Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain
SPRING DEVOTIONS
Kindle version live, here.
Amazon Canada Kindle, here.
Sometimes we feel alone and isolated. Sometimes we forget
that for every healthcare provider that doesn't believe us or in us, there are two
that do. Following are the reviews that are inside the cover.
As always, there will be a
FREE DOWNLOAD for all those who choose to take advantage of
it. All we ask our readers is to please go back to the link
here , scroll down the page to customer reviews, and hit the:
"Write a Customer Review" button.
It shows your support, which as authors is important to us; it is what motivates us.
Watch for it!
From "Inside the Cover"
"We are all
subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; they are around us, in
a space we do not control. This book is a gentle, yet forceful reminder that
the best defenses against them reside within- in a space we do control, welling
up from resources we can learn to cultivate. Hope here is equally soft and
irresistible, much like Spring itself."
Dr. David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM,
FACP
Director, Yale University Prevention
Research Center
"This is a truly
beautiful book. It offers healing medicine for the body, the mind, and the
heart. It will soothe your body with its many practical tips for minimizing
physical pain. It will open your mind to new ways of framing your experience so
you can live a full and purposeful life despite your health challenges. It will
open your heart to your potential to be kind and loving so you can wrap
yourself in a cloak of compassion for yourself and others. This is a book to
keep close by, always."
Toni Bernhard, author of How to Be Sick and How to Wake Up
"The spring
Devotions is like a relaxing massage for the mind. Filled with comfort and
words of wisdom, it is a wonderful journey through the season, providing hope
in the power of one’s own ability to travel to a place of healing. I wish I
could give a copy to each one of my patients."
Susan Opper MD, Medical Director of
Pain Management, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Assistant Professor
University of Missouri Kansas City
"Celeste and Jeff
have produced another gem. For those currently disabled by pain and poor health
this is a traveling companion to lighten your load, and it is from someone who
is on the same path. Celeste has lifted herself up from her own illness to
reach out to others with compassion. Her strength amazes me. She is an inspiration
to me. This beautiful book is filled with valuable advice, wisdom, and
generosity of spirit. It belongs in the pocket of all who suffer, and all who
care for them."
Dr John Whiteside, MBBS, Fellow of
the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine.
"Celeste
Cooper and Jeff Miller have given us a great way to begin our day. As a chronic pain patient, I take one
day at a time facing new changes and challenges. Spring is a season full of new
beginnings and opportunities and this book combines stories, pictures, prose,
and quotes that motivate us, inspire us, and provoke us to answer questions
that challenge us to look both internally and externally. The authors encourage
us to journal, and by doing so, commit us to a positive, healthier self. Spring Devotions provides us the
necessary tools for our arsenal in the combat against chronic illness."
Melissa Swanson,
freelance writer, patient, advocate, moderator of the Facebook group
"Fibro Warriors~Living Life", and blogger
"Broken
Body, Wounded Spirit Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain" one of four
seasonal daybooks' holistic approach to chronic pain challenges is a powerful
tool to everyone dealing with these issues. It is a self-empowerment tool,
making you the cartographer in the adventure of your evolving future.
My 20
years of working with people challenged by chronic pain issues have revealed to
me just how deeply the mind, heart (emotions), and body are intertwined and how
a holistic approach is a powerful one. Often our mind drives us to push, push,
push because of old programming in our lives. This habit overrides the body's requirements,
and needs to be untangled. This book will support and help you get back in
touch with your body', so you can become an 'ally' rather than a brutal
taskmaster. You can re-learn how to 'play' with your body, rather than
dictating to it. This book's advocacy of Tai Chi is just one of the many
insightful and valuable gems it has to offer everyone dealing with chronic
pain."
Bill Douglas, author
of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to
T'ai Chi & Qigong," 2009 Inductee to the Internal Arts Hall of
Fame in New York, and Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day.
This,
the last of Celeste and Jeff's four seasonal devotions books, may just be the
best of all. From its practical suggestions to its inspirational quotes and
photos, Spring Devotions offers
chronic pain sufferers daily bite-sized, easily digestible tidbits that
educate, encourage and empower us to take control of our health and our lives.
And as someone who likes to jot down personal thoughts in my devotionals, I
especially appreciate the extra space for notes. All in all, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit...: Spring
Devotions is a valuable
asset for anyone living with chronic pain.
"As
a neurosurgeon committed to treating people in pain, I am often consumed with
the technical details of interventional procedures. Celeste Cooper and Jeff
Miller, in their beautiful book Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the
See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Spring Devotions, remind doctor and patient alike that
true healing comes from the mind-body balance that can only be achieved from
within. I recommend this inspirational work to all who deal with pain, especially
in circumstances that call for using advanced technological treatments, to help
them center the psyche and recruit the spirit in the journey toward
health."
"Too often, we respond to
chronic pain is by looking outside of ourselves to find cures, as dictated by
our predominant biomedical model, overlooking the innate ability of our bodies
to heal themselves, if we just “get out of the way”. This beautiful book is
chock-full of guidance for doing just that: accessing the still, small voice
inside so it can guide us to healing. It reminds us why we really need to use a
'biopsychosocial-spiritual' model of pain. Thank you for this valuable
resource!"
Dr. Bob Twillman, Ph.D., FAPM, Deputy
Executive Director and Director of Policy and Advocacy, American Academy of
Pain Management, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences, University of Kansas School of Medicine
"The Pain Action
Alliance to Implement a National Strategy (PAINS) is dedicated to transforming
the way pain is perceived, judged and treated. With more than 100
million Americans living with chronic pain, this book will play an important
role in that transformation, especially for those living with pain. 'Spring Devotions' offers
hope, inspiration, and education. Thank you, Celeste and Jeff!"
Cindy Leyland, Project Director, Pain Action Alliance to Implement
a National Strategy (PAINS), a program of the Center for Practical Bioethics
FOREWORD
"Chronic pain can
be devastating and all consuming. In Broken Body, Wounded Spirit: Balancing the
See-Saw of Chronic Pain. Spring Devotions, patients will find a way to cope
with pain and thrive in spite of it. The lovely quotes, beautiful pictures, and
words of wisdom are inspiring. The information and workbook give a step-wise
approach for practical ways to lower pain levels and make it more manageable.
Following the daily
devotions makes it easier to deal with pain in a thoughtful manner, which does
not overwhelm. What is this book about? This book allows us to cleanse
ourselves of isolation, rejection, self-loathing, anxiety and a myriad of other
symptoms of inappropriate coping. We will embrace change and perpetuate healthy
strategies that improve our relationships with others, and give us hope as we
bud into a new way of thinking. Read this book and you will."
Dr Robin Miller, MD, Sharecare
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Internal Medicine and serves as the medical
director of Triune Integrative Medicine in Medford, Oregon. She has produced
the award-winning health series, "Is there a Doctor in the House", Â,
and is the author of "Kids Ask the
Doctor" and the co-author of "The Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife
and Beyond: A No-Nonsense Approach to Staying Healthy after 50".