The most recommended chronic pain books

Who picked these books? Meet our 8 experts.

8 authors created a book list connected to chronic pain, and here are their favorite chronic pain books.
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Book cover of Explain Pain

Drew Coverdale Author Of The Pain Habit: Your Journey To Recovery. Discover the Truth About Your Pain

From my list on chronic pain to start recovering from it.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a physiotherapist for 25 years, chronic pain has always fascinated me. Understanding the variety of factors that contribute to its development and continuance always felt enigmatic. It always seemed I was missing part of the puzzle or that the patient was. The pathway of trial and error, accident, and luck were part of a slow and frustrating journey to my level of understanding today. My recommendations have been fundamental pieces of my learning and as well as my own work, now contribute to one possible pathway for other patients and clinicians to interpret chronic pain and recover from it without the historic difficulty that many have attempted to overcome.

Drew's book list on chronic pain to start recovering from it

Drew Coverdale Why did Drew love this book?

I found explain pain an amazing book to help make the transition from a biomedical pursuit of pain from the clinician to one that incorporates a biopsychosocial approach to persistent pain resolution for the patient. I loved the way the technical descriptions are weaved into clinical applications and the layout makes a very complicated subject fascinating, fun, and interesting to learn more about. The physiological and neuroscientific framing helped me explain to patients confidently when challenging outdated beliefs around pain, which are often the greatest barrier to overcoming it. 

By David Butler, G. Lorimer Moseley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Explain Pain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

[***PUBLISHER'S NOTE - JUNE 2021: We have worked extensively to update this ebook version for the Kindle Fire Tablet (KF8) and Mac iOS (.azx files), including a new and improved Regional Magnification option whereby readers can open a 'pop up' magnification of the text and images should they be too small to read with clarity. However, other Kindle e-readers, Kindle APPs for iOS and Android, or Kindle-4-PC/Mac may not give the same quality or standard of reading. Therefore please check your Kindle device before purchasing as not all Kindle devices will read this fixed mobipocket formatted ebook. By purchasing this…


Book cover of Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

Travis Rieder Author Of Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices

From my list on philosophy books for everyone.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a philosopher and bioethicist at Johns Hopkins University, where I teach students and conduct scholarship mainly for my colleagues and policymakers. But my popular writing is driven by the belief that many of the things I find interesting to think and write about are interesting not because I’m an academic—but because I’m a human, and so it’s likely that other humans would find them interesting too. So, while I enjoy dissecting esoteric scholarship as much as the next professor, my passion is exploring important ideas in a format that everyone can enjoy. This has been the goal of my first two books and will hopefully be the goal of many more.

Travis' book list on philosophy books for everyone

Travis Rieder Why did Travis love this book?

I was shaken by the power of Setiya’s writing. Academic philosophers are not exactly known for the beauty of their prose, but this book is, indeed, beautiful. And sad. And a bit dark. So basically, it was exactly what I look for in a book.

I was drawn in by Setiya’s early disclosure that he lives with chronic pain and that this would be part of his window into exploring suffering. As someone who also lives with pain (and who has tried to write about it), I found his reflections powerful.

His chapter on grief, too, stayed with me, so much so that I went back to it after experiencing a loss in my life. Perhaps that’s the greatest compliment I can give this book—that it truly made philosophy matter to me when I needed it to.

By Kieran Setiya,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life Is Hard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Life Is Hard is a humane consolation for challenging times. Reading it is like speaking with a thoughtful friend who never tells you to cheer up, but, by offering gentle companionship and a change of perspective, makes you feel better anyway.” —The New York Times Book Review

There is no cure for the human condition: life is hard. But Kieran Setiya believes philosophy can help. He offers us a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world. 

In this profound and personal book, Setiya shows how the tools of philosophy can help…


Book cover of Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing

Mariel Buqué Author Of Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma

From my list on cycle breakers who broke the cycle of trauma.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a trauma psychologist and intergenerational trauma expert who’s listened to countless client stories of generational pain and healing. I also write a weekly newsletter, called Break the Cycle, where I offer coping skills to cycle breakers and have the opportunity to read about the multitude of ways in which they are breaking away from trauma and creating legacies of abundance. It is in these stories, I believe, that we're able to see all the possibilities of how we may heal. I hope you enjoy these multilayered stories as much as I did! 

Mariel's book list on cycle breakers who broke the cycle of trauma

Mariel Buqué Why did Mariel love this book?

This book at times feels like poetry and written with such profundity.

Grappling with deep physical pain, Jen Soriano, a daughter of a neurosurgeon, comes upon a hard truth about the origins of her physical pain; a history of generational trauma and her family’s absorption of a painful history of colonization of the Phillipines.

This poignant memoir helped me understand, at a personal level, how the body starts to give up when we carry the emotional wounds of the past, how neurodivergence intersects with historical trauma, and reminds us that freedom from pain is indeed possible.

As a trauma psychologist, it was both humbling and enlightening to receive the author’s personal accounts of intergenerational trauma and intergenerational healing.

By Jen Soriano,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Nervous as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Activist Jen Soriano brings to light the lingering impacts of transgenerational trauma and uses science, history, and family stories to flow toward transformation in this powerful collection that brings together the lyric storytelling, cultural exploration, and thoughtful analysis of The Argonauts, The Woman Warrior, What My Bones Know, and Minor Feelings.

The power of quiet can haunt us over generations, crystallizing in pain that Jen Soriano views as a form of embodied history. In this searing memoir in essays, Soriano, the daughter of a neurosurgeon, journeys to understand the origins of her chronic pain and mental health struggles. By the…


Book cover of Chronic Illness: Walking by Faith

Christopher Martin Author Of Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness: Proven Strategies for Discovering Happiness, Meaning, and Fulfillment

From my list on chronic illness for Christians on wisdom and joy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a school psychologist and Christian who has lived with multiple debilitating chronic illnesses for 25 years. As a result, I am all too familiar with how disruptive and life-changing they can be to our daily lives. Yet few books exist that offer practical guidance for living with chronic illness. And even fewer of these books are for Christian readers. Written with different areas of expertise and angles, my book and the books below fill this gap. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have!

Christopher's book list on chronic illness for Christians on wisdom and joy

Christopher Martin Why did Christopher love this book?

Licensed Counselor Esther Smith masterfully offers an impressive Christian devotional for chronic illness sufferers that takes only a few minutes per day to read. I find myself referring back to it for strength, wisdom, and biblical insights. The chapter for each day includes a Bible verse pertaining to a topic, a faith-based discussion, reflection questions, and suggested actions.   

There is so much to love about this book: it is practical, relatable, quick and easy to read, and comforting. 

By Esther Smith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chronic Illness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Is chronic illness taking over your heart as much as your body? Physical symptoms and limitations change all aspects of life, leading to losses and to unique challenges that are difficult to navigate. Writing from her own experience with these issues, Esther Smith focuses heavily on encouragement and practical application, showing you how to release guilt and shame, ask for help, balance work and rest, and get through days of difficult symptoms. Each day, you will be encouraged as you consider how God uses illness in sanctifying, kingdom-advancing ways to display his glory and work in your heart.

In the…


Book cover of Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System

Rebecca Dimyan Author Of Chronic: A Memoir

From my list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a woman who suffers from chronic illness, I am interested in sharing my experience and learning about other women who also suffer and survive their chronic conditions. I have had endometriosis, a painful disease, since I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed stories about different kinds of chronic illnesses, and I appreciate the way pain and sickness can be translated into memorable books. 

Rebecca's book list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between

Rebecca Dimyan Why did Rebecca love this book?

Huber is an author and teacher whom I adore, and I am lucky enough to call friend and mentor, but her writing will make everyone fall in love with her.

Heartfelt, lyrical, brutally honest, and funny, this collection of essays will give you new insight into what it means to live in chronic pain. She writes in a way that makes illness and pain itself almost beautiful. If you want poetic writing, a compelling narrative, and an experimental approach to understanding the pain that is an inextricable part of life for some of us, this book is for you.

By Sonya Huber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten. What about on a scale of spicy to citrus? Is it more like a lava lamp or a mosaic? Pain, though a universal element of human experience, is dimly understood and sometimes barely managed. Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System is a collection of literary and experimental essays about living with chronic pain. Sonya Huber moves away from a linear narrative to step through the doorway into pain itself, into that strange, unbounded reality. Although the essays are personal in nature, this collection is…


Book cover of The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain

Drew Coverdale Author Of The Pain Habit: Your Journey To Recovery. Discover the Truth About Your Pain

From my list on chronic pain to start recovering from it.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a physiotherapist for 25 years, chronic pain has always fascinated me. Understanding the variety of factors that contribute to its development and continuance always felt enigmatic. It always seemed I was missing part of the puzzle or that the patient was. The pathway of trial and error, accident, and luck were part of a slow and frustrating journey to my level of understanding today. My recommendations have been fundamental pieces of my learning and as well as my own work, now contribute to one possible pathway for other patients and clinicians to interpret chronic pain and recover from it without the historic difficulty that many have attempted to overcome.

Drew's book list on chronic pain to start recovering from it

Drew Coverdale Why did Drew love this book?

Alan Gordon is such a great communicator and his book spoke to me personally. It probably does the same for many others and his compassionate tone outlines the reasons why pain can become persistent. The same calming explanations also offer real opportunities to reverse the pain and they are all based on scientific research. This gives validation to their use and their practical application is so easy to apply by simply reading the descriptions. I felt really excited that this book in particular could start to create a push back against many years of medical dogma, and support both patients and clinicians in this emerging field of healthcare for those in persistent pain.

By Alan Gordon, Alon Ziv,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Way Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A groundbreaking mind-body protocol to heal chronic pain, backed by new research.

Chronic pain is an epidemic. Fifty million Americans struggle with back pain, headaches, or some other pain that resists all treatment. Desperate pain sufferers are told again and again that there is no cure for chronic pain.

Alan Gordon, a psychotherapist and the founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles, was in grad school when he started experiencing chronic pain and it completely derailed his life. He saw multiple doctors and received many diagnoses, but none of the medical treatments helped. Frustrated with conventional pain management,…


Book cover of When There Is No Cure: How to Thrive While Living with the Pain and Suffering of Chronic Illness

Christopher Martin Author Of Finding Joy with an Invisible Chronic Illness: Proven Strategies for Discovering Happiness, Meaning, and Fulfillment

From my list on chronic illness for Christians on wisdom and joy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a school psychologist and Christian who has lived with multiple debilitating chronic illnesses for 25 years. As a result, I am all too familiar with how disruptive and life-changing they can be to our daily lives. Yet few books exist that offer practical guidance for living with chronic illness. And even fewer of these books are for Christian readers. Written with different areas of expertise and angles, my book and the books below fill this gap. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have!

Christopher's book list on chronic illness for Christians on wisdom and joy

Christopher Martin Why did Christopher love this book?

I was drawn to this meticulously written book in part because the author is a professor of pharmacy and my father is a retired pharmacist. I found myself thoroughly enjoying, underlining, and learning from the wealth of insight into living with chronic illness. The author offers excellent tips for navigating relationships, the medical field, and evaluating treatment options. 

While this book (like mine) is written for readers of all faiths, I appreciated and related to the testimony in the final chapter in which the author discusses the importance of his Christian faith and how it has helped him find meaning and purpose through suffering.   

By Craig K. Svensson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When There Is No Cure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How do you live well when the physical foundation of your life is crumbling? This is the challenge for millions who live with diseases for which there is no cure. These incurable ailments produce a life of constant pain, fatigue, numbness, dizziness, and other debilitating symptoms that create chronic suffering. Can you thrive in life while experiencing the suffering persistent sickness provokes? In When There Is No Cure, Dr. Craig Svensson guides readers to a path of thriving when life’s journey includes an incurable ailment. Drawing on his expertise as a pharmacist-scientist, as well as a fellow sufferer with several…


Book cover of American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts

Eric Eyre Author Of Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic

From my list on the opioid crisis written by journalists.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a West Virginia-based journalist. I have covered the opioid epidemic for nearly 10 years. In 2017, I was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for stories about massive shipments of OxyContin and other painkillers to small towns in Appalachia. 

Eric's book list on the opioid crisis written by journalists

Eric Eyre Why did Eric love this book?

McGreal’s book fell a bit under the radar, but in my mind, it’s one of the best books of reportage on the opioid epidemic. As a reporter for The Guardian, McGreal covered the drug crisis for years. American Overdose connects all the dots that caused it. The book starts out, “Even as a teenager, Henry Vinson wanted to be an undertaker,” then takes flight from the hollows of West Virginia to the halls of Congress. McGreal is a tenacious reporter and a superb writer. He’s one of the first reporters to lay bare the Food and Drug Administration’s cozy relationship with Purdue Pharma. And he introduces readers to former DEA agent Joe Rannazzisi, who tried to put the brakes on massive shipments of painkillers to small towns across America, but was forced to step aside after Big Pharma complained about him to powerful U.S. lawmakers. The story builds from…

By Chris McGreal,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked American Overdose as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019

A devastating portrait of America's opioid painkiller epidemic - the deadliest drug crisis in US history.

One hundred and fifty Americans are killed each day by the opioid epidemic. But, as Chris McGreal reveals it was an avoidable tragedy driven by bad science, corporate greed and a corrupted medical system. He tells the stories of the families devastated by painkillers they thought would heal, and the physicians and scientists who took on the drug companies behind the epidemic. American Overdose is a powerful account of the terrible human cost of the…


Book cover of Creature

Steve Stred Author Of Mastodon

From my list on non-typical creature-feature books.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a little boy, I’ve been fascinated by all things ‘creatures’–from massive Grizzly bears that roam the mountains to Kraken that swim in the depths of the oceans to massive Anaconda that are worshiped in the Amazon rainforest. Having discovered The Weekly World News tabloids at my grandma’s, I couldn’t get enough of what makes us question what lurks in the trees or swim in the waters around us. I’ve taken that love of all things cryptid and used those moments of awe and fear that I had while discovering these creatures all those years ago and placed them into the novels I write.

Steve's book list on non-typical creature-feature books

Steve Stred Why did Steve love this book?

While this book is a work of fiction, Shea infused a significant amount of non-fiction elements into the novel from his own life.

The story rampages along, starting out creepy at first–odd things happening around the lake cabin–but soon blossoms into a full-scale creature assault on the people within.

Heartstopping and heartbreaking, this is Shea’s best work to date.

By Hunter Shea,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Creature as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'It's much more than most creature features, it has heart and thought, and a superb, head-on horror conclusion. The best Hunter Shea I've read so far and by more than a little.' - Eddie Generous (Unnerving Magazine)
The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew's surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It's beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the…


Book cover of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time

Drew Coverdale Author Of The Pain Habit: Your Journey To Recovery. Discover the Truth About Your Pain

From my list on chronic pain to start recovering from it.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a physiotherapist for 25 years, chronic pain has always fascinated me. Understanding the variety of factors that contribute to its development and continuance always felt enigmatic. It always seemed I was missing part of the puzzle or that the patient was. The pathway of trial and error, accident, and luck were part of a slow and frustrating journey to my level of understanding today. My recommendations have been fundamental pieces of my learning and as well as my own work, now contribute to one possible pathway for other patients and clinicians to interpret chronic pain and recover from it without the historic difficulty that many have attempted to overcome.

Drew's book list on chronic pain to start recovering from it

Drew Coverdale Why did Drew love this book?

This book helped me grasp the unconscious nature of most of our behaviours and the neuroscience behind it. This was so important to me to understand how pain is wired within us, so that you can translate that back to a patient in a way they understand it. When I learned about the neuroscientific drivers behind pain and precipitating behaviours I realised that blame was so easy to remove from the patient and clinician vocabulary when helping someone towards recover.  It made so much common sense to me and has been a great help in helping change people's perceptions and behaviours around their pain. 

By Alex Korb,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Upward Spiral as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Depression doesn't happen all at once. It starts gradually and builds momentum over time. If you go through a difficult experience, you may stop taking care of yourself. You may stop exercising and eating healthy, which will end up making you feel even worse as time goes on. You are caught in a downward spiral, but you may feel too tired, too overwhelmed, and too scared to try and pull yourself back up. The good news is that just one small step can be a step in the right direction.

In The Upward Spiral, neuroscientist Alex Korb demystifies the neurological…