The Intelligent Body: Reversing Chronic Fatigue and Pain From the Inside Out

by Kyle L. Davies, Walter Dixon (Reading)

Exercises and strategies for long-term emotional well-being in the face of physical difficulties. Why are we seeing growing numbers of people suffering from debilitating chronic symptoms of pain, fatigue, inflammation and cognitive impairment that medicine is failing to resolve? A new paradigm is needed where we understand the mind and body as an interconnected flowing system. This paradigm embraces the self-healing, self-correcting, and self-creating natures of our connected mind-body system. Physical symptoms are simply a sign of disharmony and energetic imbalance, a "tap on the shoulder" from our intelligent body that is trying to get our attention. This "tap" on the shoulder can become debilitating symptoms over time. When we pay attention, and understand this communication, we can take the steps to facilitate our own self-healing. This audiobook explains the origins of chronic symptoms and outlines the road to recovery. Listeners are offered life-changing principles and practices to regain harmony in their lives and bodies, whether they suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, trauma, depression, or anxiety. It explains how we can learn to heal ourselves from the inside out by reconceptualizing the relationships among our bodies, minds, and emotions, embracing the full importance of the mind-body connection, and tapping our natural restorative capacities. Here, listeners will find ways to maximize the connections between optimum health, peace of mind, and fulfilling life experiences, all emerging when we are aligned with our "true self."

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Mental Health

Audiobook

First published May 2, 2017

Reviews

[Francis Teeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while a book or an author comes along that begins a chain reaction in our thought processes. Having had an very keen interest in Mind/Body Intelligence for over ten years I absorbed the ideas contained within the The Intelligent Body - soaking up the wisdom that I can only describe as groundbreaking and other worldly. And I had good reason - I have had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over 11 years. The pestilence that is sweeping the world at present is manifesting itself in so many different unexplained forms - constant unexplained pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, depletion to name but a few. The standard answer is pills and then more pills (and sometimes these are very necessary). But sometimes they make no difference or make matters worse. So what are we do?
Well at long last I have come across a book that describes what is happening to my body and how to get out of the morass that haunts my footsteps. Kyle Davies (a Chartered Psychologist and therapist) has come up with a a synthetic blend of ideas. By taking older established truths and peripherally infringing them with a modern approach he does not throw out the baby with the bath water but rather adds something new to the bath water that soothes the baby; brings a new fragrance to the debate as well as new ideas that are founded (and grounded) in the psychology of emotions. Yet he has managed to keep it simple enough to read without compromising rigor. I highly recommend this book. In fact it is mid July 2017 and it is by far the best book I have read this year. I am now on to my 3rd read of it and discover new insights about myself and life upon each new re-read. As a Chartered Psychologist myself and as a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer I eagerly await his next book. This man is on to something new and exciting.
Dr Francis Teeney

[Matthieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has been struggling with chronic symptoms in varying degrees for around three years, I can tell you: this book is spot on!

I feel like there are plenty resources out bow about how the nervous system impacts out health. And many resources focus on techniques like brain retraining to rewire our brains using neuroplasticity to set us up for healing.

I call this a top down approach to these conditions.
I think this is incredible and love the fact that it is getting more mainstream.
Buttt… I also feel like it is just a part of the puzzle.

And Kyle Davies provides a lot of the other puzzle pieces in this book.
Emotions, inner child healing, spirituality, connecting to your higher or true self and connecting to your body and intuition are all such pieces.
They are part of a bottoms up approach.

Use them both.
A lot of people get stuck at the top down approach, and that is unnecessary but understandable because the bottoms up approach involves facing the stuff we have been trying so hard to avoid.

But at some point,
In the name of the evolution of consciousness, life will force you into the shadow.
Suffering is just kindly pointing you where to look.

Don’t resist it, but instead,
surrender and choose to evolve.

Good luck.

[Farhana Faruq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! I think I'm making this my favorite non-fiction for 2021. It's a 10 hour audio book, very informative and I'm actually listening to it again incase I missed things.

This is about balancing your emotions (ie. being your true self), and how they have an impact on your body. I've always known this from experience and then reading/researching Dr. Sarno's books but it is so nice to have everything here, presented in a clear and simple way.

I really like that they were examples after most points and I think most people will enjoy the audio more.

[Simonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself a few weeks ago looking up articles on how to recover from chronic fatigue. I came across the idea of an “intelligent body,” with a reference to this book. Intrigued, I came here to look it up. Yeah. Turns out I had read this book, one short year ago. Sure enough, there were highlights in my ebook, but I barely had any memory of reading those words. The psychology student in me would attribute this to the fact that last year, I wasn’t ready to accept the thesis of this book: that our emotional experience affects our symptoms of chronic pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression (all old “friends” of mine). Feeling like I contribute to my sickness (or worse, that other people do) is hard to take, but it also gives a way we can get better. The reality is probably that negative emotional experiences and living unaligned with our “true selves” results in fatigue and pain for those with genetic predispositions, not just one or the other. Health and sickness are complex, and while I’ve just about given up on a magic cure, I’m excited to implement some of this book’s ideas. Get well soon, everyone.

[Healthypedia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explore the world of mind-body connection and your potential for self-healing.

“The Intelligent Body is a welcome addition to the growing body of work intended to restore human beings to their true selves, to wholeness, to health.”
– Gabor Maté, MD, author of *When The Body Says No

The increasing prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms and syndromes, often linked to stress and an overflowing stress bucket, has become a significant concern in Western nations such as the UK and USA. These symptoms encompass a range of physical and psychological ailments, including persistent pain, fatigue, and digestive issues, where medical science struggles to identify underlying biological causes.

The Intelligent Body by Kyle L. Davies addresses this pressing issue and delves into the mind-body connection, offering insights into the root causes of these symptoms and the potential for self-healing.


Author’s background

Kyle L. Davies is a chartered psychologist, therapist, coach, and consultant who lives in Cardiff, Wales.


What is the book about?

The Intelligent Body underscores the vital connection between health, happiness, and fulfilment, emphasising the alignment with one’s ‘true self’ as the key to well-being. It explores how deviating from this alignment can lead to health issues like chronic fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression.

The book’s purpose is to guide readers back to their true selves through a journey that involves understanding the causes of misalignment and offering remedies. It proposes a new paradigm that views the mind and body as interconnected, emphasising empowerment and self-healing.

The structure includes two parts: “Building The Foundations,” which covers core principles, and “The Road To Recovery,” which delves into understanding symptoms and personal transformation.

Kyle L. Davies ultimately advocates for a self-empowerment-based approach to healing, highlighting the role of stress in health and well-being.


Five key takeaways from The Intelligent Body

1. The body’s wisdom

One of the primary messages of the book is that the body possesses its own wisdom and intelligence. It suggests that physical symptoms and sensations can be meaningful signals from the body, offering insights into one’s emotional and psychological well-being.

2. Mind-body connection

The book emphasises the profound connection between the mind and the body. It underscores how emotional and psychological issues can manifest as physical symptoms and pain. Recognising this connection can lead to greater self-awareness and healing.

3. Listening to your body

Readers are encouraged to become more attuned to their bodies and to listen to the signals they send. This involves paying attention to bodily sensations, symptoms, and discomfort as potential clues to unresolved emotional issues or stress.

Davies emphasises the importance of self-care and self-compassion in the healing process. Being kind and gentle with oneself, both mentally and physically, is seen as a crucial aspect of personal growth and recovery.

4. Holistic healing

The Intelligent Body promotes a holistic approach to healing. It suggests that addressing emotional and psychological issues can have a positive impact on physical health and well-being. This holistic perspective advocates for treating the root causes of health problems, not just their symptoms.

5. Practical Techniques

The book provides practical exercises and techniques that readers can use to explore their own mind-body connection and begin the process of healing. These may include mindfulness practices, journaling, and somatic exercises.


Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews

Strengths:
• Groundbreaking insights: Readers appreciate the book for introducing groundbreaking and innovative ideas related to mind-body intelligence.
• Applicability to chronic conditions: Many readers with chronic conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome find the book particularly valuable.
• Simplicity without compromising rigour: The book manages to convey complex concepts in a simple and accessible manner without sacrificing academic rigour.
• Relevance to pain management: Some readers highlight the book’s relevance to treating pain as a signal rather than a mere symptom.

Weaknesses:
• Editing issues: Several reviewers mention that the book suffers from editing problems, including typos, missing punctuation, and a somewhat disorganised or rambling writing style.
• Lack of depth for experienced readers: For readers who are already familiar with emotional work and mind-body connections, the book may not offer much new information.


Best quotes from The Intelligent Body

“…when a person’s body is in a continued state of stress, it leads to disharmony and dissonance within the systems of the body, which leads to disruptions in the way the body functions.”

“I often encourage my clients to, “Be curious about who you might be,” because it is only when we let go of trying to figure ourselves out, or trying to hold on to a rigid sense of identity that we really begin to experience who we are and who we can be.”

“The more you can allow yourself recognize that what you feel is never a problem and never needs to be solved, the less you will focus on trying to control the external world.”


Final takeaway

The Intelligent Body presents a holistic perspective on health, vitality, and overall well-being by exploring the deep connection between one’s physical health, emotional state, and sense of fulfilment. The book emphasies the importance of aligning with one’s “true self” or inner wisdom and suggests that optimum health and a fulfilling life experience emerge when this alignment is achieved.

[C.E. G · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This mostly just added some confirmation to a path I've been following lately, of treating pain as a signal rather than a symptom/annoyance. The last book on chronic pain I read was really terrible (basically laid out one personality model that did not resonate at all and was actually kind of offensive), and this one felt a lot more true and informed. However, this book needed some editing in a major way! Not only very obvious typos and missing punctuation, but also just kind of rambly. I skimmed most of it.

[Dolkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good at the beginning, but mostly disappointing

The first chapters are excellent descriptions of how mind, body, brain, emotions and society interact. The rest of the book is highly simplistic and doesn't live up to the potential insights that the book began with. Useful, perhaps, for those who have never done any work with emotions, thoughts or spiritual practices. But very disappointing for someone who's been trying to work with chronic pains for any length of time. I would reread the first few chapters. The rest was a waste of time.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is definitely some insightful stuff in this book - it explains the mind body connection regarding pain quite well. Unfortunately I found this book quite boring at times and difficult to engage with.

[April Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was not well edited with many typos. Just when I would relax and forget about it, I’d see another one and get pulled from the content.