Read times: 5-minute read

I thought I would try something new this year and let you all in on my learning and personal development journey in real time. I used to keep this very private, as it was so important to me and I was protecting myself from criticism (I've received a lot of that in my life and it’s always prevented me from doing what is right for me!). Now I am not so afraid of that, so welcome to my brain. 

I guided myself through a healing journey between the years of 2014-2019, where the path I took ended in me being completely free of health issues that plagued me throughout my entire life. The journey is still ongoing, but the bulk of it is done. 

I want to start with some recommendations on books that really kick-started my journey. 

So here are 5, some science, some emotional, some energetics and one food related. These books had a profound effect on my transformation and I want the same for you, too! They all make for reading, and will empower you moving forwards to a healthier, more wholesome you!

Let’s start with my favourite, Dr. Joe Dispenza. 

1. Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, Dr. Joe Dispenza

This book woke me up to the fact that we are not victims of our genes or circumstances, and that we do, in fact, have complete power to change our destiny. And science backs it up, 100%. 

Joe Dispenza is a chiropractor and neuroscientist who specialises in finding ways to break the body’s habitual programming to create a new future for yourself, which is designed by you, aligned with what you actually want. It is not easy work, and his methods heavily rely on meditation, but it is absolutely life changing. 

Even if you read the book, and don’t meditate, you will have a much better understanding of the amount of power you truly do have to change your life. This book gave me hope when I was completely down and out, struggling with chronic fatigue and mental health issues that had just gotten worse with each year. 

If you want to learn about how you came to be how and where you are (scientifically, genetically, neurologically), so you can start making moves towards a more positive future, this one is not to be missed!

2. You are the Placebo, Dr. Joe Dispenza

This is actually the second book I read in my healing journey. The first was ‘Mind Over Medicine’ by Lissa Rankin, but this one will tie in more closely with the first recommendation, and both books highlight the same placebo/nocebo stories that are documented in scientific literature. 

This book goes into depth around the placebo effect, which is a phenomenon where we can be healed, just by believing we can be. The same can be said for its opposite, the nocebo effect, where we can become sick just by believing we are. As it turns out, what we believe is dictating most of what happens in our lives.

It really opened my eyes up to the power of the mind, and Dr Joe uses real life examples of healing stories that emerged from his own workshops (to which I have attended three and seen and experienced these things for myself), where he shares brain scans of how the mind impacts the body and how we can best harness this if we wish to heal ourselves. 

Dr Joe actually uses the money he makes from his workshops to measure the success of his work, and as a participant you can sign up to be a part of the live testing. I have done this twice myself. 

3. When the body Says No, Dr. Gabor Mate

Dr Gabor Mate is a world-renowned physician who spent his lifetime studying addiction, trauma, childhood development, the mind-body connection and its relationship to stress and illness. He goes into detail in this book about how certain emotional states can play a role in common disease manifestations. 

He uses real life stories and examples from his patients to help you understand these links and the anecdotal data he has collected across his lifespan is undeniable once you have delved into his work. He also has really great lectures on YouTube that you can watch for free, which personally I found a little more captivating than his writing. 

4. The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz

This is a really short book, only 100 pages or so, and highlights 4 principles, or agreements, that you can begin making in your life to clear away the clutter and disharmony and truly begin living at peace with yourself. 

He also goes quite deeply into subconscious programming, and belief systems, those that are imposed on us in childhood which end up dictating our entire lives unless we become aware of them and break free. 

He explains it like this - when we are children, we are told how to be, what to do, what to think and feel by our parents, schooling and society. The way our nervous systems work is that it takes on all of this messaging, and in order to keep us safe in the world, ensures we keep operating on this frequency for the rest of our lives. Once our caretakers are no longer dictating how we need to be, we then self-impose these rules onto ourselves and in a way become our own ‘captors’. 

 It’s not until we break free from these ‘rules’ and start to align with who we are (or who we were before society came in and told us who to be), that we can be free and truly happy. 

It’s an easy read and the principles he covers are really easy to implement too. 

5. Salt, Sugar, Fat - How the Food Giants Hooked Us, Michael Moss. 

This is clearly a food related book, and the best recommendation I can make for anyone who struggles to ditch the junk food. 

The issue with most people is, they eat lots of junk, then blame themselves and feel shame for having ‘no self-control’, and then circle back again. What we don’t realise is that the food companies have done this to you on purpose - they create foods that are so perfectly crafted that they override your biology and force you to eat more of it. And even the most self-controlled, enlightened person can’t escape it. 

So this book will give you a really clear look into the lengths these companies will go to keep you hooked on your food, regardless of the consequences to your mind, body or soul. He takes you deep into the process, where colour, taste, psychology, environment are manipulated to make you desire the product, before you have even tasted it! 

Then he goes into the ‘bliss point’, which is the magical combination of salt, sugar and fat that hijacks your biology and keeps you coming back for more. 

So, check that one out. Get informed!

Those are my top 5 recommendations for 2022 readings. If you’re not a reader, listen to the audiobook and if you’re not a book person, look these people up and listen to their lectures on YouTube. You will not be disappointed!

Let me know if you end up reading one :) 

Jen x