Wisdom of Your Body

“... I have been looking for ways to weave myself back into wholeness, for thread to stitch back together the fabric of my life into something greater than the individual parts.” - Hillary L. McBride, PhDWhen I read this sentence, I felt seen and known - like another person was articulating the journey I’ve been on. Dr. Hillary L. McBride’s The Wisdom of the Body masterfully weaves together pieces of her own story with rich academic wisdom and research to encourage the reader and share practices that will help many on the journey to healing and wholeness.This is the kind of book where I couldn’t decide whether to devour it in one read or to pace myself in order to savor the richness and depth within. In the midst of a personally busy season, I had to slow down my normal voracious reading speed and I believe the experience was all the better. The more I read, the more the words and ideas Dr. McBride shares soaked into me – echoing, resonating, and drawing my attention to my own past and present experiences of embodiment.This book has tied together so many threads of things that I’ve been pondering over the last few years. About myself as a body and the things I’ve experienced, about trauma, pain, pleasure, about how society conditions our views of bodies, about the systems and structures that continue to oppress certain kinds of bodies, and so much more. Even better, Dr. McBride is not content to merely impart knowledge, but invites us to move beyond the facts and into our bodies, paying attention to bodily and emotional experiences even as we read.The Wisdom of Your Body is exactly the kind of gentle invitation to remember our own embodied selves that I needed this fall. At moments, it feels both poetic and prophetic, masterfully weaving together important themes that will reverberate both personally and socially, calling all of us toward the healing that we and our world need. Absolutely and wholeheartedly, I give this book 5-stars. But more than just giving it a 5-star review, I will be purchasing many copies and sharing this beautiful gift with my friends and loved ones.

I have loved reading Hillary’s work and listening to her on podcasts for a while now, and I am stoked to have this book in my hands. She writes with such balance and care about sensitive and complex topics like neuroscience, embodiment, eating disorders, and trauma. This book feels like a giant love letter to yourself, an invitation to come home to yourself and your body as it was intended to be housed. I just loved the use of metaphors and analogies used. Hillary offers great practical tips and prompts at the end of each chapter, which ties it all together perfectly. Hillary’s work is a gift to a deeply disconnected world.

I woke up early this morning to finish the book and I feel like I already want to read it again. I have grown up in a society and culture where emotions were not welcomed, my body not valued as it was, and not taught to trust my body.If you have ever wonders, how do I start to value and appreciate my body. How do I stop avoiding emotions and start viewing my mind and body as friends then this book will give you the stories and the tools to start learning those skills.Hillary does a wonderful job of weaving together stories, research, tools, and encouragement. She has gentle and nurturing messages that make some of the most uncomfortable topics we avoid approachable.

Nearly two years into a global pandemic, we are all too familiar with our busy minds, flooded with ambiguous grief and stuck in a never before experienced isolation from each other and ourselves. Dr. McBride’s book calls us home - to the very bodies that have sustained us since the day we were born. A perfect mixture of science and soul, this book examines the cultural, political and economic significance of the body from commodification to criminalization and bodily acts of resistance and survival, you will find a new connection with yourself as you drop back into your body while devouring this book. So grateful for Dr. McBride’s wisdom which reads more as a conversation with a thoughtful and warm hearted friend than a weighty tome. A must read for all people, cis or queer, however abled, whatever story brought you here.

I have been so eager for this book to come out! I am so excited to have it in my hands, finally!Dr. Hillary’s work has impacted me so much over the last several years. As someone who has been working through complex PTSD - the message and work of embodiment has become incredibly impactful for me and my healing journey. Hillary is so wise and thorough in her work. She speaks with so much grace and makes you feel deeply cared for through the difficult work of healing. Even though I’m only halfway through at this moment, I already highly recommend this book! Especially to anyone working with people through healing such as coaches, counselors and therapists.

I can’t say enough good about Dr. McBride’s newest book. It’s so profound. She puts accessible and poetic language to the vast neuroscience of our bodies and integrates her personal, painful, journey through recovery along with stories from the lives of her clients — and weaves through it all this spiritual awakening/deconstructing that happens when you find a way to be embodied. As someone who has at many points in life “left” my body to avoid pain — this book has helped me and will continue to help me navigate the journey back home. It’s both cerebral and tangible. Academic and accessible. Scientific and spiritual. Painful and liberating. It is all encompassing - in the same way embodiment works. I highly recommend it and invite anyone who is navigating their way home to please check it out! ❤️