Self-help and more clinically oriented information can really help. When I was first diagnosed, I wasn't able to afford proper therapy and was also somewhat resistant to it. Now I feel it is vital, but I do a lot on my own and have for decades to work this through. You have to be an active participant in order to get results from self-help or therapy.

The best book that helped me really understand was Judith Herman's classic on trauma and recovery. She show there that many people were diagnosed with other disorders when complex PTSD is really what is the central concern. She lists all the symptoms or problems so you can just check them off and see if it fits you.

Then she provides not only great explanations of what it is like while suffering through, but a guideline for a recovery process. I stand by this book even though my therapists haven't read it. And as someone interested in treating trauma as a therapist myself, I believe it provides more insight for people looking to work on themselves and find comfort in the many stories and descriptions that are provided in the book