Suggested Reading for Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Aug 7

Recently on the AASECT listserv, someone asked about suggested reading for healing from childhood sexual abuse. Being that I work with a lot of clients with CSA in their background, I’d keep this list handy and available to clients.

The list of suggestions include (in no particular order):

The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Wendy Maltz

Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma by Staci Haines

(female clients - per the suggestion) The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass

(male clients - per the suggestion) Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse by Mike Lew and Betrayed as Boys: Psychodynamic Treatment of Sexually Abused Men by Richard B. Gartner

(couples - per the suggestion) Outgrowing the Pain Together by Eliana Gil, Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love Is a Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse by Laura Davis, and Loving Someone Who Has Sexual Trauma: A Compassionate Guide to Supporting Your Partner and Improving Your Relationship by Megan Lara Negendank

Suggested Reading for Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Michelle Renee

Michelle Renee (she/her) is a trained surrogate partner and certified Cuddlist practitioner specializing in trauma-informed therapeutic intimacy. As Co-owner and Director of Training at Cuddlist.com and Co-chair of AASECT's Somatic Intimacy Professionals SIG, she helps trauma survivors reclaim safety, connection, and embodied healing through a collaborative triadic model with licensed therapists.

Michelle's work integrates somatic approaches, EMDR-compatible touch therapy, and nervous system regulation to create corrective emotional experiences for clients healing from sexual trauma, attachment wounds, and relational injury.

Host of The Intimacy Lab podcast and founder of Human Connection Lab, Michelle serves clients in across Southern California and in many cities across the US.

https://humanconnectionlab.com