Good if occasionally difficult to listen to

I found the narrator's tone a little patronising at times, but otherwise it is a book I would thoroughly recommend everyone listen to, to gain an understanding about psychosomatic illnesses.

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a good read

I'm not in the medical profession but the subject of this I find to be very interesting ,although at times a bit confusing to the lay person. Well wrote and narrated!

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A must read

Beautifully written and perfect narration choice. This book will make a real difference to my clients. Thank you

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A mixed bag

Very interesting stories and on the side of progress regarding mental health but... riddled with outdated Cartesian dualism as it tries to navigate the mind-body system. It really shouldn't have to be so difficult to prove that the mind effects the body and this is a worthy cause indeed. However, it does not include any of the accepted data available on how psychological trauma creates chronic disease over time. The narrative still wrestles with the false dichotomy between mind and body, tying itself in knots, failing to acknowledge the multi-systemic, interconnectedness of the brain and body via the immune and endocrine system. It also skirts over the shocking statistics about women being repeatedly turned away by health professionals when suffering with life threatening illness, creating unnecessary delays and sometimes loss of life (all because of perceived hysteria). I'd recommend Gabor Matè's work 'When the Body Says No' for hard science and more up-to-date understanding of how our emotional worlds and environmental shapes our health.

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4 people found this helpful

Such an amazing book! All Doctors should read.

This advocate for those with functional illness and call for the understanding of this spectrum of illness for healthcare professionals and all.

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Informative, sympathetic, campaigning

An excellent book brilliantly read. In a similar vein to Stephen Grosz's Examined Life. A sensitive, informative approach to psychosomatic illness which flips our understanding on its head. Its a rallying call to society to change the way we understand the issue.

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Felt like I was learning something

Managed to make what I expected would be quite dry material into something interesting. Actually felt like I was learning something and expanding my view of the world. The author's writing skills stand to her allowing the material to be accessible and engaging to everybody. I still remember first being introduced to the idea of psychogenic seizures in college as part of our training, with videos showing patients exhibiting true epileptic vs psychogenic seizures, the subtle difference imperceptible to the untrained eye. The author shares her experience in the area in a frank and honest manner while also being compassionate and showing that rather than a diagnosis of a psychosomatic illness being an insult to a patient it can be the first step to finding and addressing the real root cause, a means to empower the patient and ultimately relieve them of their illness.

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Very good for those in the field of FND

Found very useful for my work. Compelling stories and touching. Would recommend. 5 stars from me.

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Excellent

Found this really interesting. As a retired medical professional I wish more of my colleagues and ex patients were able to read or listen to this. I learned a lot from Dr O’Sullivan. Would highly recommend

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As a GP, this is like gold dust

Excellent narrating. The stories are going to stick in my head long term. All explained at the perfect pace. I can use this in my GP clinics for patients who have psychosomatic illness. I'm going to be recommending this to all patients who I think may benefit.

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