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

by Kyle L. Davies

Overview

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 book explains the origins of chronic symptoms and outlines the road to recovery. Readers 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, readers 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.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393712056
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

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

Table of Contents

Part I Building the Foundations 1

1 Introduction 3

Are We Witnessing a Health Crisis? 5

2 It's Not the Stress You Feel, It's the Stress You Don't 8

The Origins of Stress 10

But What Does This Mean for Us? 13

Stress, the Brain, and the Body 15

The Biomedical Model 16

The Biopsychosocial Model 18

Understanding the Stress Response 19

Mind-Body Dualism 22

What Role Does Trauma Play? 24

What Connects Stress and Medically Unexplained Symptoms? 28

Why Are We Seeing an Increase in These Symptoms and Conditions? 29

The Hallway of Health 30

Where Do Anxiety and Depression Fit? 32

Beyond Food and Fitness 33

3 What's Feeling Got to Do With It? 35

The Academic View 36

Origins in the Brain 39

What About the Rest of the Body? 40

What's the Difference Between Emotions and Feelings? 44

Where Does Emotion Come From and Can It Be Changed? 47

High and Low Vibrational Emotions 59

Intuition and Inner Knowing 61

4 Energy-flow: Key Principles 63

Your True Self 64

Symptoms as Messengers 71

True Empowerment: Inside-Out Living 74

Beyond Dualism 78

Riding the Wave of Homeostasis 79

Open Awareness 83

From Resistance to Allowing 84

How to Really Step Up: Live Like You Mean It 90

Let's Play Offense, Not Defense 92

Developing Self-Trust 95

5 Who Am I Anyway? 98

What on Earth Is Going On? 99

The Structure of Identity 102

Daily Life: Role and Identity 105

Illness and Identity 107

The Metaphysical Perspective 108

6 The Expanded Self 110

The Thinker and the Feeler 110

The Brain as a Tool 111

How to Experience the Expanded Self 113

An Unfolding Reality 116

Thinking, Memory, and You 118

Tricks of the Mind 122

The Limitations of Changing Thought Patterns 124

What Triggers Thinking? 125

What Drives Thinking Onwards? 129

Where Do Insight and Wisdom Come From? 132

Is There Ever a Good Time to Think? 133

Part II The Road To Recovery 135

Let's Get Started 136

7 Symptoms Are Solutions 139

Looking at Symptoms as Blocked Energy 143

Let Your Feelings Flow, Without Resistance 147

Acting on Emotions 151

Fear: The Ghost in Our Machine 154

Processing Fear, Anger, and Guilt 155

Clearing What You Don't Want (or Need) 157

Fluid States: Shifting Deep-Level Emotions 158

8 Defining YOU! 160

Who's the Judge? 161

Setting Boundaries 164

Putting Yourself First 165

Stepping Into Your Truth: Be Who You Are 169

Be Good to Yourself 175

Bringing You All Together: Self-Integration 177

Developing Self-Esteem 177

Taking Back Ownership of You 179

Act From Core, Not Compulsion 181

9 Speak Your Truth, Not Theirs 184

The Power of Conformity 185

Speaking Our Truth 186

The Experience of Language 189

Setting the Scene 191

Using Empowered Language 192

Integrity 193

The Three Steps 193

10 There Are No Victims Or Villains 196

A Brief Glimpse at the Meaning of Life 197

Life Is Such a Drama 198

Escaping the Victim-Vortex 200

Breaking the Rescuer-Helper Cycle 206

Being You: The License to Be Yourself 214

Attuning to Body Rhythm 215

The Bigger Lessons of Life 216

11 Human Needs and Tapping Your Creative Flow 222

Making Your Commitment to Yourself 224

Going Beyond Survival Mode 225

Attaining Clarity of Motivation and Intention 227

Developing Motivation 230

Meeting Human Needs 232

Finding Your Passions and Purposes 239

12 Life Design and Creation 242

Attraction and Conscious Creation 243

Practical Creation 248

The Road to Freedom 253

A Final Thought 263

Reading List 265

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

"Chronic symptoms almost always have some roots that remain undiscovered despite conventional medical intervention. Wouldn't it be nice to know to what degree your symptoms are tied to these roots? Kyle Davies provides experience-based guidance which may well become the catalyst for your healing process."

Robert C. Bornstein

"This book presents a theory suggesting that alignment with the 'true self' is the key to health and well-being. Misalignment causes health problems and 'Energy-flow' is the key to recovery. A series of exercises to help achieve realignment with the true self and a state of high consciousness is presented in the second part of the book. Readers will benefit from repeatedly dipping into the book and will move from an intellectual understanding to a deep body appreciation."

Andy Smith

"The Intelligent Body shines new light on the nature of emotions and their intimate relationship with health and well-being. Kyle Davies gives a convincing assessment of the relationship between our health and our emotions. For anyone with conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, anxiety, and depression, this book is essential reading. It will help you pave the way to recovery, and entertain a fresh perspective on causes as well as solutions."

Francis Teeney

"Kyle Davies's 'Energy-flow' approach makes an invaluable contribution to the growing critique of the current biomedical paradigm, with a wealth of practical suggestions to help us maximize our potential as human beings (which Davies rightly places at  the heart of our sense of well-being). Davies draws freely from his own life experience (and those of his clients) to illustrate how to apply these ideas in everyday life, helping to make this book both deeply insightful and very readable. Thoroughly recommended."

Martin Treacy

"This can-do guide offers good advice and insights that can help everyone, not only those with chronic fatigue and pain, be 'active players' who bring passion and purpose to their own 'game of life.' . . . Davies presents empowering ways for people to focus on what they can change and, in the process, to keep their personal 'stress buckets' from overflowing."

Booklist

"If you are looking for a readable introduction to some principles and coaching tools of mind-body medicine to empower your patients, this book is a great start."

British Journal of General Practice