Nikki Kenward, CST-D, MCSS, is a CranioSacral Therapist, International Alliance of Healthcare Educator through Upledger Institute International, yoga therapist, circus and physical theater director, and poet. A former professional dancer and dance therapist, she has been in private practice for 25 years. She lives in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK.
“In recent years, our awareness of the importance of the gut—its structures and the mysteries it contains—has been raised by the arrival of numerous texts on the subject. Most are really useful for reference purposes and for a greater sense of the map and features of the territory within us. Knowledge is useful, but to accelerate our understanding of these mysteries, it is important to have a resource that takes us into the reality rather than simply the theory. Nikki’s personal story takes us into that lived reality. It helps to bring the anatomy of the gut to life and, more importantly, to gain some understanding of its relationship to our deepest levels of health and well-being. There are also valuable insights into the potentially long-lasting effects of PTSD and its link to the function of our gut. This book provokes questions and encourages us to look further into this dynamic and fast-evolving area of research and study.” * Margaret Anne Gill, MBA, CST-D, MCSS, coauthor of The Inner Power of Stillness * “Overcoming Chronic Digestive Conditions is a brilliant read. It’s engaging, insightful, educational, and accessible. I would highly recommend it to anyone grappling with their own gut challenges or working in a therapeutic capacity treating those with gut-related health issues. Nikki brings to life through her own experiences how gut health problems are linked to our emotional and physical health, both now and earlier in our lives. The book helps us understand the vicious cycle of cause and effect: how challenges in our emotional and physical health have a knock-on effect on our gut health and how, in turn, the resultant gut challenges further negatively impact us emotionally and physically. I found the practical guidance and strategies immensely powerful as well as the new scientific research. And for those providing hands-on therapy, it will expand their capacity to treat patients, not just with gut disorders but also those with PTSD and neurodegenerative illness, such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. This book never promises to deliver the silver bullet but instead offers a new lens through which to view this complex and fascinating subject.” * Linda Marsh, International Coaching Federation accredited and director at Gravitas MM, Ltd. * “This book arose out of Nikki’s personal journey toward recovery from PTSD following a diving accident. Along the way, her journey took her into an exploration of her own ‘gut feeling.’ Her personal journey has become a professional focus. Nikki is using her gathered knowledge to help her own patients as well as educate colleagues and students of many hands-on treatment modalities about this rapidly changing and exciting new area of medical science—the gut/ brain connection.” * Fiona Gilbraith, CST-D, qualified member of the CranioSacral Society *