Appendix F — Suggested Reading & Further Exploration

This program is designed to stand on its own. No additional reading is required in order to benefit from the practices presented here.

That said, some readers may feel drawn to explore related material—whether for personal interest, professional development, or deeper contextual understanding. The works listed below are offered as optional resources. They are not endorsements of any single perspective, nor are they prerequisites for understanding NDSR.

Readers are encouraged to approach all additional material with discernment and to prioritize direct experience over conceptual accumulation.

Foundational Works on Stress and Mindfulness

These texts provide background on stress, mindfulness, and contemplative approaches in clinical or secular contexts.

• Jon Kabat-Zinn — Full Catastrophe Living
  A foundational text in mindfulness-based stress reduction, outlining how awareness-based practices can support stress resilience in daily life.

• Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn — The Mindful Way Through Depression
  A clear example of how contemplative awareness can be integrated responsibly into psychological frameworks.

• Steven C. Hayes — Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life
  An introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which shares key principles with NDSR around de-identification and experiential flexibility.

Awareness, Decentering, and Metacognition

These works explore how awareness relates to thought, emotion, and identity without relying on metaphysical claims.

• Norman Farb et al. — research on decentering and self-referential processing
  Empirical research examining how shifting perspective on the self alters emotional regulation and stress responses.

• Evan Thompson — Waking, Dreaming, Being
  A philosophically rigorous exploration of consciousness that bridges contemplative experience and cognitive science.

• Daniel J. Siegel — Aware
  A neuroscientific account of awareness as an integrative capacity supporting mental health and resilience.

Nondual and Contemplative Perspectives (Optional)

The following works explore nondual awareness more explicitly. They are included for readers who are curious, not as instructional texts for this program.

• Douglas Harding — On Having No Head
  A classic experiential approach to investigating the sense of self through direct observation.

• Jean Klein — Who Am I?
  A subtle, phenomenological exploration of awareness and identity, emphasizing simplicity and non-effort.

• Adyashanti — The End of Your World
  Reflections on how insight unfolds in ordinary life, including common challenges and misinterpretations.

Readers are encouraged to engage these texts slowly and selectively, and to pause if language feels destabilizing or overly abstract.

Somatic and Trauma-Informed Approaches

These works emphasize embodiment, nervous system regulation, and safety—principles that align closely with NDSR.

• Peter Levine — Waking the Tiger
  A foundational text on how the nervous system processes stress and trauma through bodily awareness.

• Bessel van der Kolk — The Body Keeps the Score
  A comprehensive overview of trauma, embodiment, and recovery, emphasizing the importance of somatic integration.

• Pat Ogden — Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
  A clinical framework highlighting the role of bodily experience in emotional regulation.

Philosophical Context (Optional and Non-Essential)

For readers interested in broader philosophical perspectives on selfhood and experience:

• William James — The Principles of Psychology (selected sections)
  Early explorations of attention, consciousness, and selfhood that remain influential today.

• Maurice Merleau-Ponty — Phenomenology of Perception
  A philosophical examination of embodied experience and perception.

These texts are intellectually demanding and not necessary for practical application.

A Final Note on Reading

No book can substitute for lived experience. Additional reading should support curiosity and clarity, not replace practice or become a measure of progress.

If reading increases effort, confusion, or self-comparison, it is appropriate to pause and return to direct experience.