What do you think?
Rate this book
Disentangled: Taming Your Thoughts and Feelings to Live Freely for Jesus
Pair biblical insight and psychological tools to better manage your thoughts and emotions as you seek to become more like Christ.
Apply biblical insights using tools from modern psychology to manage your thoughts and emotions.
Jesus calls Christians to live for him, but it’s hard! A tangle of distracting thoughts and painful emotions can trip us up and stop us from being the people we long to be.
Christian neuropsychologist Jo Johnson pairs biblical insight with the tools of psychology to offer a freeing way forward. Through her positive, practical, down-to-earth perspective, you
Better understand your inner life Learn to manage your thoughts, memories, desires, and emotions Combat overthinking and gain emotional resilience Take charge of your behavior by applying psychological tools and techniques Be encouraged to look to Jesus and rely on the help of the Spirit every day Driven by the desire to become more like Christ, this book takes your inner struggles seriously while offering the hope of the gospel.
You will be encouraged to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, fixing your eyes on Jesus as you run the race (Hebrews 12:1)!
Each chapter concludes with action steps and prompts to worship.
Apply biblical insights using tools from modern psychology to manage your thoughts and emotions.
Jesus calls Christians to live for him, but it’s hard! A tangle of distracting thoughts and painful emotions can trip us up and stop us from being the people we long to be.
Christian neuropsychologist Jo Johnson pairs biblical insight with the tools of psychology to offer a freeing way forward. Through her positive, practical, down-to-earth perspective, you
Better understand your inner life Learn to manage your thoughts, memories, desires, and emotions Combat overthinking and gain emotional resilience Take charge of your behavior by applying psychological tools and techniques Be encouraged to look to Jesus and rely on the help of the Spirit every day Driven by the desire to become more like Christ, this book takes your inner struggles seriously while offering the hope of the gospel.
You will be encouraged to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, fixing your eyes on Jesus as you run the race (Hebrews 12:1)!
Each chapter concludes with action steps and prompts to worship.
- GenresChristian
144 pages
Published January 1, 2026
22 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 20, 2026
This is a brilliant book - and I think long needed in the Christian world! Jo does a fantastic job of educating more on thoughts and feelings and on how to respond to them in a practical, empathetic and Christ-like way. The reflections after each chapter were massively helpful and I particularly enjoyed the playlist. Would wholeheartedly recommend. I will re-read it again and continue to put the suggestions into practice!
January 24, 2026
Each one of us possesses a unique inner world comprised of thoughts, emotions, motives and then some, whether we like it or wrestle with it. It is this inner world that author Jo Johnson helps us make sense of in her book “Disentangled.”
With tangible compassion, Johnson marries biblical truth and psychology in a balanced and accessible way. The wisdom and practical tools enable readers to engage effectively with their inner lives, which is obvious throughout the book.
Each chapter builds on the one before, helping us through God’s truth, applicable tools, and reflections. I also appreciated the moving, God-honoring song included at the end of each chapter (along with a playlist link).
As I read the reflections after each chapter, I was moved to turn toward God in prayer in a greater way. These reflections are beautifully transformational sections to take time with devotionally.
Readers of this book are sure to find tangible hope in the midst of the challenge—and at times, the messiness—of what’s happening in our souls and minds as we seek to live loving, godly lives.
Highlights:
“…what goes on inside of us—our beliefs, our thoughts, our memories, our feelings and our desires—impacts everything we do and how well we do it. Our inner lives determine how we show up in a given moment and whether we'll behave as we'd like or not.”
“Often, though not always, we are choosing either to walk with the Spirit and remember God's values or to be driven by our sinful hearts into doing wrong.”
“We change our minds by setting our minds on things above. We need to be obsessed with the right things—to intentionally fill our minds with the glorious gospel of grace, not just once but every day.”
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
With tangible compassion, Johnson marries biblical truth and psychology in a balanced and accessible way. The wisdom and practical tools enable readers to engage effectively with their inner lives, which is obvious throughout the book.
Each chapter builds on the one before, helping us through God’s truth, applicable tools, and reflections. I also appreciated the moving, God-honoring song included at the end of each chapter (along with a playlist link).
As I read the reflections after each chapter, I was moved to turn toward God in prayer in a greater way. These reflections are beautifully transformational sections to take time with devotionally.
Readers of this book are sure to find tangible hope in the midst of the challenge—and at times, the messiness—of what’s happening in our souls and minds as we seek to live loving, godly lives.
Highlights:
“…what goes on inside of us—our beliefs, our thoughts, our memories, our feelings and our desires—impacts everything we do and how well we do it. Our inner lives determine how we show up in a given moment and whether we'll behave as we'd like or not.”
“Often, though not always, we are choosing either to walk with the Spirit and remember God's values or to be driven by our sinful hearts into doing wrong.”
“We change our minds by setting our minds on things above. We need to be obsessed with the right things—to intentionally fill our minds with the glorious gospel of grace, not just once but every day.”
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.
February 2, 2026
I don’t often write reviews but I so enjoyed this book. I loved Jo’s humble, realistic and practical insight into our emotional depths, related hard to many of the examples she used and found it simple enough to be actively helpful, especially the idea of ‘towards moves’. I listened as an audiobook but will be purchasing a copy so I can keep flicking through it. I cried, I laughed, and I was pointed to Jesus; what’s not to love!
March 7, 2026
3.5 stars, rounded up for the right audience.
Jo Johnson is a Christian psychologist, and in this book, she shares paradigm shifts and practical tips that can help people deal with difficult emotions and unhealthy thinking patterns. She encourages her readers to know that change is possible, and in the first chapters, she lays a foundation for understanding ourselves from a gospel perspective. She explains a biblical view of human nature, salvation, grace, and change, and she shows how the Bible and psychology work together to help us understand ourselves and feel less "stuck" in our negative thoughts and difficult emotions.
Johnson writes in a casual, conversational style, and her vulnerable sharing about her own mental mess can help people feel seen and supported. This book is engaging and easy to read, with short chapters and lots of practical insights. Each chapter concludes with some exercises to try, as well as a spiritual reflection section. Johnson suggests Bible verses to read, hymns to listen to, and things to pray about, all based on that chapter's topic. With some of the practical exercises, I didn't find the acronyms for them memorable, so I recommend taking notes on the steps.
This book is geared towards people dealing with garden variety problems. The advice is relevant to everyone, but people with more complex mental health issues or a history of trauma should know that this book mostly focuses on reactions to minor struggles in everyday life. This book introduces important concepts and can be helpful, but people with more serious issues should know that if the advice in this book doesn't cut it, that isn't a failure on their part. I wish that the author had recommended some additional resources in the book for people who need more intense help.
This is a great book for Christians who feel a bit skeptical about psychology, but want to learn practical skills for better managing their thoughts and feelings. The author shows that instead of punishing yourself with self-blame or trying to think your way out of your problems, you can accept grace and take practical steps towards greater awareness, balance, and healing.
I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Jo Johnson is a Christian psychologist, and in this book, she shares paradigm shifts and practical tips that can help people deal with difficult emotions and unhealthy thinking patterns. She encourages her readers to know that change is possible, and in the first chapters, she lays a foundation for understanding ourselves from a gospel perspective. She explains a biblical view of human nature, salvation, grace, and change, and she shows how the Bible and psychology work together to help us understand ourselves and feel less "stuck" in our negative thoughts and difficult emotions.
Johnson writes in a casual, conversational style, and her vulnerable sharing about her own mental mess can help people feel seen and supported. This book is engaging and easy to read, with short chapters and lots of practical insights. Each chapter concludes with some exercises to try, as well as a spiritual reflection section. Johnson suggests Bible verses to read, hymns to listen to, and things to pray about, all based on that chapter's topic. With some of the practical exercises, I didn't find the acronyms for them memorable, so I recommend taking notes on the steps.
This book is geared towards people dealing with garden variety problems. The advice is relevant to everyone, but people with more complex mental health issues or a history of trauma should know that this book mostly focuses on reactions to minor struggles in everyday life. This book introduces important concepts and can be helpful, but people with more serious issues should know that if the advice in this book doesn't cut it, that isn't a failure on their part. I wish that the author had recommended some additional resources in the book for people who need more intense help.
This is a great book for Christians who feel a bit skeptical about psychology, but want to learn practical skills for better managing their thoughts and feelings. The author shows that instead of punishing yourself with self-blame or trying to think your way out of your problems, you can accept grace and take practical steps towards greater awareness, balance, and healing.
I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
March 6, 2026
I listened to this on audiobook, but I liked it so much I bought a hard copy so I can go through it again with a friend!
Within the biblical counseling community, there is a constant pendulum swing when it comes to understanding and acting in light of people as embodied souls. You have sincere believers on both sides, either completely rejecting anything that smells slightly of psychology, or wholeheartedly embracing a secular view of the body without a proper theology of sin and humanity. Disentangled does an excellent job of finding that balance, understanding how our minds (created by God!) work and how we engage with them in light of God’s truth and good design for us.
This book is written by a Christian psychologist, and contains a lot of therapeutic language and framing. However, I found her perspective on people as embodied souls to be refreshing and solidly biblical. She has a very robust theology of union with Christ, sanctification, and the church, and the gospel was not only present, but clearly delivered and prevalently diffused throughout the entire methodology of her work.
This reminded me of a short, practical, “lite” version of Jeremy Pierre’s The Dynamics Heart in Daily Life, which was a fantastic book that truly transformed my understanding of sanctification and biblical counseling.
I look forward to going through this again in a discipleship context, and believe that the combination of gospel-centered theology building + immensely practical action steps will be very profitable.
The only hangup I could see people having with this book is the large amount of therapeutic language. While it initially struck me as a little much at times, I can see it being helpful for a more intense or targeted counseling situation, and understand it comes from the author’s background as a psychologist. While I can definitely get behind the concepts and practices she describes, I might choose to word them a little differently in my own use.
Within the biblical counseling community, there is a constant pendulum swing when it comes to understanding and acting in light of people as embodied souls. You have sincere believers on both sides, either completely rejecting anything that smells slightly of psychology, or wholeheartedly embracing a secular view of the body without a proper theology of sin and humanity. Disentangled does an excellent job of finding that balance, understanding how our minds (created by God!) work and how we engage with them in light of God’s truth and good design for us.
This book is written by a Christian psychologist, and contains a lot of therapeutic language and framing. However, I found her perspective on people as embodied souls to be refreshing and solidly biblical. She has a very robust theology of union with Christ, sanctification, and the church, and the gospel was not only present, but clearly delivered and prevalently diffused throughout the entire methodology of her work.
This reminded me of a short, practical, “lite” version of Jeremy Pierre’s The Dynamics Heart in Daily Life, which was a fantastic book that truly transformed my understanding of sanctification and biblical counseling.
I look forward to going through this again in a discipleship context, and believe that the combination of gospel-centered theology building + immensely practical action steps will be very profitable.
The only hangup I could see people having with this book is the large amount of therapeutic language. While it initially struck me as a little much at times, I can see it being helpful for a more intense or targeted counseling situation, and understand it comes from the author’s background as a psychologist. While I can definitely get behind the concepts and practices she describes, I might choose to word them a little differently in my own use.
January 24, 2026
Disentangling
This book is amazing! Really clarifying and so helpful and informative. Praying that God will continue to bless people through it. I look forward to continuing my disentangling journey. Thank you Jo Johnson 🙏🏾
This book is amazing! Really clarifying and so helpful and informative. Praying that God will continue to bless people through it. I look forward to continuing my disentangling journey. Thank you Jo Johnson 🙏🏾
March 20, 2026
Essentially a Workbook
Although not written as a workbook, this book contains a lot of information to work through. The book has good advice, especially for overthinkers, you'll want to review the material in the book.
Although not written as a workbook, this book contains a lot of information to work through. The book has good advice, especially for overthinkers, you'll want to review the material in the book.
March 4, 2026
Great resource. Would highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews