It's Not Just in Your Head

“It's Not Just in Your Head, particularly the section entitled 'Your Two Brains,’ is phenomenal! It provides a clear and compelling exploration of the brain–gut connection, an area that has long been enigmatic within gastroenterology. Dr. Trachman skillfully translates complex neurogastroenterological concepts into accessible language, grounding her explanations in sound, evidence-based research. Her ability to make the science understandable while maintaining clinical rigor makes this book both informative and reassuring for patients and clinicians alike.

 “What truly sets it apart from others is Dr. Trachman’s compassionate, patient-centered perspective. Drawing on her extensive expertise in psychosomatic medicine, she gives a voice to individuals with medically unexplained symptoms and functional bowel disorders—patients who are often misunderstood or dismissed. By validating their experiences and integrating the psychological and physiological aspects of gut health, this book offers clarity, credibility, and hope, making it a valuable and worthwhile investment for any patient seeking a deeper understanding and meaningful insight into their condition.”

—Dr. Tonya L. Adams, board-certified gastroenterologist and physician executive, and former assistant clinical professor of medicine at The George Washington University
“Full disclosure: I am a long-time fan of Susan Trachman, with whom I have collaborated on patient care for over twenty years—a rewarding, educational, and exciting journey. My always high regard for her as a physician and colleague is solidified at stratospheric heights with the publication of It’s Not Just in Your Head— elucidating, edifying, and riveting reading! This is a landmark book for all of us who focus on the mind–body connection professionally and for the clients we treat. Susan’s straightforward and sure-footed command of complex topics makes this work important for those with medically unexplained symptoms and for everyone who is a human body. The content, which covers key psychosomatic processes across organ systems, is relevant for all of us, essential to understanding the complex biopsychosocial choreography of being human.”

—Keith Saylor, PhD, ScM, president and CEO of NeuroScience, Inc., author, researcher, and consultant on Hoarding: Buried Alive
“Dr. Trachman has written a very valuable book that will enlighten physicians, patients, and families who are familiar with individuals that have a variety of persistent symptoms that are thought to have a major psychiatric component. In fact, issues in the brain are ‘real’ and often comorbid with such well delineated medical syndromes. Patients who experience such difficulties are often upset by labelling the issue as ‘all in one’s head’ and are convinced there is something seriously wrong to account for the pain, fatigue, or other bodily mysterious maladies. This important book reviews the data that such illnesses that can be serious or benign as far as mortality and morbidity often have concurrent brain pathology. Dr. Trachman urges physicians to use a biopsychosocial approach to better understand and thereby explain to the patient who is suffering from unexplained symptoms that maybe possible comorbidity that causes such somatic distress despite negative findings in routine evaluations.”

—Thomas N. Wise, MD, chair emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, Inova Health System, and professor of psychiatry, The George Washington University School of Medicine