Effortless Pain Relief: a Guide to Self-Healing from Chronic Pain

By Ingrid Bacci, Ph.D.
272 pages
Free Press, 2005
$24
Reviewed by Nancy Fees

I found this book to be very interesting and helpful for my fibromyalgia. Author Dr. Ingrid Bacci sees chronic pain not in any one specific are of the body, but as a mind and body problem. The mind and body are one, not separate, and each cell in the body has a mind.

Bacci looks at healing the chronic pain patient not through medications and drugs, but by studying the patterns of body movement, the mind, and how the body works. Breathing and exercising properly are very important. But most important is self-exploration and getting in touch with and improving the way your whole body moves, moment by moment and day by day.

According to Bacci, “No one but you can figure out the true causes of your physical pain. Pain is never purely structural or bio-chemical in origin. It results from a complex dialogue among mental, emotional, and physical aspects of your being.”

This book will help those with chronic pain deal with stress and physical healing, and lead them down the road to personal empowerment. Bacci shows that, with personal empowerment and learning about the relationship of body and mind, you are more likely to understand what is causing your chronic pain. By taking charge of your body and mind, you can take charge of your pain.

Nancy Fees was diagnosed with FM 13 years ago, after searching for a diagnosis for three years. After experiencing all the pain and problems that FM brings—including the struggle to make her family understand what she was feeling—she has improved dramatically because of clinical massage, rest, a better diet and encouragement and love from friends and family. She lives in Southern California with her husband Jim and their dog Eddie.