Intellectual Disability, Borderline Intelligence & Cognitive Function
Koji Miyaguchi, The Boy Who Couldn’t Cut the Cake (Shinchosha)
Through encounters at a juvenile detention facility, this book reveals that many young offenders have borderline intelligence — and how cognitive limitations affect social adaptation. The starting point for this site’s “Mothers Who Can’t Cut the Cake” theme.
Koji Miyaguchi, People Who Just Can’t Try Hard (Shinchosha)
A follow-up exploring the cognitive roots of “not being able to try” and what supportive approaches look like.
Recovery & Self-Understanding for Abuse Survivors
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
How trauma is encoded in the body, and the structure of flashbacks, hyperarousal, and dissociation — along with pathways to recovery.
Susan Forward, Toxic Parents
A concrete look at how parental psychological control warps a child’s life.
Miyako Shirakawa, Understanding Trauma (Kodansha)
An accessible introduction to what trauma is, how it leads to difficulty in living, and concrete steps toward recovery.
Masatoshi Shibayama, Understanding Dissociative Disorders (Kodansha)
A clear explanation of dissociative disorders — common in those who experienced abuse or trauma — covering symptoms, mechanisms, and treatment.
Child Abuse & Attachment
Kazumi Takahashi, Children Become “Mentally Ill” to Save Their Parents (Chikuma Bunko)
A psychiatrist’s clinical account of the structure of parent-child relationships and mental illness — why children develop “symptoms” and the family dynamics behind them.
Kazumi Takahashi, The Art of Listening (Chikuma Bunko)
Why not interrupting, not questioning, not advising is therapeutically powerful. Essential reading for supporters and for those who want to understand what it means to be truly heard.
Kazumi Takahashi, The Mother-Child Illness (Chikuma Bunko)
What happens inside the mother-child relationship — overprotection, psychological neglect, and control hidden within ordinary households.
Judith L. Herman, Trauma and Recovery (Misuzu Shobo)
A landmark in trauma research. Includes the author’s research perspective on intergenerational transmission — and why transmission is not inevitable.
Note
The books listed here are published works referenced in writing this site’s articles. This does not guarantee that the site’s content accurately reflects each author’s views. We encourage readers to consult the originals directly.
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