Healing from childhood adversity is a journey—one that no one should have to navigate alone. This resource hub is designed to provide survivors, advocates, and those seeking to understand the lasting impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) with trusted information, support networks, and research-backed insights.

Whether you’re looking for crisis support, trauma-informed books, scholarly research on ACEs, or advocacy organizations working to create change, you’ll find carefully curated resources here. My hope is that this page serves as both a lifeline for those seeking healing and a platform for advocacy, reinforcing the importance of trauma-informed care, policy change, and survivor-led voices in the conversation.

You are not alone. Your experiences matter. And healing is possible.

I. Books on ACEs, Trauma, and Healing

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) & Trauma Research:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel van der Kolk
What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Bruce D. Perry
Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease – Robin Karr-Morse
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Guided Journal – Donna Jackson Nakazawa
It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are And How To End The Cycle – Mark Wolynn
Emotional Inheritance – Galit Atlas
My Grandmother’s Hands – Resmaa Menakem
The Unsayable – Annie G. Rogers, PhD
The Complex PTSD Workbook – Arielle Schwartz, Maryann Sullivan, et al.
Healing Parents: Helping Wounded Children Learn to Trust & Love – Michael Orlans and Terry M. Levy
F**k It: Do What You Love – John C. Parkin
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: A Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping – Robert M. Sapolsky
Heal Your Nervous System – Dr. Linnea Passaler

Memoirs & Survivor Stories:

Educated – Tara Westover
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
A Child Called It – Dave Pelzer
Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood – Regina Calcaterra
The Girl Who Smiled Beads – Clemantine Wamariya & Elizabeth Weil
Little Girl Lost – Drew Barrymore
Becoming Unsilenced – Meg Appelgate

Healing, Therapy & Resilience:

Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom – Rick Hanson
The Resilience Workbook: Essential Skills to Recover from Stress, Trauma, and Adversity – Glenn R. Schiraldi
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself – Kristin Neff, PhD
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma – Peter A. Levine, PhD
Boarding School Syndrome: The Psychological Trauma of the ‘Privileged’ Child – Joy Schaverien
The Psychological Impact of Boarding School: The Trunk In The Hall – Penny Cavenagh, Susan McPherson, and Jane Ogden

II. Websites & Organizations for Trauma Survivors

Adverse Childhood Experiences & Trauma Research:

Survivor Advocacy & Support Networks:

Mental Health & PTSD Recovery:

III. Hotlines & Crisis Resources

U.S. & Canada:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 988lifeline.org
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
RAINN (Sexual Assault Hotline): 1-800-656-4673
Helping Survivors, a proud partner of RAINN https://helpingsurvivors.org/
SAMHSA’s National Helpline (Substance Abuse/Mental Health): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

UK & Europe:

Samaritans (UK): 116 123 or samaritans.org
Childline (UK): 0800 1111
Mind Mental Health Support (UK): 0300 123 3393

Australia & New Zealand:

Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue (Australia): 1300 22 4636
Lifeline New Zealand: 0800 543 354

International Crisis Hotlines:

Find a Helpline (Global Crisis Helplines)

IV. Scholarly Research & Articles on ACEs & Trauma

Key Studies & Peer-Reviewed Research:

Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., et al. (2006). “The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Medical Disease and Psychological Well-Being.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258.
Dube, S. R., Fairweather, D., Pearson, W. S., et al. (2009). “Cumulative Childhood Stress and Autoimmune Diseases in Adults.” Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(2), 243-250. Link
Burke Harris, N. (2017). “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Heim, C., Wagner, D., Maloney, E., et al. (2006). “Early Adverse Experience and Risk for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” Archives of General Psychiatry, 63(11), 1258-66. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.63.11.1258
Lawson, G., Camins, J., et al. (2017). “Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Maltreatment: Distinct Associations with Brain Structure.” PLOS One, 12(4), e0175690.
Schaverien, J. (2015). Boarding School Syndrome: The Psychological Trauma of the ‘Privileged’ Child. Routledge.

Additional Research Resources:

V. Advocacy & Further Education

TED Talks on Trauma & Resilience:
- How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime – Dr. Nadine Burke Harris Watch
- The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences – Dr. Vincent Felitti Watch
- Cendie Stanford: The Impact of ACEs and the Power of Resilience Watch
Online Courses & Webinars on ACEs:
- The Science of ACEs – Harvard
- Trauma-Informed Care Training – NCTSN

“It is not what happened to you, but what you do with what happened to you.”
— Dr. Edith Eger, The Choice: Embrace the Possible

Jessica Woodville | Memoir & Musings