This book asserts that there is a very close relationship between physical illness and the mind or emotional state. After all, the human body is a giant chemistry set; thoughts and feelings are translated into chemicals that are sent throughout the body, altering cells in a positive (or negative) way.

Stress is a part of daily life, but it needs to be released in some fashion. It's like squeezing a tube of toothpaste with the cap still on; the toothpaste will come out somewhere else. Unresolved stress will come out through headaches, anxiety problems or messed-up speech patterns. The fight-or-flight mechanism is meant to be temporary; the body is supposed to return to normal function. If high stress is constant, that could lead to a weakened immune system and physical illness.

The author provides a number of exercises to help the reader to listen to their bodymind; it's probably trying to say something. She also explores each part of the body, and gives the reader things to consider if that is the source of the pain. A stiff neck implies resistance, usually to other ways of thinking, like you are wearing blinders. It could also indicate an inability to reach a decision; literally not knowing which way to turn. A sprained ankle indicates a lack of flexibility for the direction you are going. Osteoporosis implies a thinning of the life force, due to a sense of feeling hopeless or helpless. A hernia indicates that an inner longing to explode is being repressed. The resulting muscle strain causes it to implode, rather than explode. Are you resisting someone else's control?

Among the causes of headaches are: a rigid personality, repressed feelings, pushing yourself to achieve, avoidance behavior, and too much time spent in the head. A sore throat implies that something you want to say is not getting said, or that some reality is making you feel sore or inflamed.

The author does not mean to imply at all that the reader should ignore the physical aspect of their pain, and treat it as purely an emotional or psychological problem. By all means, see your family doctor. But, it certainly won't hurt to take a look inside yourself, and see if something else is going on that has to do with your illness. This book looks at the human body in a very different way, and is well worth reading. ( )

This book and related texts on the topic should be required reading for any medical or health practitioner! Deb Shapiro has been teaching bodymind therapy and meditation with her husband Ed for 25 years. She describes the premise of her book: “By learning the body’s language of symptoms, you will soon discover that there is an extraordinarily intimate two-way communication going on that affects both your physical state and your mental and emotional health.” Your Body Speaks Your Mind goes on to detail the body parts, some common diseases, disorders, and issues for each body part, and outlines their possible psychological and emotional connections.

I appreciated Shapiro’s overall acknowledgement about illness in the opening pages. She writes, “Illness is real. Accidents happen. Medicine can help.” Shapiro continues, “I am not saying that by understanding the bodymind relationship you will be able to cure all your physical difficulties. What I am saying is that such an understanding adds an essential, and invariably overlooked, component to your healing process.”

To strengthen and clarify her bodymind concepts, Shapiro cites research studies, quotes medical and psychiatric professionals, and offers countless personal stories.
Shapiro presents various avenues of self-study and healing, including mindfulness, meditation, writing and personal dialogue, affirmations, creative visualization, and imagery. I was particularly glad to see pranayama and the chakra system explored as tools for bodymind awareness. Throughout the book, she utilizes these avenues by offering bodymind dialogue questions, exercises, meditation practice ideas, imagery and journaling explorations, and affirmation examples. For instance, Shapiro describes general shoulder pain as meaning “you may be carrying too much [emotional/stress baggage] on your own.” To deepen understanding with shoulder pain, she encourages these questions: “Have you been carrying other people’s problems for too long? Is there something or someone you need to put down?”

A wonderful CD accompanied this book that includes two guided visualization/meditation practices that can assist and encourage the bodymind awareness practice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is healing something, helping someone heal, or wanting a deeper and more mindful self-understanding. (So I’m pretty sure that is everyone!) For more bodymind resources, check out Deb and Ed Shapiro’s website, as well as Ed and Deb’s blog at the Huffington Post. ( )

With this book, Deb Shapiro, will assist you with taking charge of your health and healing by listening and paying attention to what your body is trying to tell you from head to toe, inside and out. The premise is that all thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, aches, pains and illnesses, are hidden messages available for you to decipher. Your Body Speaks Your Mind: Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages That Underline Illness, sets out practical advice in an easy to read format. I read the whole book from beginning to end the first time round, however, using it regularly, I often return to this book by dipping into just the section which matches my current ailment (be it a cold, sore throat or aching muscles, for example). Putting symptoms into words has never been easier! I also love the idea that healing comes through appreciation and gratitude rather than through resistance. In addition, there is a CD with includes an Introduction, Talking With Yourself, and The Body Mind Appreciation meditations, which encourage positive thinking and affirmations to teach self love, no matter what you have (or may think you have) wrong with your body in terms of both your physical and psychological being. Used with the BodyMind Review (Pg 77) and BodyMind Writing (Pg 78) the whole package ensures a deep awareness and gratitude for every part of your body, even those parts that may be hurting you. This book is already a best seller here in England, along side many of Deb Shapiro's other books, which promote healing yourself and others. She is a popular inspirational author, and I have to say I am already a fan of her healing methods. Comes highly recommended with Sassy's Seal of Approval! ( )