Written by Kyle Davies
Foreward by Gabor Mate
In The Intelligent Body: Reversing Chronic Fatigue and Pain from the Inside Out, author Kyle Davies leads readers on a journey to understand how their mind and body are connected. Davies suggests that when there is disharmony between our mind and body we are not “aligned with our ‘true self’” and by realigning with our true self we can obtain “optimum health, peace of mind,” and a sense of fulfillment (4). Davies reveals ways in which we can gain a new understanding of chronic health conditions, specifically how mind and body disharmony perpetuate chronic health conditions, with the goal of empowering readers “to move towards health, vitality, and a fulfilling life” (5).
Consequently, Davies works to make sense of a modern conundrum: why are growing numbers of individuals in the West suffering from chronic symptoms and why is medicine seemingly a means to no end? Davies suggests that conventional medicine works to appease symptoms instead of getting rid of them altogether; therefore, he demonstrates ways to address the cause of chronic symptoms via self-healing and emphasizes the importance of creating “an environment that allows the body to heal” (6). According to Davies this requires us to focus on ourselves and understand that while we can’t remove ourselves from the environment, we can learn to respond to the environment in a more adaptive way.
In his enlightening, self-help book, The Intelligent Body, Davies provides insight into the possible causes of chronic health conditions and reveals how the body’s response to events has a greater impact on the development of these conditions than the event itself. Additionally, Davies not only explains the problem but poses possible exercises that clinicians can engage in with their clients to help their clients understand the mind-body connection and discover how to utilize their own natural healing abilities.
The Intelligent Body redefines chronic health conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, trauma, depression, and anxiety in terms of our relationship to our environment and suggests that by finding harmony between the body and mind we can embrace the power of self-healing.
Kyle Davies is a psychologist, therapist, coach, consultant, speaker, and author. He is the creator of Energy-Flow Coaching, a mind-body approach to help individuals battling chronic health conditions and is the host of the podcast Unleashing Potentials.
Monica Spafford studies applied psychology at New York University and is set to graduate in May of 2018. She is a Research Assistant for the INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament research study at NYU’s Institute of Human Development and Social Change testing the efficacy of the INSIGHTS program, an evidence-based intervention that works to support children’s social-emotional development and academic learning. In addition to working for Somatic Psychotherapy Today, she writes reviews for the International Journal of Psychotherapy.
