Reading That Has Inspired Me

Living with chronic pain, injury and/or illness can feel overwhelming, but I’ve learned through my own journey that healing is possible when we approach it with compassion, curiosity, and the right tools. For me, breathwork and somatic coaching have been powerful practices, helping me reconnect with my body, release stored tension, and create space for healing.

Books have also been trusted companions along the way. The right words at the right time can shift how we see ourselves and what we believe is possible. That’s why I’ve created this list of recommended reading, resources that not only support chronic pain recovery, but also align with the principles of self-growth, nervous system regulation, and embodied healing.

These books are not listed in any particular order. 

The Way Out by Alan Gordon, LCSW

This book has been a game-changer in how I understand chronic pain. Alan Gordon introduces pain reprocessing therapy (PRT), a method that helps retrain the brain and calm the nervous system’s pain signals. What resonates so deeply with me is how it mirrors the work I do with clients through breathwork and somatic coaching. Both approaches remind us that the body isn’t the enemy, but rather it’s a guide.

In my own life, combining the insights from The Way Out with body-based practices has given me hope and practical tools to move through pain, rather than stay trapped in it. I believe you can find the same encouragement here, a reminder that healing isn’t just about managing symptoms, it’s about creating a new relationship with your body and your story.

Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl

In this powerful work, Viktor E. Frankl — renowned psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor — explores how we can find meaning even in the most difficult circumstances. Written shortly after his liberation, Yes to Life reminds us that even in the face of pain, loss, and uncertainty, we still have the freedom to choose how we respond.

This book resonates deeply with the principles of breathwork and somatic coaching, which invite us to stay present with what is, while opening to possibility and transformation. Frankl’s perspective is a reminder that healing is not just about reducing symptoms; it’s about cultivating resilience, inner strength, and a sense of purpose that transcends suffering.

On my own path, this book has served as both grounding and inspiring. It reinforces the truth that while we cannot always control our circumstances, or even our pain, we can shape our relationship with them. Choosing life, again and again, is an act of courage and self-growth.

Mind Your Body: A Revolutionary Program to Release Chronic Pain and Anxiety by Nicole J. Sachs

Nicole J. Sachs offers a compassionate, groundbreaking approach to healing that blends neuroscience, psychology, and somatic awareness. In Mind Your Body, she introduces practical tools for breaking the cycle of chronic pain and anxiety by addressing the emotional patterns that fuel them.

What makes this book so powerful is how deeply it aligns with breathwork and somatic coaching. Nicole shows us that pain is not just a physical experience, it’s often the body’s way of expressing what we haven’t yet processed emotionally. By creating space to feel, breathe, and release, we can interrupt old patterns and begin to rewrite our relationship with pain.

In my own journey, I’ve seen how transformative it is to shift from fighting the body to listening to it. Mind Your Body provides both the science and the practices to support this shift — making it a valuable resource for anyone ready to explore self-growth, nervous system regulation, and healing at the deepest level.

Alcoholics Anonymous (The Big Book) — An Unlikely Resource

While not written about chronic pain directly, Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most profound resources I’ve encountered for understanding patterns of addiction — and how they show up in unexpected ways. Just as someone might become dependent on alcohol, many of us can, unknowingly, become addicted to pain.

Pain, like addiction, can become a familiar identity. The Big Book of AA outlines a path of surrender, acceptance, and community support that mirrors what many of us need in healing. For me, reading it reframed how I see chronic pain: not as something I “am,” but as something I can learn to release.

When combined with breathwork and somatic coaching, this resource reminds us that healing involves breaking free from old patterns, choosing new ways of being, and opening up to the possibility of transformation.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy

This spiritual classic explores the connection between faith, thought, and healing. Mary Baker Eddy emphasizes the transformative power of spiritual insight and prayer in restoring balance and health.

For those exploring spirituality alongside somatic healing, this book offers a perspective that healing is not only physical, but also deeply connected to consciousness and spirit.

Nature and the Mind by Marc Berman

Marc Berman’s research highlights the healing impact of the natural world on our minds and bodies. He shows how time in nature restores attention, reduces stress, and supports overall well-being.

This ties beautifully with somatic coaching, as both encourage us to step outside patterns of stress and re-connect with what regulates the nervous system naturally.

The Familiar Stranger by Tyler Staton

Tyler Staton explores how prayer transforms from ritual into relationship. This book highlights the intimacy of connecting with God in daily life — not as a distant practice, but as a real, ongoing conversation.

For those navigating pain and growth, this aligns with practices like breathwork, reminding us that presence and communication with the divine are part of embodied healing.

The Power of Two Way Prayer by Father Bill W.

This book introduces the practice of two-way prayer, a method developed within early 12-step recovery circles that invites listening to God, not just speaking. Father Bill W. brings this contemplative practice into modern life as a way of deepening spiritual connection.

For those who find themselves “addicted to pain,” this practice offers a shift, away from self-identifying with suffering and toward open dialogue with the divine, much like somatic practices help us shift relationship with the body.

Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe

Jacques Philippe explores the inner landscape of freedom, teaching that true peace comes not from external control but from trust and surrender.

This aligns with somatic coaching in a profound way: both emphasize releasing the need to resist or fix, and instead cultivating presence and openness. Healing flows when we discover freedom within.

The Presence Process by Michael Brown

Michael Brown offers a 10-week journey designed to integrate unresolved emotions and awaken presence in everyday life. The process is experiential, guiding readers through breathing practices and awareness exercises.

This is directly aligned with breathwork — reminding us that healing is not about the past or future, but about meeting life fully in the present moment. For anyone walking through pain, this book is both practical and transformative.

The Holy Bible

The Bible offers profound comfort and guidance for those facing chronic pain, reminding us over and over again not to be afraid and to trust in God’s care. Through the teachings of Jesus, we learn how to regulate our nervous system and that healing, spiritual, emotional, and sometimes physical, can come through faith, prayer, and surrender. 

We are reminded that we are not alone in our struggles. For anyone living with chronic pain, the Bible can be a source of strength, guiding us toward healing, comfort, and the courage to face each day with faith.

Closing Thoughts

Each of these books reminds us of a simple but powerful truth: the body holds wisdom, and when we approach it with curiosity, healing can unfold in ways we never thought possible.

Through breathwork, somatic coaching, and these readings, I’ve discovered that chronic pain is not the end of the story, it can be the beginning of a new relationship with yourself, one built on resilience, trust, and hope.