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Mind Your Body: A Revolutionary Program to Release Chronic Pain and Anxiety
Learn how to free yourself from chronic pain, anxiety, fatigue, and myriad debilitating conditions through the transformative process of nervous system regulation in this accessible guide from psychotherapist and leading mind-body clinician Nicole Sachs
At a time when chronic pain and other conditions have reached epidemic proportions, and the medical model is coming up short for so many, Mind Your Body shares the evidence-based practices that can help deliver readers from hopelessness to freedom. Most people who come to Nicole Sachs have exhausted all other paths to cope with their chronic back pain, IBS, sciatica, pelvic pain, long COVID, migraines, nerve inflammation, skin conditions, panic disorders, and many more. Maybe they’re considering surgery or other interventions, with no real promise of a cure, or maybe the surgeries and treatments they’ve already endeavored have come up short and they are desperate for relief.
Sachs knows that these kinds of syndromes are often not caused by a physical source. Rather, they are fueled by trauma responses associated with deeply rooted psychological and emotional triggers that send the brain and the nervous system into fight or flight.
In Mind Your Body, Sachs teaches readers about mind-body medicine—which helped her overcome her own debilitating pain and dark prognosis—and how to turn inward using her revolutionary JournalSpeak practice, which has helped countless clients achieve striking mental, emotional, and physical healing. Sachs knows that alleviating pain often resides in understanding that one’s stress, repressed emotions, unresolved trauma, and smaller daily frustrations are causing nervous system dysregulation. The solution lies in rewiring the body’s misguided reflex to protect us with pain.
At a time when chronic pain and other conditions have reached epidemic proportions, and the medical model is coming up short for so many, Mind Your Body shares the evidence-based practices that can help deliver readers from hopelessness to freedom. Most people who come to Nicole Sachs have exhausted all other paths to cope with their chronic back pain, IBS, sciatica, pelvic pain, long COVID, migraines, nerve inflammation, skin conditions, panic disorders, and many more. Maybe they’re considering surgery or other interventions, with no real promise of a cure, or maybe the surgeries and treatments they’ve already endeavored have come up short and they are desperate for relief.
Sachs knows that these kinds of syndromes are often not caused by a physical source. Rather, they are fueled by trauma responses associated with deeply rooted psychological and emotional triggers that send the brain and the nervous system into fight or flight.
In Mind Your Body, Sachs teaches readers about mind-body medicine—which helped her overcome her own debilitating pain and dark prognosis—and how to turn inward using her revolutionary JournalSpeak practice, which has helped countless clients achieve striking mental, emotional, and physical healing. Sachs knows that alleviating pain often resides in understanding that one’s stress, repressed emotions, unresolved trauma, and smaller daily frustrations are causing nervous system dysregulation. The solution lies in rewiring the body’s misguided reflex to protect us with pain.
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Published February 4, 2025
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February 6, 2025
For over 25 years I suffered with significantly disabling chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain so severe at times I was housebound, vertigo and general dizziness, and various other depressing and horrible symptoms. I’m now living my life almost entirely symptom free (and still improving, 10 months in) and I’m happy perhaps in a way I have never been. I’m a success story of the Nicole Sach’s method. The method that Sach’s discusses in this book, Mind Your Body: a revolutionary program to release chronic pain and anxiety.
Unsurprisingly then, my review of this book comes with a good degree of bias and an excitement to spread the word. Like many others in her community who, like me, have been successful using this method to release their chronic pain and symptoms, we want this health information to be more widely available. You do not need to suffer.
As Nicole’s book reminds us all, and beautifully illustrates, it is our personal experiences - call it bias if you wish - that is so profoundly holding and powerful for chronic pain, symptoms, and anxiety sufferers when they are gripped in their toughest days.
The truth is we have a deep misunderstanding of chronic pain and symptoms and this book addresses that, explaining the neuroscience, the brain science, about the nature of chronic conditions and nervous system dysregulation.
A very important point about mind body medicine though. Our symptoms are real, this is not from the school of psychology that claims chronic symptoms are imagined. Nicole does not lecture and patronise the reader with notions of ‘wrong thinking’ and positivity, she is compassionate, passionate and constructive. She illustrates through her own story how sometimes our chronic symptoms even have a diagnosis, sometimes not, but either way we don’t have to suffer because there is actually a very simple solution. A paradigm shift. This book explains in an engaging step-by-step format what that solution is.
I know you’ll probably feel resistant and/or sceptical as you read this review, or as you read the book, this is a normal part of the process as you’ll find explained in the book. Nicole’s confident tone is palpable, and the wisdom of her words from years of clinical experience is such that the reader is buoyed too. She asks only one thing of the reader initially - those both new and old to mind-body medicine - be curious. There’s plenty of scientific studies out there to back these methods, but be curious and let your body be your proof.
So, what’s in the book?
The book opens with the beginnings of Nicole’s story, or as she describes it, “My trip into the fire”. She engages with the reader in the opening chapter in her usual, highly relatable and compassionate style. One of Nicole’s superpowers, and what has helped amass her over 5 million listeners on her podcast The Cure for Chronic Pain, is her powerful way of connecting with her audience - it is deeply moorish. This connection translates exceptionally well in her writing generally, and strongly in this book.
Nicole shares her experience with the medical profession and their frightening diagnosis and MRI of spondylolithesis in her spine. Her outlook was grim. Solutions were unavailable. Something many of us with chronic conditions can relate to. Her consequent shift in perspective (paradigm shift) profoundly altered her understanding of, and relationship to, her pain, ultimately leading to her release from ‘TMS’.
“TMS”, or tension myoneural syndrome, is a term coined in the work of Dr John Sarno, an early pioneer of mind-body medicine, and the person with whom Nicole subsequently consulted, and later trained under. Nicole went on to develop her practice as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and over the course of many years of her psychotherapy clinical practice and her many clients’ success stories, she is now a speaker, writer, retreat leader, and podcaster. She has dedicated herself to the treatment of chronic pain, symptoms and anxiety.
Her own paradigm/perspective shift in relation to chronic pain and symptoms and the brain science behind it, is something she is now teaching us all through this book and her other work. Her message most simply is, it is completely possible to find freedom beyond chronic pain and mind body symptoms. That chronic pain and symptoms are “an epidemic of fear and meaning”.
Through her method of JournalSpeak, meditation, self compassion, and inner child work altogether the reader is provided with an opportunity for real and lasting health transformation. I’ve personally found the surprising, additional outcome of feeling more resilient in life and a huge reduction in my sense of unsafety in the world. In the current climate this feels so important.
But can emotional work really change chronic conditions like CFS, fibromyalgia, back pain, knee pain, dizziness etc etc.,? Yes, it can. Indeed, mind body medicine has extraordinary success rates that are just not being conveyed in the mainstream. For some, improvements come quickly, for others it takes time. But if you do the work, let go of urgency (as hard as this is when you’re in hell, but the brain reads as ‘unsafe’) and you will see results. It’s wild.
To sum up
Nicole’s book offers methods for deep healing from chronic conditions, powerful author-to-reader messages of safety, and a restoration of hope. The book also provides a deeply important source of knowledge and understanding for health professionals and society broadly. Here’s hoping we can develop a more compassionate and informed way of being toward one another and our dysregulated nervous system symptoms, and crucially understand what ‘psychosomatic’ or ‘psychophysiological’ really means. Spoiler, it’s not all in your head (i.e. not real)! Our symptoms are absolutely real and are a result of our nervous system performing a sentinel role for protecting us. This is true for everyone.
I believe Nicole Sachs Mind Your Body book is essential reading for everyone that cares about their health and the health of their loved ones. At a time of mental and chronic health crisis, this book opens our eyes and minds to what has been missing in our healthcare systems for so long, while calling for a ‘paradigm shift’ within us, as much as outside us. It provides clear and engaging instructions on how to ‘do the work’ and will bring readers a wonderful window into many life changing tools so desperately needed for chronic pain release and broader well-being life skills. Can’t recommend highly enough. Buy the book. Listen to her podcast. Join her community online.
“Don’t be afraid…You will never again be alone in your pain. …We are an army of warriors who march beside you…This is your life…go take it back” - Nicole Sachs, Mind Your Body
Unsurprisingly then, my review of this book comes with a good degree of bias and an excitement to spread the word. Like many others in her community who, like me, have been successful using this method to release their chronic pain and symptoms, we want this health information to be more widely available. You do not need to suffer.
As Nicole’s book reminds us all, and beautifully illustrates, it is our personal experiences - call it bias if you wish - that is so profoundly holding and powerful for chronic pain, symptoms, and anxiety sufferers when they are gripped in their toughest days.
The truth is we have a deep misunderstanding of chronic pain and symptoms and this book addresses that, explaining the neuroscience, the brain science, about the nature of chronic conditions and nervous system dysregulation.
A very important point about mind body medicine though. Our symptoms are real, this is not from the school of psychology that claims chronic symptoms are imagined. Nicole does not lecture and patronise the reader with notions of ‘wrong thinking’ and positivity, she is compassionate, passionate and constructive. She illustrates through her own story how sometimes our chronic symptoms even have a diagnosis, sometimes not, but either way we don’t have to suffer because there is actually a very simple solution. A paradigm shift. This book explains in an engaging step-by-step format what that solution is.
I know you’ll probably feel resistant and/or sceptical as you read this review, or as you read the book, this is a normal part of the process as you’ll find explained in the book. Nicole’s confident tone is palpable, and the wisdom of her words from years of clinical experience is such that the reader is buoyed too. She asks only one thing of the reader initially - those both new and old to mind-body medicine - be curious. There’s plenty of scientific studies out there to back these methods, but be curious and let your body be your proof.
So, what’s in the book?
The book opens with the beginnings of Nicole’s story, or as she describes it, “My trip into the fire”. She engages with the reader in the opening chapter in her usual, highly relatable and compassionate style. One of Nicole’s superpowers, and what has helped amass her over 5 million listeners on her podcast The Cure for Chronic Pain, is her powerful way of connecting with her audience - it is deeply moorish. This connection translates exceptionally well in her writing generally, and strongly in this book.
Nicole shares her experience with the medical profession and their frightening diagnosis and MRI of spondylolithesis in her spine. Her outlook was grim. Solutions were unavailable. Something many of us with chronic conditions can relate to. Her consequent shift in perspective (paradigm shift) profoundly altered her understanding of, and relationship to, her pain, ultimately leading to her release from ‘TMS’.
“TMS”, or tension myoneural syndrome, is a term coined in the work of Dr John Sarno, an early pioneer of mind-body medicine, and the person with whom Nicole subsequently consulted, and later trained under. Nicole went on to develop her practice as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and over the course of many years of her psychotherapy clinical practice and her many clients’ success stories, she is now a speaker, writer, retreat leader, and podcaster. She has dedicated herself to the treatment of chronic pain, symptoms and anxiety.
Her own paradigm/perspective shift in relation to chronic pain and symptoms and the brain science behind it, is something she is now teaching us all through this book and her other work. Her message most simply is, it is completely possible to find freedom beyond chronic pain and mind body symptoms. That chronic pain and symptoms are “an epidemic of fear and meaning”.
Through her method of JournalSpeak, meditation, self compassion, and inner child work altogether the reader is provided with an opportunity for real and lasting health transformation. I’ve personally found the surprising, additional outcome of feeling more resilient in life and a huge reduction in my sense of unsafety in the world. In the current climate this feels so important.
But can emotional work really change chronic conditions like CFS, fibromyalgia, back pain, knee pain, dizziness etc etc.,? Yes, it can. Indeed, mind body medicine has extraordinary success rates that are just not being conveyed in the mainstream. For some, improvements come quickly, for others it takes time. But if you do the work, let go of urgency (as hard as this is when you’re in hell, but the brain reads as ‘unsafe’) and you will see results. It’s wild.
To sum up
Nicole’s book offers methods for deep healing from chronic conditions, powerful author-to-reader messages of safety, and a restoration of hope. The book also provides a deeply important source of knowledge and understanding for health professionals and society broadly. Here’s hoping we can develop a more compassionate and informed way of being toward one another and our dysregulated nervous system symptoms, and crucially understand what ‘psychosomatic’ or ‘psychophysiological’ really means. Spoiler, it’s not all in your head (i.e. not real)! Our symptoms are absolutely real and are a result of our nervous system performing a sentinel role for protecting us. This is true for everyone.
I believe Nicole Sachs Mind Your Body book is essential reading for everyone that cares about their health and the health of their loved ones. At a time of mental and chronic health crisis, this book opens our eyes and minds to what has been missing in our healthcare systems for so long, while calling for a ‘paradigm shift’ within us, as much as outside us. It provides clear and engaging instructions on how to ‘do the work’ and will bring readers a wonderful window into many life changing tools so desperately needed for chronic pain release and broader well-being life skills. Can’t recommend highly enough. Buy the book. Listen to her podcast. Join her community online.
“Don’t be afraid…You will never again be alone in your pain. …We are an army of warriors who march beside you…This is your life…go take it back” - Nicole Sachs, Mind Your Body
April 2, 2025
Mind Your Body by Nichole Sachs is an intriguing exploration of the mind-body connection that initially feels grounded and relatable. Early on, the book presents ideas in a straightforward, practical way, and its insights into how our mental state might influence physical health are compelling. However, as the narrative unfolds, it veers into territory that starts to echo MLM, cult, and faith healing rhetoric.
By the halfway point, the tone shifts noticeably, with some of the more extreme claims—like the notion that chronic pain and rare conditions might be used for attention or validation—pushing the boundaries of believability. The assertion that journaling alone can heal all of these issues feels like a stretch, and several of the stories shared come off as too good to be true, lacking the realism that made the earlier parts of the book engaging.
That said, I’m not entirely dismissive of the methodology presented. The connection between the mind and body is a fascinating subject, and there’s merit to the idea that our thoughts and emotions can impact our physical well-being. I’m definitely curious enough to give the journaling practice a try, even if I remain skeptical that it will be a cure-all. In the end, Mind Your Body offers a mix of practical advice and hyperbolic claims, making it a thought-provoking read—just one that requires a discerning eye and a healthy dose of skepticism.
By the halfway point, the tone shifts noticeably, with some of the more extreme claims—like the notion that chronic pain and rare conditions might be used for attention or validation—pushing the boundaries of believability. The assertion that journaling alone can heal all of these issues feels like a stretch, and several of the stories shared come off as too good to be true, lacking the realism that made the earlier parts of the book engaging.
That said, I’m not entirely dismissive of the methodology presented. The connection between the mind and body is a fascinating subject, and there’s merit to the idea that our thoughts and emotions can impact our physical well-being. I’m definitely curious enough to give the journaling practice a try, even if I remain skeptical that it will be a cure-all. In the end, Mind Your Body offers a mix of practical advice and hyperbolic claims, making it a thought-provoking read—just one that requires a discerning eye and a healthy dose of skepticism.
April 28, 2025
With the approaches that Nicole teaches in Mind Your Body, I no longer suffer from debilitating, almost-daily migraine attacks.
Nicole is a world-renowned expert in mind-body medicine. She has an unparalleled gift of not only clearly explaining the science of chronic pain but also providing a concrete and accessible path for how to heal. Chronic pain is very real. However, instead of trying to treat the symptoms where they come up, her solution is to go straight to the source: the brain and nervous system.
There is a lot of literature tying trauma, emotions, and the nervous system to physical problems. However, Nicole fills a much-needed gap by actually providing a way to heal. When I found her work, I was on medical leave, effectively bedbound, and listening to some of the world’s best doctors tell me they “didn’t know what else to try”.
As a scientist, I had initial skepticism around this work. However, Nicole expertly intertwines stunning anecdotal evidence of recovery and peer-reviewed science backing the mind-body connection. She extends the pioneering work of her mentor Dr. John Sarno, MD. Her work co-exists with modern medicine: both have a needed role.
Nicole has dedicated her life to helping thousands fully heal from chronic pain. She knows the pain isn’t “just in your head”. She brings immense hope. We have the power to heal from chronic pain, and this book provides the tools to do exactly that.
Nicole is a world-renowned expert in mind-body medicine. She has an unparalleled gift of not only clearly explaining the science of chronic pain but also providing a concrete and accessible path for how to heal. Chronic pain is very real. However, instead of trying to treat the symptoms where they come up, her solution is to go straight to the source: the brain and nervous system.
There is a lot of literature tying trauma, emotions, and the nervous system to physical problems. However, Nicole fills a much-needed gap by actually providing a way to heal. When I found her work, I was on medical leave, effectively bedbound, and listening to some of the world’s best doctors tell me they “didn’t know what else to try”.
As a scientist, I had initial skepticism around this work. However, Nicole expertly intertwines stunning anecdotal evidence of recovery and peer-reviewed science backing the mind-body connection. She extends the pioneering work of her mentor Dr. John Sarno, MD. Her work co-exists with modern medicine: both have a needed role.
Nicole has dedicated her life to helping thousands fully heal from chronic pain. She knows the pain isn’t “just in your head”. She brings immense hope. We have the power to heal from chronic pain, and this book provides the tools to do exactly that.
March 4, 2025
Undeniably interesting concept but the language was very strange and cult-like. Constant defensiveness of the subject and insistence on needing to suspend disbelief and buy in 100% made me feel weird about the whole idea. I actually am generally prone to believing in the mind-body connection and lean that way but found the tone to be almost used-car-salesman-level language.
December 7, 2025
Sachs explains how negative emotions can lead to chronic health issues. However, the solutions she proposes, such as journaling and meditation, seem rather superficial to me and may not be very effective in addressing this issue.
August 25, 2025
It's not that I don't recommend this book, it's that you could probably get what you needed off of her website instead.
Also, it's not a great look to go on and on and on for chapters about how this is very real and backed by science, but then bring up The Body Keeps the Score and Bessel van der Kolk to liken what you're doing to his work. It's not that I don't agree with the overall message that we store trauma in our body, it's the problematic views of the author outside of that. (He also misrepresented research findings, so I wouldn't call him particularly credible... Once again, maybe don't hitch your horse to that particular wagon if you want people to view you as credible.)
Also, I saw another reviewer say that they agreed with the content of the book and believed in it, but it was pushed so hard it began to feel scammy. And I fully agree with that. I feel like I'm being sold some MLM product or something. Even though I actually believe what the author is saying.
My advice? Skip this book and check out the authors website instead for the journaling and meditation information. If you want to better understand your nervous system and trauma and its complexities, please also skip The Body Keeps the Score and read literally anything else on the subject matter. (Some recommendations though: Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker, What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo, The Deepest Well by Dr Nadine Burke, My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem)
TLDR: the actual message/what she is offering is fine, but god I hated reading this book.
Also, it's not a great look to go on and on and on for chapters about how this is very real and backed by science, but then bring up The Body Keeps the Score and Bessel van der Kolk to liken what you're doing to his work. It's not that I don't agree with the overall message that we store trauma in our body, it's the problematic views of the author outside of that. (He also misrepresented research findings, so I wouldn't call him particularly credible... Once again, maybe don't hitch your horse to that particular wagon if you want people to view you as credible.)
Also, I saw another reviewer say that they agreed with the content of the book and believed in it, but it was pushed so hard it began to feel scammy. And I fully agree with that. I feel like I'm being sold some MLM product or something. Even though I actually believe what the author is saying.
My advice? Skip this book and check out the authors website instead for the journaling and meditation information. If you want to better understand your nervous system and trauma and its complexities, please also skip The Body Keeps the Score and read literally anything else on the subject matter. (Some recommendations though: Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker, What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo, The Deepest Well by Dr Nadine Burke, My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem)
TLDR: the actual message/what she is offering is fine, but god I hated reading this book.
February 8, 2025
If you are dealing with chronic pain and have been looking for answers, you have found them. This book is gentle and compassionate while explaining the powerful mind-body connection. Nicole provides actionable steps to help you heal. Most of all, she offers hope!
February 19, 2025
4.0 ☆☆☆☆ I really liked it.
I heard about this book on a podcast. The idea spoke to me even though it is nothing new: basically, some physical symptoms that seem hard to treat or understand probably have their origin in the mind (or nervous system). I’ve always believed this in theory, but growing up within the Western medical model kept me from truly embracing it. It took almost a year of chronic pain that no test or doctor can explain or actually treat for me to really integrate the idea. Reading this book is part of that journey and honestly everything about it makes sense to me.
The author shares a simple (not easy) tool of daily journaling and meditation useful for balancing what she calls our "emotional reservoir". When your reservoir is overflowing, your nervous system perceives this accumulation/repression as a threat and this can lead to pain in the body. My personal experience is that this type of overflow of emotions, stress and anxiety can and does manifest in inexplicable symptoms. In the past, working on reducing that danger signal to my brain and being intentional about managing stressors –while paradoxically practicing acceptance–, has significantly reduced certain symptoms that weren't exactly pain but still made my life very hard. Now that I'm dealing with chronic pain (because of course progress isn't linear), I decided to give this method a try.
I don't feel this book is what we usually think about when reading "self-help". The tone is a bit cringey at times and the testimonials seem a bit too good to be true, but the message is so helpful. If you've been suffering with chronic pain or symptoms that doctors, therapies or medicine haven't been able to treat, I would recommend reading this and giving the practice a try.
Also, keep in mind the author is not suggesting that chronic pain is "in your head". These symptoms are real, but their persistence and mysterious nature might have a psychosomatic root and that is what she invites us to consider.
I heard about this book on a podcast. The idea spoke to me even though it is nothing new: basically, some physical symptoms that seem hard to treat or understand probably have their origin in the mind (or nervous system). I’ve always believed this in theory, but growing up within the Western medical model kept me from truly embracing it. It took almost a year of chronic pain that no test or doctor can explain or actually treat for me to really integrate the idea. Reading this book is part of that journey and honestly everything about it makes sense to me.
The author shares a simple (not easy) tool of daily journaling and meditation useful for balancing what she calls our "emotional reservoir". When your reservoir is overflowing, your nervous system perceives this accumulation/repression as a threat and this can lead to pain in the body. My personal experience is that this type of overflow of emotions, stress and anxiety can and does manifest in inexplicable symptoms. In the past, working on reducing that danger signal to my brain and being intentional about managing stressors –while paradoxically practicing acceptance–, has significantly reduced certain symptoms that weren't exactly pain but still made my life very hard. Now that I'm dealing with chronic pain (because of course progress isn't linear), I decided to give this method a try.
I don't feel this book is what we usually think about when reading "self-help". The tone is a bit cringey at times and the testimonials seem a bit too good to be true, but the message is so helpful. If you've been suffering with chronic pain or symptoms that doctors, therapies or medicine haven't been able to treat, I would recommend reading this and giving the practice a try.
Also, keep in mind the author is not suggesting that chronic pain is "in your head". These symptoms are real, but their persistence and mysterious nature might have a psychosomatic root and that is what she invites us to consider.
April 21, 2025
I wish I had written down where I learned about this book. Was it a serious recommendation from a reputable source (which I'm having trouble picturing)?
I read up to Chapter 3 and had to DNF it. I just can't get into this. It sounds like a Gwenyth Paltrow Goop sort of thing (ewwww). I totally agree with the concept of mind-body connection, and OF COURSE your mind massively affects your body. However, this book is just too rah-rah, and feels like it is overpromising and also trying to distract by shaking something sparkly over here to distract you from what's truly happening over there. It made me vaguely uncomfortable the whole time I was reading. I have limited brain power- I want to use it reading things that don't kind of squick me out. Maybe I'll return to to it the future? Not sure...
I read up to Chapter 3 and had to DNF it. I just can't get into this. It sounds like a Gwenyth Paltrow Goop sort of thing (ewwww). I totally agree with the concept of mind-body connection, and OF COURSE your mind massively affects your body. However, this book is just too rah-rah, and feels like it is overpromising and also trying to distract by shaking something sparkly over here to distract you from what's truly happening over there. It made me vaguely uncomfortable the whole time I was reading. I have limited brain power- I want to use it reading things that don't kind of squick me out. Maybe I'll return to to it the future? Not sure...
June 16, 2025
after journaling for years and working through my feelings, emotions, etc. what finally helped me was seeing a doctor about my gut feeling of what’s wrong and her understanding me and /medicine/. I have had a doctor tell me my stress was causing xyz but fun fact I run anxious and do I need to take a chill pill in general? yes, and this book originally resonated with me but the more I got into it and the idea of it, the less it aligned.
2 stars because do I think her point of whatever your cup is full with is what spills over? and to deal with suppressed underlying stuff? sure, of course. but at some point, JournalSpeak becomes ruminating, affirming negative bias and writing a narrative that I do not desire for me life. if looking for a problem, one will always see it. I much prefer CBT of pausing a negative thought pattern and reframing and rewriting the script.
2 stars because do I think her point of whatever your cup is full with is what spills over? and to deal with suppressed underlying stuff? sure, of course. but at some point, JournalSpeak becomes ruminating, affirming negative bias and writing a narrative that I do not desire for me life. if looking for a problem, one will always see it. I much prefer CBT of pausing a negative thought pattern and reframing and rewriting the script.
December 21, 2024
I admit that I only skimmed this book, because I am a fortunate person who does not suffer from chronic pain. I got this for a friend who is a cancer survivor and has suffered from constant, intense pain for over 8 years. Although a bit of a skeptic myself, my friend is a more open person willing to try anything. I will report back if this helps him.
March 8, 2025
Mind blown.
October 22, 2025
A 3.5, rounding up. I admit that seeing the word “revolutionary” in a health and wellness book title triggers all sorts of alarms on my BS-o-meter. However, a dear friend’s chronic illness story-slash-case appears in this book, and though I know her story very well, I wanted to see it in print by a big publisher. (They got her age wrong, btw.) After picking up the book, I read her four or so pages in the library parking lot, reminded again of the long, horrific suffering she endured. This woman was so inexplicably ill that when I visited my folks in Seattle, I drove a couple hours north to sit (and cry) with her during some useless infusion because I genuinely feared she would die before my next trip to the West Coast. So, her healing and now living a full, very active life thanks to Sachs’s work is undeniable. And because of that, although I intended to read just my friend’s story, I found myself going to the beginning of the book and finding out about what the heck this TMS is.
Anyone can deduce that there is a tight mind-body connection. It’s evident in getting a stomachache watching the Mariners play in the playoffs. Neuroplasticity, though, might take some convincing, but neuroscience, my own editorial work on neuro content, and witnessing the effect of CBT on retraining a loved one’s OCD brain (and thus greatly improving quality of life) prove for me that neuroplasticity exists and can work in our favor. It is foundational to any rehab program after brain injury, so why not see what it can do for chronic pain or anxiety, eh?
I wasn’t crazy about how this text was organized and found myself splitting it into three sections and reading them in a different order than they were presented. Too much text is devoted to cheerleading and “this will work!” promises. Those are the flaws. (Plus, “revolutionary” rubs me the wrong way.) But I read on. I don’t have a chronic illness, but I am pretty tightly wound, and a lot of Sachs’s approach to retraining the brain made sense to me. So I did a little experiment. One night, I woke around 3 am (because I’m 44 and that’s what women my age do, every dang night) and my brain started its usual grasping for stuff to be anxious about. I tried one tiny aspect of Sachs’s advice. Instead of fighting the anxiety, I welcomed that bitch in with open arms. “Hey, I’m anxious about the dog’s inflamed paw. Noted.” Thus named and released, my brain let go of the dog’s paw and tried a new one. “Now I’m worried about finding time to get to the vet. Got it.” “I’m anxious that I won’t fall back asleep and be cranky with the kids in the morning.” “I wish that author would email me back.” “I wonder if the new dog food is working okay for Lola.” “I hope the tire pressure light is just cold weather.” Boom, boom, boom, thoughts popped up, they were calmly noted, and . . . I was soon back asleep. That was new.
My point is that there’s a lot in this book that can help a lot of people. I read it mostly out of curiosity, and I do think it does fill an important gap in how we approach some types of chronic illness or nervous system dysregulation, but I was surprised at my level of buy-in. Does this book, I found myself wondering as I read, apply to ME? That’s not why I was reading it! The important thing is, Sachs’s work absolutely changed, if not saved, my friend’s life. And for that, I am grateful.
Anyone can deduce that there is a tight mind-body connection. It’s evident in getting a stomachache watching the Mariners play in the playoffs. Neuroplasticity, though, might take some convincing, but neuroscience, my own editorial work on neuro content, and witnessing the effect of CBT on retraining a loved one’s OCD brain (and thus greatly improving quality of life) prove for me that neuroplasticity exists and can work in our favor. It is foundational to any rehab program after brain injury, so why not see what it can do for chronic pain or anxiety, eh?
I wasn’t crazy about how this text was organized and found myself splitting it into three sections and reading them in a different order than they were presented. Too much text is devoted to cheerleading and “this will work!” promises. Those are the flaws. (Plus, “revolutionary” rubs me the wrong way.) But I read on. I don’t have a chronic illness, but I am pretty tightly wound, and a lot of Sachs’s approach to retraining the brain made sense to me. So I did a little experiment. One night, I woke around 3 am (because I’m 44 and that’s what women my age do, every dang night) and my brain started its usual grasping for stuff to be anxious about. I tried one tiny aspect of Sachs’s advice. Instead of fighting the anxiety, I welcomed that bitch in with open arms. “Hey, I’m anxious about the dog’s inflamed paw. Noted.” Thus named and released, my brain let go of the dog’s paw and tried a new one. “Now I’m worried about finding time to get to the vet. Got it.” “I’m anxious that I won’t fall back asleep and be cranky with the kids in the morning.” “I wish that author would email me back.” “I wonder if the new dog food is working okay for Lola.” “I hope the tire pressure light is just cold weather.” Boom, boom, boom, thoughts popped up, they were calmly noted, and . . . I was soon back asleep. That was new.
My point is that there’s a lot in this book that can help a lot of people. I read it mostly out of curiosity, and I do think it does fill an important gap in how we approach some types of chronic illness or nervous system dysregulation, but I was surprised at my level of buy-in. Does this book, I found myself wondering as I read, apply to ME? That’s not why I was reading it! The important thing is, Sachs’s work absolutely changed, if not saved, my friend’s life. And for that, I am grateful.
July 12, 2025
3.5 stars for the book itself, 10/10 stars for the actual theory/solution put forward. The testimonies at end of each chapter attest to this.
basically: all chronic/incurable physical pain or conditions can be cured/managed by mind-body work (aka repressed emotions -> physical manifestation of pain).
lots of filler and repetitiveness but I think she's spot on.
basically: all chronic/incurable physical pain or conditions can be cured/managed by mind-body work (aka repressed emotions -> physical manifestation of pain).
lots of filler and repetitiveness but I think she's spot on.
July 8, 2025
Considering that this book follows from Dr Sarno's work, while not necessary, I do think it is helpful if you read his book first. The book expands on Sarno's ideas and applies them with a more updated understanding of mind body work. For me, in a nutshell, the book takes Internal Family Systems, mediation, journaling, acceptance, and mind/body work and puts it all together. One shares their most scary feelings so they don't get stuck inside them and continue to do so until their nervous system learns it is safer to feel feelings again than pain. As others have mentioned, the author is a bit pushy at times, but from her perspective it kinda makes sense. She is no longer in chronic pain from what she has developed, she has reason to be singing it from the mountaintop.
Pull quotes below:
Dr. Sarno’s model challenged the traditional Western view that
pain or discomfort is directly correlated with the affected part of the
body and should be treated as such. His remarkable scientific work
uncovered that real physical symptoms, including chronic pain and
anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, autoimmune flares, and even
dermatological problems, were not always tied to pathology or
structural abnormalities in the body. Rather, unprocessed trauma,
psychosocial stressors, and repressed emotions, over time, could
build up and trigger the brain to send signals of illness or the
sensation of injury. He referred to this condition as tension
myoneural syndrome (TMS)—and discussed its impact in his
groundbreaking 1984 book, Mind over Back Pain: A Radically New
Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain.
-
When seeking a reason for pain, inflammation, immune
system suppression, or any of the other many manifestations of
human illness and discomfort, he explained that we need to look
beyond the afflicted part of the body to the origin of the pain: the
brain’s attempt to protect us from difficult emotions and stored
trauma.
-
When we don’t know how to feel our “unacceptable”
emotional reactions to life (shame, despair, rage, grief, and terror),
we are diverted from these challenging feelings by something that
our nervous systems deem safer: physical pain and anxiety. This
diversion process launches us into the brain’s default mode when we
are faced with danger: the fight-or-flight response.
-
But when
the predator you face is the repressed emotional energy inside you, you can end up stuck in this state for the long term. This is what
causes chronic symptoms—because your pain or infirmity is seen as
“protection” from further damage.
-
The same is true for
myriad chronic conditions—since your brain and nervous system
interpret your rising dark and traumatic emotions as a threat to your
life, they will slow you down to give you time to attend to yourself
and escape.
-
Once you become
totally enmeshed in the symptom, its inconvenience, the dread it
elicits, and the self-care it requires, the brain has done its job. You
are no longer in danger of feeling that unbearable weight of life.
Believe it or not, this is where the primitive brain systems deem you
“safe.” The triggering feelings are once again pushed down and the
reservoir is temporarily calmed, as energy is expended on activities
that carry a sense of control, like researching “cures” and making
doctor’s appointments.
-
This is why I say chronic pain and symptoms are an epidemic
born of fear and meaning. You are frozen in place, unconsciously
terrified to move forward and disturb the “safety” that illness has
provided.
-
“The pain is not in your head, but
the solution is not in your body.” She explained very clearly that
when a nervous system goes into a sustained fight-or-flight
posture, every perception of overload is a trigger. Mental and
physical activities would initiate the symptoms. I recalled the
medic who told me that my nervous system was in that sustained
fight-or-flight posture.
-
“What is this pain trying to tell me? Where am I feeling
conflicted? What is scaring me?” I still ask myself these anytime I
feel an uncomfortable sensation in my body.
-
Pain’s number one objective is to protect you.
-
Fun fact: If you injured yourself while running from the tiger, you
would not feel any pain until you were out of imminent danger. The
brain not only has the capacity to create physical pain; it also has
the power to inhibit it. The nervous system will not let anything get
in the way of your protection. Once that saber-toothed tiger was
well out of sight, the pain would begin at the site of the injury,
letting you know that you needed to attend to it. Take note again
that the brain can both generate pain in the body and terminate it.
-
Your brain perceives your repressed emotional world and stored
trauma as predators. It sees them as far more dangerous problems
than the physical manifestation of your pain or symptoms. This is
because your emotional world and the trauma you have experienced
(both capital T and little t) are complex and difficult
-
The feelings
begin rising into consciousness, sending the red alarm spinning. The
switch flips, and your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode.
-
Although the physical
injury may have initially started with knee pain to remind you to rest
while it healed, psychological, social, and emotional variables can
help it transform into a chronic issue
-
What you are
experiencing is not in your head. But what is happening in your head
is strongly influencing your experience of pain
-
The solution, then, is to find a way to lower the reservoir. If the
predator is represented by the overwhelm of neglected emotions
and trauma-related triggers, the predator is eliminated when these
things no longer feel so overwhelming.
-
Most of us accept that panic
begets hives, stress begets headaches, and anxiety and fear beget
stomach issues like appetite fluctuation and lower gastrointestinal
(GI) tract reactions. These are all emotional stimuli that elicit
physical reactions. Keep reminding yourself that I am telling you
something you already believe! To leave chronic conditions behind,
you need only apply this same logic to whatever is ailing you and
then do the work to reverse it. As I often say, borrow my certainty if
you need to as you cultivate your own. I am as confident as they
come.
-
I now know that we just need to “wear life loosely,” as Nicole
says. I allow my pain to come and go, change and shift, ebb and
flow. It’s all fine—it’s just part of being alive. Doing this work has
helped me reimagine my entire life.
-
It may take a few minutes, but just like the flip side, the
perception of safety is all that’s required to defuse the fight-or-flight
mechanism and allow you to regulate. This notion is why mindset is
so key in this work. Your perception is your body’s reality. And your
chronic symptoms have changed your perceptions of your world.
-
When you
identify your body, your pain, or your symptoms as dangerous, your
physiological systems are going to respond to them in that way, too.
It’s an endless, negative progression.
-
If you can’t bring yourself to believe at this very moment, just
suspend your disbelief. When we keep doing what we’re doing, we
keep getting what we’re getting. And whatever you’ve been doing
has fallen short, so here we are. This is no cause for shame. For
years I was circling the same problems with solutions that didn’t
work, so make sure to operate with patience and kindness for
yourself. If you want to begin this process in earnest and need a
little time before you are honestly able to connect an emotional
exercise to your physical health, then let’s try manipulating your
brain a little bit. Let’s try taking a vacation from your skepticism
-
To help her move past her fear, I got out a stack of index cards.
Together, we wrote the name of each of her chronic diagnoses down
on a single card. I then handed the cards back to her.
“These are yours. You do not have to give them away. You can
hold on to them for as long as you feel that you need to,” I assured
her. “But as you are ready, and as you are comfortable, you can let
me hold them for you. I will keep them safe. I will make sure they
don’t get lost. I know that all of these symptoms come from the
same place—a dysregulated nervous system—and I will cradle them
gently for you. You don’t have to worry; I am not afraid of them.”
For far too long, Laura had felt safety within her diagnoses. I
know this sounds odd—but think about it: After she was diagnosed
with chronic migraine, she had a clear path of what she “needed” to
do. She had to fill her prescription, take the pills, and rest. She had
permission to cancel her plans and close the shades. She was
allowed to draw boundaries and say no to her overbearing mother. It
was a similar story with her gastrointestinal issues before that
-
You can have any of
these conditions—and all of the things connected to it—back
whenever you want. But to do the work and have it change you,
you’ll need to relinquish them for long enough to watch yourself
transform.”
Laura paused for a moment more, and then haltingly handed me
the card that read multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). She had
been diagnosed with this condition because it was believed that
certain smells would trigger migraines for her. Yet when I asked her
to borrow my belief, she realized that smelling cleaning products
didn’t always result in pain.
“Sometimes I smell that floor cleaner we use and it does nothing
to me. Sometimes I get a whiff and have a migraine for three days,”
she said. “Maybe MCS isn’t the reason I’m sick.” Yes. This is the
inflection point I’m talking about. This was the beginning of freedom
for Laura.
Little by little over the next few months, Laura handed me all of
her cards.
-
Your therapy has been essential. Your time has not been wasted. But
until you consciously connect this emotional excavation to the
cessation of your physical issues and crippling anxiety, your brain
has no choice but to continue protecting you. Your perception is your
reality (have I mentioned this before?). When you mindfully attach
reducing your emotional reservoir to the end of chronic issues, the
pain signals stop firing
-
Sickness had been a sanctuary, offering me respite
from the relentless stress and pressure I imposed on myself. I
recognized that my migraines afforded me the love and attention
I craved from my family. My neck and back pain mirrored this
dynamic in adulthood
-
As Nicole reminds us, “Sometimes you feel things in
your heart, and sometimes you feel things in your body, and they
are literally interchangeable.” Physical pain, like a passing
headache or a back spasm, is just a different way to feel. I remain
gentle with myself. I don’t expect to be perfect anymore. I just
expect to be me
-
Some of us head straight for the pantry, searching for comfort
food. Others might pour a big glass of wine. Maybe you zone out in
front of the TV or scroll through social media. However innocuous,
even heading out for a long run or finding reprieve within the pages
of a book can be forms of avoidance. The essential inquiry here is:
Where do you go when life starts to be too much? Even things that
you deem healthy can be obstacles if they are automatic. Mindbody
medicine helps us to understand that nervous system
-
mindful decision. You click your icon of choice, and you’re off. Almost
immediately, your brain stops worrying about the task you’re trying
to avoid. Every new piece of content that flashes on the screen
grabs your focus anew. Even when you acknowledge, in the very
moment, that scrolling like this is a dumb thing to do—it works. I
cringe to admit how much I do this myself!
This is why when we are attempting to change our lives, we must
be wide awake from the start. Your automatic behaviors may have
kept you “safe,” but they are also getting in the way of discerning
the unresolved feelings that underlie your chronic symptoms. To
move forward, we must examine every potential unconscious barrier
and take it seriously. This may feel silly at first or like a waste of
time. I promise you it is not. This exercise is integral in opening the
door to what’s next. Let’s do it.
-
Invite in every label, excuse, habit, diversion, addiction. Grab a piece
of paper or head to your computer and list all of the things you do to
avoid feelings of discomfort or lack of control. (Keep in mind that
most control is only perceived.
Think about the things you do when life gets to be “too much”
and write them down. Maybe your avoidance takes the form of
procrastination. Perhaps you tend toward trying to solve other
people’s problems, or zoning out to TV. Food is often an easy
comfort. Some manage to dodge their worries by cleaning the house
or going shopping. Drinking, using, porn, WebMDing…be as honest
as a person who’s saving their own life. Whatever your “go-tos” are,
just note them
Once you’ve created as comprehensive a list as
possible, look carefully at each item. One by one, pick a behavior and put it at the top of a fresh page and say, Hi. I see you. Do you
want to talk to me about why you’re here? How are you helping me
I am ready to listen. Keep going until all of your major players have
been heard.
-
I invite all the feelings onto the kindergarten carpet. It
makes so much sense to me—I have that rug in my own
classroom and we sit on it every day! Everyone comes in, the
neuroses, the hang-ups. And I just say, “Here we are.” This work
has given me my life back, and trust me, I live it.
-
When you are battling chronic conditions of any kind, your emotional
reservoir has reached maximum density and is spilling over, flooding
your mind and body with rage, shame, terror, grief, and anything
else that has been long unattended. The result is a switch that flips
inside you, keeping you chronically in fight or flight. Mindbody work
has the power to lower the reservoir, allowing for rest and repair.
The body naturally seeks healing, but this overflowing reservoir is
blocking this organic process
resistance will whisper to
you in your own voice. It is cunning—and it knows exactly how to
manipulate you. It will provide you with excuses to avoid the work.
It might manifest as exhaustion or impatience—trying to convince
you that you lack the strength or time to continue. It may come to
you as symptoms.
-
Resistance to doing the work is natural. Your inner voice, which can
be so convincing, will whisper all sorts of excuses. As you cultivate
awareness of the voices and the tricky ways they try to get your
attention, you can neutralize their power. It’s time to build familiarity
with this influence. Let’s seek to understand it so you can treat it as
you would a child who is afraid of a monster under the bed.
Resistance responds best to self-compassion coupled with firm
resolve. You need to believe that you are safe to do what needs to
be done
A moment of
fierce resistance is exactly the same as a sudden headache or back
zing. It distracts you from the work at hand—looking at the
emotional pain and struggles for which your current symptoms have
been holding space. It is the nervous system trying to warn you that
it’s “more dangerous” to walk into your own dark rooms of repressed
emotion than it is to endure something with which you may feel
more familiar, like another fibro flare.
-
Because of your overflowing emotional
reservoir, your nervous system perceives you as safer in your chronic
condition. Your job in these moments is to recognize resistance—and
speak back in another, more awake and purposeful voice:
“Right. Yes, I hear you. This feels like a heavy lift. This feels like
a drag. This feels like it won’t work. But I have power, and I’ve made
a decision. I know this has worked for so many, and I am sick and
tired of being sick and tired. I don’t want to live in pain and chronic
anxiety, so even if this feels unsafe, I’m going to believe that it’s
actually not. It’s uncomfortable. I am learning here that
uncomfortable does not equal unsafe. I am committed. I am strong.
I am capable. I hear your warnings, and I appreciate you for trying
to help, but we’re doing this now.”
-
Alternatively, it can also simply “wear you out” to arrive at
the same outcome. When the body is dealing with an injury, illness,
or other issue, the brain sends signals to the adrenal glands to let
loose a flood of cortisol and other stress hormones to put you into
fight or flight. It elevates your heart rate, quickens your breathing,
and tenses your muscles. This takes a lot out of you. That big push
for survival is, literally, exhausting. When you are in a chronically
stressed state, you will, more often than not, find yourself in a
chronically tired one. The nervous system is just trying to get you to
pause so you can build up the energy to take on the next predator
-
As crazy as it
sounds, this heightened or changing pain is an encouraging sign of
progress. When things get worse, it’s the nervous system poking you
harder on the shoulder, asking, “You okay? You sure?”
Yes, you are fine. The inner conflict triggered by doing the work
will pass, and you will gain confidence and momentum as you begin
to feel the results. Your body will become your proof.
If pain flares, meet this experience with the same energy you
used with resistance when it took the form of excuses or exhaustion:
“I see you, I hear you, and I appreciate you. Protection is your goal,
and you want to arm me with all the security I might need. But you
are just a confused child, and I am a big, confident grown-up. I
know that more pain means you are screaming your directives at me
even louder, and I gratefully receive them. But now I’m going to
forge ahead, as everything I want in life is blooming in the flowers
around the next bend. On we go!”
-
Initially I journaled twice a day,
followed by a period of calm breathing for twenty minutes. There
is no doubt that I felt a little resistance at first—some symptoms
intensified or swapped out for others and I was confused about
what was going on. (I had yet to learn about the symptom
imperative!) I found myself tempted to jump back into the
medical model. However, each night as I lay in bed and took
stock, I felt I was on the right track. I made a decision to trust
the process
-
Success in
JournalSpeak requires you to come to it with the pointed
understanding that your repressed emotions are directly connected
to the physical pain or chronic symptoms you experience. You need
to write in a way that invites your unconscious mind to know that it
is safe for your overwhelming core feelings to surface—and your
nervous system does not have to provide a headache or back pain to
move you into rest-and-repair mode, engaging something you can
“control.”
Pull quotes below:
Dr. Sarno’s model challenged the traditional Western view that
pain or discomfort is directly correlated with the affected part of the
body and should be treated as such. His remarkable scientific work
uncovered that real physical symptoms, including chronic pain and
anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, autoimmune flares, and even
dermatological problems, were not always tied to pathology or
structural abnormalities in the body. Rather, unprocessed trauma,
psychosocial stressors, and repressed emotions, over time, could
build up and trigger the brain to send signals of illness or the
sensation of injury. He referred to this condition as tension
myoneural syndrome (TMS)—and discussed its impact in his
groundbreaking 1984 book, Mind over Back Pain: A Radically New
Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain.
-
When seeking a reason for pain, inflammation, immune
system suppression, or any of the other many manifestations of
human illness and discomfort, he explained that we need to look
beyond the afflicted part of the body to the origin of the pain: the
brain’s attempt to protect us from difficult emotions and stored
trauma.
-
When we don’t know how to feel our “unacceptable”
emotional reactions to life (shame, despair, rage, grief, and terror),
we are diverted from these challenging feelings by something that
our nervous systems deem safer: physical pain and anxiety. This
diversion process launches us into the brain’s default mode when we
are faced with danger: the fight-or-flight response.
-
But when
the predator you face is the repressed emotional energy inside you, you can end up stuck in this state for the long term. This is what
causes chronic symptoms—because your pain or infirmity is seen as
“protection” from further damage.
-
The same is true for
myriad chronic conditions—since your brain and nervous system
interpret your rising dark and traumatic emotions as a threat to your
life, they will slow you down to give you time to attend to yourself
and escape.
-
Once you become
totally enmeshed in the symptom, its inconvenience, the dread it
elicits, and the self-care it requires, the brain has done its job. You
are no longer in danger of feeling that unbearable weight of life.
Believe it or not, this is where the primitive brain systems deem you
“safe.” The triggering feelings are once again pushed down and the
reservoir is temporarily calmed, as energy is expended on activities
that carry a sense of control, like researching “cures” and making
doctor’s appointments.
-
This is why I say chronic pain and symptoms are an epidemic
born of fear and meaning. You are frozen in place, unconsciously
terrified to move forward and disturb the “safety” that illness has
provided.
-
“The pain is not in your head, but
the solution is not in your body.” She explained very clearly that
when a nervous system goes into a sustained fight-or-flight
posture, every perception of overload is a trigger. Mental and
physical activities would initiate the symptoms. I recalled the
medic who told me that my nervous system was in that sustained
fight-or-flight posture.
-
“What is this pain trying to tell me? Where am I feeling
conflicted? What is scaring me?” I still ask myself these anytime I
feel an uncomfortable sensation in my body.
-
Pain’s number one objective is to protect you.
-
Fun fact: If you injured yourself while running from the tiger, you
would not feel any pain until you were out of imminent danger. The
brain not only has the capacity to create physical pain; it also has
the power to inhibit it. The nervous system will not let anything get
in the way of your protection. Once that saber-toothed tiger was
well out of sight, the pain would begin at the site of the injury,
letting you know that you needed to attend to it. Take note again
that the brain can both generate pain in the body and terminate it.
-
Your brain perceives your repressed emotional world and stored
trauma as predators. It sees them as far more dangerous problems
than the physical manifestation of your pain or symptoms. This is
because your emotional world and the trauma you have experienced
(both capital T and little t) are complex and difficult
-
The feelings
begin rising into consciousness, sending the red alarm spinning. The
switch flips, and your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode.
-
Although the physical
injury may have initially started with knee pain to remind you to rest
while it healed, psychological, social, and emotional variables can
help it transform into a chronic issue
-
What you are
experiencing is not in your head. But what is happening in your head
is strongly influencing your experience of pain
-
The solution, then, is to find a way to lower the reservoir. If the
predator is represented by the overwhelm of neglected emotions
and trauma-related triggers, the predator is eliminated when these
things no longer feel so overwhelming.
-
Most of us accept that panic
begets hives, stress begets headaches, and anxiety and fear beget
stomach issues like appetite fluctuation and lower gastrointestinal
(GI) tract reactions. These are all emotional stimuli that elicit
physical reactions. Keep reminding yourself that I am telling you
something you already believe! To leave chronic conditions behind,
you need only apply this same logic to whatever is ailing you and
then do the work to reverse it. As I often say, borrow my certainty if
you need to as you cultivate your own. I am as confident as they
come.
-
I now know that we just need to “wear life loosely,” as Nicole
says. I allow my pain to come and go, change and shift, ebb and
flow. It’s all fine—it’s just part of being alive. Doing this work has
helped me reimagine my entire life.
-
It may take a few minutes, but just like the flip side, the
perception of safety is all that’s required to defuse the fight-or-flight
mechanism and allow you to regulate. This notion is why mindset is
so key in this work. Your perception is your body’s reality. And your
chronic symptoms have changed your perceptions of your world.
-
When you
identify your body, your pain, or your symptoms as dangerous, your
physiological systems are going to respond to them in that way, too.
It’s an endless, negative progression.
-
If you can’t bring yourself to believe at this very moment, just
suspend your disbelief. When we keep doing what we’re doing, we
keep getting what we’re getting. And whatever you’ve been doing
has fallen short, so here we are. This is no cause for shame. For
years I was circling the same problems with solutions that didn’t
work, so make sure to operate with patience and kindness for
yourself. If you want to begin this process in earnest and need a
little time before you are honestly able to connect an emotional
exercise to your physical health, then let’s try manipulating your
brain a little bit. Let’s try taking a vacation from your skepticism
-
To help her move past her fear, I got out a stack of index cards.
Together, we wrote the name of each of her chronic diagnoses down
on a single card. I then handed the cards back to her.
“These are yours. You do not have to give them away. You can
hold on to them for as long as you feel that you need to,” I assured
her. “But as you are ready, and as you are comfortable, you can let
me hold them for you. I will keep them safe. I will make sure they
don’t get lost. I know that all of these symptoms come from the
same place—a dysregulated nervous system—and I will cradle them
gently for you. You don’t have to worry; I am not afraid of them.”
For far too long, Laura had felt safety within her diagnoses. I
know this sounds odd—but think about it: After she was diagnosed
with chronic migraine, she had a clear path of what she “needed” to
do. She had to fill her prescription, take the pills, and rest. She had
permission to cancel her plans and close the shades. She was
allowed to draw boundaries and say no to her overbearing mother. It
was a similar story with her gastrointestinal issues before that
-
You can have any of
these conditions—and all of the things connected to it—back
whenever you want. But to do the work and have it change you,
you’ll need to relinquish them for long enough to watch yourself
transform.”
Laura paused for a moment more, and then haltingly handed me
the card that read multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). She had
been diagnosed with this condition because it was believed that
certain smells would trigger migraines for her. Yet when I asked her
to borrow my belief, she realized that smelling cleaning products
didn’t always result in pain.
“Sometimes I smell that floor cleaner we use and it does nothing
to me. Sometimes I get a whiff and have a migraine for three days,”
she said. “Maybe MCS isn’t the reason I’m sick.” Yes. This is the
inflection point I’m talking about. This was the beginning of freedom
for Laura.
Little by little over the next few months, Laura handed me all of
her cards.
-
Your therapy has been essential. Your time has not been wasted. But
until you consciously connect this emotional excavation to the
cessation of your physical issues and crippling anxiety, your brain
has no choice but to continue protecting you. Your perception is your
reality (have I mentioned this before?). When you mindfully attach
reducing your emotional reservoir to the end of chronic issues, the
pain signals stop firing
-
Sickness had been a sanctuary, offering me respite
from the relentless stress and pressure I imposed on myself. I
recognized that my migraines afforded me the love and attention
I craved from my family. My neck and back pain mirrored this
dynamic in adulthood
-
As Nicole reminds us, “Sometimes you feel things in
your heart, and sometimes you feel things in your body, and they
are literally interchangeable.” Physical pain, like a passing
headache or a back spasm, is just a different way to feel. I remain
gentle with myself. I don’t expect to be perfect anymore. I just
expect to be me
-
Some of us head straight for the pantry, searching for comfort
food. Others might pour a big glass of wine. Maybe you zone out in
front of the TV or scroll through social media. However innocuous,
even heading out for a long run or finding reprieve within the pages
of a book can be forms of avoidance. The essential inquiry here is:
Where do you go when life starts to be too much? Even things that
you deem healthy can be obstacles if they are automatic. Mindbody
medicine helps us to understand that nervous system
-
mindful decision. You click your icon of choice, and you’re off. Almost
immediately, your brain stops worrying about the task you’re trying
to avoid. Every new piece of content that flashes on the screen
grabs your focus anew. Even when you acknowledge, in the very
moment, that scrolling like this is a dumb thing to do—it works. I
cringe to admit how much I do this myself!
This is why when we are attempting to change our lives, we must
be wide awake from the start. Your automatic behaviors may have
kept you “safe,” but they are also getting in the way of discerning
the unresolved feelings that underlie your chronic symptoms. To
move forward, we must examine every potential unconscious barrier
and take it seriously. This may feel silly at first or like a waste of
time. I promise you it is not. This exercise is integral in opening the
door to what’s next. Let’s do it.
-
Invite in every label, excuse, habit, diversion, addiction. Grab a piece
of paper or head to your computer and list all of the things you do to
avoid feelings of discomfort or lack of control. (Keep in mind that
most control is only perceived.
Think about the things you do when life gets to be “too much”
and write them down. Maybe your avoidance takes the form of
procrastination. Perhaps you tend toward trying to solve other
people’s problems, or zoning out to TV. Food is often an easy
comfort. Some manage to dodge their worries by cleaning the house
or going shopping. Drinking, using, porn, WebMDing…be as honest
as a person who’s saving their own life. Whatever your “go-tos” are,
just note them
Once you’ve created as comprehensive a list as
possible, look carefully at each item. One by one, pick a behavior and put it at the top of a fresh page and say, Hi. I see you. Do you
want to talk to me about why you’re here? How are you helping me
I am ready to listen. Keep going until all of your major players have
been heard.
-
I invite all the feelings onto the kindergarten carpet. It
makes so much sense to me—I have that rug in my own
classroom and we sit on it every day! Everyone comes in, the
neuroses, the hang-ups. And I just say, “Here we are.” This work
has given me my life back, and trust me, I live it.
-
When you are battling chronic conditions of any kind, your emotional
reservoir has reached maximum density and is spilling over, flooding
your mind and body with rage, shame, terror, grief, and anything
else that has been long unattended. The result is a switch that flips
inside you, keeping you chronically in fight or flight. Mindbody work
has the power to lower the reservoir, allowing for rest and repair.
The body naturally seeks healing, but this overflowing reservoir is
blocking this organic process
resistance will whisper to
you in your own voice. It is cunning—and it knows exactly how to
manipulate you. It will provide you with excuses to avoid the work.
It might manifest as exhaustion or impatience—trying to convince
you that you lack the strength or time to continue. It may come to
you as symptoms.
-
Resistance to doing the work is natural. Your inner voice, which can
be so convincing, will whisper all sorts of excuses. As you cultivate
awareness of the voices and the tricky ways they try to get your
attention, you can neutralize their power. It’s time to build familiarity
with this influence. Let’s seek to understand it so you can treat it as
you would a child who is afraid of a monster under the bed.
Resistance responds best to self-compassion coupled with firm
resolve. You need to believe that you are safe to do what needs to
be done
A moment of
fierce resistance is exactly the same as a sudden headache or back
zing. It distracts you from the work at hand—looking at the
emotional pain and struggles for which your current symptoms have
been holding space. It is the nervous system trying to warn you that
it’s “more dangerous” to walk into your own dark rooms of repressed
emotion than it is to endure something with which you may feel
more familiar, like another fibro flare.
-
Because of your overflowing emotional
reservoir, your nervous system perceives you as safer in your chronic
condition. Your job in these moments is to recognize resistance—and
speak back in another, more awake and purposeful voice:
“Right. Yes, I hear you. This feels like a heavy lift. This feels like
a drag. This feels like it won’t work. But I have power, and I’ve made
a decision. I know this has worked for so many, and I am sick and
tired of being sick and tired. I don’t want to live in pain and chronic
anxiety, so even if this feels unsafe, I’m going to believe that it’s
actually not. It’s uncomfortable. I am learning here that
uncomfortable does not equal unsafe. I am committed. I am strong.
I am capable. I hear your warnings, and I appreciate you for trying
to help, but we’re doing this now.”
-
Alternatively, it can also simply “wear you out” to arrive at
the same outcome. When the body is dealing with an injury, illness,
or other issue, the brain sends signals to the adrenal glands to let
loose a flood of cortisol and other stress hormones to put you into
fight or flight. It elevates your heart rate, quickens your breathing,
and tenses your muscles. This takes a lot out of you. That big push
for survival is, literally, exhausting. When you are in a chronically
stressed state, you will, more often than not, find yourself in a
chronically tired one. The nervous system is just trying to get you to
pause so you can build up the energy to take on the next predator
-
As crazy as it
sounds, this heightened or changing pain is an encouraging sign of
progress. When things get worse, it’s the nervous system poking you
harder on the shoulder, asking, “You okay? You sure?”
Yes, you are fine. The inner conflict triggered by doing the work
will pass, and you will gain confidence and momentum as you begin
to feel the results. Your body will become your proof.
If pain flares, meet this experience with the same energy you
used with resistance when it took the form of excuses or exhaustion:
“I see you, I hear you, and I appreciate you. Protection is your goal,
and you want to arm me with all the security I might need. But you
are just a confused child, and I am a big, confident grown-up. I
know that more pain means you are screaming your directives at me
even louder, and I gratefully receive them. But now I’m going to
forge ahead, as everything I want in life is blooming in the flowers
around the next bend. On we go!”
-
Initially I journaled twice a day,
followed by a period of calm breathing for twenty minutes. There
is no doubt that I felt a little resistance at first—some symptoms
intensified or swapped out for others and I was confused about
what was going on. (I had yet to learn about the symptom
imperative!) I found myself tempted to jump back into the
medical model. However, each night as I lay in bed and took
stock, I felt I was on the right track. I made a decision to trust
the process
-
Success in
JournalSpeak requires you to come to it with the pointed
understanding that your repressed emotions are directly connected
to the physical pain or chronic symptoms you experience. You need
to write in a way that invites your unconscious mind to know that it
is safe for your overwhelming core feelings to surface—and your
nervous system does not have to provide a headache or back pain to
move you into rest-and-repair mode, engaging something you can
“control.”
October 13, 2025
Those of us with disability that doctors can't do all that much for are desperate. I get that. I get why a book like this is so appealing. Despite some decent advice, a lot of this book is dismissive or even dangerous.
Sachs goes on and on in her introduction about how the medical issues we face are real. They aren't "all in our head." And so forth. And that seems true, if you mean the symptoms. She believes the symptoms are real but the conditions are not. Of course there are real conditions, but they're the acute ones (broken bones, a virus, etc).
It's not even all chronic conditions she has it out for (she doesn't seem to suggest her program for type I diabetes or cancer), it's the constellation of related diseases such as fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chemical sensitivity, dysautonomia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Long Covid. If she believes any of these are real, she does a good job of hiding it. She even throws allergies into the mix. Mind you, she isn't encouraging people to ignore something life-threatening, but she doesn't give that caveat either. She is adamant that people first get checked out by a doctor but, if it can't be easily fixed, it's fodder for her program.
How do we know when a disease isn't real? Because doctors don't understand it. Because the available treatments (based on no one really understanding it) may or may not help but don't cure it. Because it's still there even when testing (which isn't complete because doctors don't understand the disease) shows you're just fine.
Or it's because our reactions are "impossible." In one case study, she dismisses chemical sensitivity because the patient had the inconsistency of sometimes getting migraines after breathing cleaning chemicals at home and sometimes not, never mind that this is a well known issue when you have constant exposures. In another, a patient couldn't possibly have an infection because, when they took antibiotics and got better, it happened too fast (Sachs believes there can be no improvement before 24-48 hours, despite science saying the antibiotics start working right away it's just that it usually takes 24-48 hours to notice a change).
So if the symptoms are real and the diseases are not, what are they then? In her mind they're your body distracting you from repressed emotions. They're your complex and all-powerful brain causing all sorts of symptoms up to and including (taken from her book) heart rate changes of about 90 beats per minutes, anaphylaxis, inability to walk due to pain, food allergies, and body swelling.
Her cure is to spend 20 minutes a day doing a style of directed journaling where you get your feelings out and 10 minutes of meditation. I have no trouble believing in the usefulness of these things. People heal better when they're not stressed out, repressed emotions aren't healthy for anyone, and meditation has all sorts of great effects.
So what about the science? She briefly mentions some of the proven changes due to meditation, but that's pretty much it. Her references section has citations for that and a few other things, but for someone pushing a program that is supposedly grounded in brain science, she has surprisingly little science. By which I mean none. Unless you want to count her assertions that stomach pain has nothing to do with bacteria, back pain has nothing to do with structural changes, and Long Covid is not viral.
I am sure that releasing emotional trauma is helpful to people for their medical conditions. I don't have a problem with the concept of the program itself (aside from the fact that she considers severe childhood trauma to be your parents getting a divorce and has zero safeguards for people who have histories of abuse or other things that could cause serious harm trying to "release" without professional or other backup help).
Meditation is a wonderful thing and I encourage that as well. But she really dismisses everything else. She talks down about those who use multiple medications or supplements. She says people should not use physical therapy, chiropractic, or massage for chronic conditions unless it's *not* to heal their bodies(???). She doesn't seem big on Chinese Medicine either. She is pro-allopathic medicine but both dismisses what doctors say (especially if it's that someone needs surgery for a mechanical issue...not that I disagree with her here) yet considers them the only check on whether or not something is a "real" condition or not. There is no acknowledgment that medical knowledge grows over time.
All in all, there is a small subset of people who might find the book helpful. She certainly seems to have a following. But for those of us with real disabilities, with real medical conditions on her "not real" list, her views are not only insulting but potentially dangerous.
She never says outright to stop avoiding allergens or stop taking medications, she never says to push through your pain, nothing like that. But it's implied that if you think you still need to rest or avoid reactants that you're just resisting her marvelous program.
Every objection someone might come up with, she says is just part of the avoidance of the real issues. I have every expectation she will view my review as nothing more than my loving being disabled and not wanting to give up that part of my identity, or some such claptrap. But here I am saying it anyway.
Sachs goes on and on in her introduction about how the medical issues we face are real. They aren't "all in our head." And so forth. And that seems true, if you mean the symptoms. She believes the symptoms are real but the conditions are not. Of course there are real conditions, but they're the acute ones (broken bones, a virus, etc).
It's not even all chronic conditions she has it out for (she doesn't seem to suggest her program for type I diabetes or cancer), it's the constellation of related diseases such as fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chemical sensitivity, dysautonomia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Long Covid. If she believes any of these are real, she does a good job of hiding it. She even throws allergies into the mix. Mind you, she isn't encouraging people to ignore something life-threatening, but she doesn't give that caveat either. She is adamant that people first get checked out by a doctor but, if it can't be easily fixed, it's fodder for her program.
How do we know when a disease isn't real? Because doctors don't understand it. Because the available treatments (based on no one really understanding it) may or may not help but don't cure it. Because it's still there even when testing (which isn't complete because doctors don't understand the disease) shows you're just fine.
Or it's because our reactions are "impossible." In one case study, she dismisses chemical sensitivity because the patient had the inconsistency of sometimes getting migraines after breathing cleaning chemicals at home and sometimes not, never mind that this is a well known issue when you have constant exposures. In another, a patient couldn't possibly have an infection because, when they took antibiotics and got better, it happened too fast (Sachs believes there can be no improvement before 24-48 hours, despite science saying the antibiotics start working right away it's just that it usually takes 24-48 hours to notice a change).
So if the symptoms are real and the diseases are not, what are they then? In her mind they're your body distracting you from repressed emotions. They're your complex and all-powerful brain causing all sorts of symptoms up to and including (taken from her book) heart rate changes of about 90 beats per minutes, anaphylaxis, inability to walk due to pain, food allergies, and body swelling.
Her cure is to spend 20 minutes a day doing a style of directed journaling where you get your feelings out and 10 minutes of meditation. I have no trouble believing in the usefulness of these things. People heal better when they're not stressed out, repressed emotions aren't healthy for anyone, and meditation has all sorts of great effects.
So what about the science? She briefly mentions some of the proven changes due to meditation, but that's pretty much it. Her references section has citations for that and a few other things, but for someone pushing a program that is supposedly grounded in brain science, she has surprisingly little science. By which I mean none. Unless you want to count her assertions that stomach pain has nothing to do with bacteria, back pain has nothing to do with structural changes, and Long Covid is not viral.
I am sure that releasing emotional trauma is helpful to people for their medical conditions. I don't have a problem with the concept of the program itself (aside from the fact that she considers severe childhood trauma to be your parents getting a divorce and has zero safeguards for people who have histories of abuse or other things that could cause serious harm trying to "release" without professional or other backup help).
Meditation is a wonderful thing and I encourage that as well. But she really dismisses everything else. She talks down about those who use multiple medications or supplements. She says people should not use physical therapy, chiropractic, or massage for chronic conditions unless it's *not* to heal their bodies(???). She doesn't seem big on Chinese Medicine either. She is pro-allopathic medicine but both dismisses what doctors say (especially if it's that someone needs surgery for a mechanical issue...not that I disagree with her here) yet considers them the only check on whether or not something is a "real" condition or not. There is no acknowledgment that medical knowledge grows over time.
All in all, there is a small subset of people who might find the book helpful. She certainly seems to have a following. But for those of us with real disabilities, with real medical conditions on her "not real" list, her views are not only insulting but potentially dangerous.
She never says outright to stop avoiding allergens or stop taking medications, she never says to push through your pain, nothing like that. But it's implied that if you think you still need to rest or avoid reactants that you're just resisting her marvelous program.
Every objection someone might come up with, she says is just part of the avoidance of the real issues. I have every expectation she will view my review as nothing more than my loving being disabled and not wanting to give up that part of my identity, or some such claptrap. But here I am saying it anyway.
December 31, 2025
This is such a great concept that I would love to see more research on. I have a lot of patients with vague, unexplained symptoms and I wonder if exploring the mind-body connection is the answer. It makes a lot of sense to me. I felt the book was repetitive which she admits in the beginning, but nonetheless the information was very interesting.
November 29, 2025
Everyone should read this book, but especially those with any sort of recurring pain. Our minds and our bodies are connected!!
March 10, 2025
My rating is somewhat dependent on whether the suggested technique of alleviating chronic pain is effective. So far though this book has helped people close to me a lot!
February 24, 2025
A must read. I think I'm going to start journaling.
February 12, 2025
I hope everyone reads this amazing book. I love all the inspiring real life stories of people being healed and transformed by the power of mind-body work. Nicole clearly and compassionately gives us hope with tools that can help us to heal mentally, emotionally and physically. You have the power to heal yourself from chronic pain and symptoms and after reading this book, you’ll have the knowledge to do so.
February 12, 2025
I so wish that everyone would read this book! Life changing.
February 7, 2025
Life changing.
July 23, 2025
I feel like I need to actually implement the practices in the book to rate it properly, but a couple of my sisters have transformed their health and their lives with this book so I’m quite certain it works! I can see a lot of truth in this book and I feel it can be tremendously helpful. I’m going to do some of the things recommended, mainly the style of journaling!
I’d say one thing I had to look past was when it felt a touch woo-woo or new agey (it wasn’t actually bad though, just a little bit), but it felt pretty easy to translate what she was saying to work with my own faith/value system. It was good I went in with the mindset that I would just see translate it to fit my own lens, otherwise I may have gotten annoyed.
I think my biggest takeaway is that sometimes overflowing emotional reservoirs can produce physical symptoms. Believing that emotional excavation through her specific style of journaling, as well as actually doing the journaling regularly alongside meditation (or prayer), can take those specific physical symptoms away and transform your life.
I really like the style of journaling she proposes and have seen it work for people I love so I’m going to do it!
I would up my rating to 5 stars if I found personal success!
I’d say one thing I had to look past was when it felt a touch woo-woo or new agey (it wasn’t actually bad though, just a little bit), but it felt pretty easy to translate what she was saying to work with my own faith/value system. It was good I went in with the mindset that I would just see translate it to fit my own lens, otherwise I may have gotten annoyed.
I think my biggest takeaway is that sometimes overflowing emotional reservoirs can produce physical symptoms. Believing that emotional excavation through her specific style of journaling, as well as actually doing the journaling regularly alongside meditation (or prayer), can take those specific physical symptoms away and transform your life.
I really like the style of journaling she proposes and have seen it work for people I love so I’m going to do it!
I would up my rating to 5 stars if I found personal success!
August 14, 2025
I don't feel like I can rate this book properly until I've done it consistently for a while and seen changes in how I feel physically day-to-day, so, fingers crossed, I'll come back next year and increase my rating. I would recommend that people with chronic health issues or pain read the book and consider the exercises. A few things... I really dislike that she takes God's name in vain in the book and that she cusses in the writing. I get that she's making a point that you need to be real and raw and not hold back in your journaling. Don't sugarcoat it. I completely understand the cussing in the journaling examples, but I don't see the need for it in the writing of the rest of the book. I will take her journaling plus meditation program and adapt it to my faith (meditation could take the form of prayer or silent reflection on God's grace and love for you as His child). I know the whole journaling thing can work because I've seen it change the health of at least one family member, but I'm still left scratching my head at a few things Sachs has written. I admit that I did not read this book with the most open mind, and I also admit that I'm probably the perfect example of someone whose reservoir overflowed years ago!
November 29, 2025
This book was really good.
Over the past decades, Nichole Sachs has played a very important part in bringing mind-body medicine to the masses. Her down to earth, logical explanation and her no nonsense and straightforward approach make it easy to shift your mind about the possibilities or at least give it a try.
This book is all about this.
Simple, straightforward, convincing.
Although I think there are many ways to go deeper with the mind/body healing work: investigating and disidentifying from thought and thought-based identity, expressing/feeling emotions in a non-concepual way, deep allowing of everything that arises in the present moment.
From that lens, the practice of journalspeak can even have some downside effects, mainly the solidification of identity and its stories about itself and not feeling/allowing the raw energetics of emotion to walk its course through the body, but instead stay in a mental intepretation of said emotions.
But this book is just a great and simple start for anyone interested in the mind-body connection and looking for a way to free themselves of chronic symptoms and I applaud Nichole Sachs for all the amazing work she has done.
Over the past decades, Nichole Sachs has played a very important part in bringing mind-body medicine to the masses. Her down to earth, logical explanation and her no nonsense and straightforward approach make it easy to shift your mind about the possibilities or at least give it a try.
This book is all about this.
Simple, straightforward, convincing.
Although I think there are many ways to go deeper with the mind/body healing work: investigating and disidentifying from thought and thought-based identity, expressing/feeling emotions in a non-concepual way, deep allowing of everything that arises in the present moment.
From that lens, the practice of journalspeak can even have some downside effects, mainly the solidification of identity and its stories about itself and not feeling/allowing the raw energetics of emotion to walk its course through the body, but instead stay in a mental intepretation of said emotions.
But this book is just a great and simple start for anyone interested in the mind-body connection and looking for a way to free themselves of chronic symptoms and I applaud Nichole Sachs for all the amazing work she has done.
April 13, 2025
I have been battling chronic pain for a long while now and have tried absolutely everything: doctors, medications, yoga, supplements, diet and everything else I can think of. Each thing I’ve tried has brought me closer and closer to the pain-free life I hope for, but Mind Your Body by Nicole Sachs is closing the gap. Nicole provides the undeniable science behind the Mindbody field that reminds readers that our pain may live in our bodies, but the solution lies in our minds: emotional exercise is directly connected to physical transformation. Step-by-step, she walks readers through the JournalSpeak process and is the most steadfast cheerleader that I have ever had (even though we have never met!). I’ve been journaling for a while and I know that it is a life-changer, but Nicole is teaching me that it is a life-SAVER, too. If you struggle with chronic anything, please read this book.
April 16, 2025
My daughter suggested I read this book right as I was recovering from a medical issue that perplexed doctors. Reading the book felt therapeutic and I haven't even begun the JournalSpeak work. This book is a game-changer for anyone suffering from chronic pain, regardless of the specific diagnosis. Sachs expertly explains the connection between emotional repression and physical pain and offers a new perspective and a path towards lasting relief. I think everyone who's every had any trauma or any chronic issues world benefit from reading it.
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March 27, 2025I've followed Nicole online for two years and her work has changed my life for the better.
I'm not fully free from all my chronic pain symptoms, but the strength, feeling of being seen, and the process of healing I've had through her teaching and insights have been HUGE.
Her podcasts were my gateway to this work. This book is a reminder for the message - your physical and mental health/ emotional world are interlinked. Healing is possible.
I'm not fully free from all my chronic pain symptoms, but the strength, feeling of being seen, and the process of healing I've had through her teaching and insights have been HUGE.
Her podcasts were my gateway to this work. This book is a reminder for the message - your physical and mental health/ emotional world are interlinked. Healing is possible.
March 15, 2025
This book will be life changing for those who implement its suggestions. Based on the work of Dr. John Sarno (Healing Back Pain). 4 stars because the writing became repetitive and the tone was a bit cringeworthy at times. But overall, if you have any kind of chronic pain or chronic issue, you need to read this book.
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