained in their use like a psychologist or a shaman] https://www.tricycleday.com https://psychhub.com/resources/articles/psychedelic-assisted-therapy https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/psychedelics_assisted_therapy.asp
Women’s Experience
Eisler, Riane. The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. 1988. HarperOne, Kindle Edition. “Riane Eisler is a social systems scientist, futurist, cultural historian, attorney, consultant, and speaker, whose work has transformed organizations, policies, and people worldwide.” https://rianeeisler.com
Estés Réyes, Clarissa Pinkola. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. 2017. Kindle Edition. She “is an internationally recognized scholar, award-winning poet, Diplomate Senior Jungian psychoanalyst, and cantadora–keeper of the old stories in the Latina tradition. She is the author of many books and audio recordings on the journey of the soul.” https://www.mavenproductions.com/about-dr-clarissa-estes
Wild, Florie PsyD., Wild Women Rising. “An Invitation For Women Creatives And Healers With A Vision … Who Are You To Want More? More Freedom. More Confidence. More Connection. More Security. More Intimacy. More Power. More Spirit. More Abundance. Could Life Really Be Better? These questions are so common among us–among women.” https://drfloriewild.com/wild-women-rising-3/
For Practitioners
Additional recommended reading:
Contreras, Antonieta. 2024. Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders, Routledge.
Organizations offering Continuing Education-qualifying courses:
Positive Psychology https://positivepsychology.com
PESI Offerings include Peter A Levine’s Master Trauma Class and a course on tapping. https://www.pesi.com/sales/bh_c_001321_eft_tapping_organic-76208 https://www.pesi.com/ (for Canada: https://www.pesicanada.ca/)
NICABM (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine). https://www.nicabm.com/courses/