Healing Combat Trauma
Resources That Explore the 360° of Healing
A curated library of books and multimedia for veterans, families, and those who care for them.
You're a veteran looking for resources that speak to your experience.
You love or support someone who served and want to understand and help.
You're a professional seeking clinical resources and evidence-based tools.
Clinical resources, evidence-based tools, and VA-recognized reading — curated for practitioners.
Evidence-based clinical texts, treatment guides, and professional resources.
Books recognized and recommended by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Structured, skills-based workbooks for clinical and self-directed settings.
Books recognized by the field for their reach, quality, or impact.
For the youngest members of military families — because children are affected too.
Films that bear witness — for when you need to see it, not just read it.
For the losses that don't always have names — and the ones that do.
Resources addressing MST — an underserved population with distinct healing needs.
Somatic approaches, movement, and body-based practices for healing trauma from the inside out.
For those carrying the weight of what was witnessed, done, or left undone.
The foundational books that defined the field — essential reading for anyone navigating trauma.
For those finding meaning, faith, or practice as part of their healing path.
Resources for survivors of loss, and for those working with those at risk.
Resources centered on the distinct experiences of women who served.
Resources selected for veterans seeking to understand, process, and move forward.
Collected voices — multiple authors, perspectives, and eras in one volume.
Books recognized by the field for their reach, quality, or impact.
The bond between veterans and animals: service dogs, horses, and other healing companions.
Films that bear witness — for when you need to see it, not just read it.
Because sleep is where so much of the battle happens — and where healing begins.
For the losses that don't always have names — and the ones that do.
Audio, video, and mixed-media resources for healing beyond the printed page.
Consistently well-regarded across readers — a useful starting point.
First-person accounts by veterans — stories of war, return, and what comes after.
Resources addressing MST — an underserved population with distinct healing needs.
Somatic approaches, movement, and body-based practices for healing trauma from the inside out.
For those carrying the weight of what was witnessed, done, or left undone.
Veterans in their own words — recorded, transcribed, and preserved.
The foundational books that defined the field — essential reading for anyone navigating trauma.
Practical guides and self-help resources focused on living with and recovering from PTSD.
The systemic context — policy, politics, and the fight for veteran care.
Structured, accessible tools for people doing their own work.
For those finding meaning, faith, or practice as part of their healing path.
Resources for survivors of loss, and for those working with those at risk.
Novels and stories that capture what nonfiction sometimes cannot.
Images that bear witness — because some things must be seen.
The oldest form of witness literature — compressed, unforgettable.
Resources centered on the distinct experiences of women who served.
Structured, skills-based workbooks for clinical and self-directed settings.
For partners, spouses, families, and anyone who loves someone who served.
For the youngest members of military families — because children are affected too.
Films that bear witness — for when you need to see it, not just read it.
Guides and memoirs for those living alongside a veteran's invisible wounds.
Because sleep is where so much of the battle happens — and where healing begins.
For the losses that don't always have names — and the ones that do.
Audio, video, and mixed-media resources for healing beyond the printed page.
Consistently well-regarded across readers — a useful starting point.
Somatic approaches, movement, and body-based practices for healing trauma from the inside out.
For those carrying the weight of what was witnessed, done, or left undone.
The foundational books that defined the field — essential reading for anyone navigating trauma.
Practical guides and self-help resources focused on living with and recovering from PTSD.
The systemic context — policy, politics, and the fight for veteran care.
Structured, accessible tools for people doing their own work.
For those finding meaning, faith, or practice as part of their healing path.
Resources for survivors of loss, and for those working with those at risk.
Resources centered on the distinct experiences of women who served.
Structured, skills-based workbooks for clinical and self-directed settings.
Healing Combat Trauma has been a resource in the veterans’ trauma field since the early 2000s. The original site was the first of its kind — there was nothing else like it when it launched. It grew to include nearly a thousand articles, interviews, and curated resources before its hosting platform shut down without warning, taking the archive with it.
This is its rebuilt form. The collection is larger and more carefully organized than what came before, and the navigation has been designed with three different visitors in mind: veterans doing their own healing work, the people who love and support them, and the clinicians and therapists who work with them professionally.
The site is curated — not comprehensive. The goal isn’t to list every book ever written about war and trauma, but to surface the ones most likely to matter to a particular reader at a particular moment. Think of it less as a library catalog and more as curated recommendations that offer something especially worth knowing about.
“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
— Hippocrates (c. 460–370 BCE)
Nothing on this site is intended to be medical advice. The use of the word healing is chosen intentionally — because healing is something we can all take part in, without guaranteeing a certain outcome. For medical and psychological concerns, please see a qualified practitioner.
In almost all cases, the links on this site go to the paperback edition. That’s generally the most affordable way to buy a book, and it’s the default here.
Kindle and audiobook editions are usually available on the same Amazon page — just look for the format tabs above the price. For some titles, especially if you want to start reading immediately or are managing a stack of books in treatment, those formats may suit you better.
Here’s the one that surprises people: on photography and art books, the hardcover is sometimes cheaper than the paperback. This sounds backwards, but it happens — publishers print large hardcover runs for photography titles and the paperback becomes the rarer format. If a book is showing a price of $100 or more, even in used condition, it’s worth clicking over to check the hardcover price. You may find it costs a fraction of what the paperback does.
The people whose contributions to this field were relational, institutional, and clinical — not just bibliographic.
curated resources across books, audio, and multimedia.
Browse the complete collection — sort by title or by author.