Unmedicated: The Four Pillars of Natural Wellness

by Madisyn Taylor

Overview

The cofounder of the holistic lifestyle website DailyOM “provides inspiration and hands-on guidance in a compassionate and soulful way for anyone looking to help themselves or their loved ones” (Dr. Peter D’Adamo, New York Times bestselling author of Eat Right 4 Your Type) through four pillars of natural wellness.

Madisyn Taylor was plagued by depression and anxiety, suffering from chronic physical problems that left her desperate for solutions. Spending decades searching for answers, she first turned to the medical community, which put her on a rollercoaster course of numerous doctors, tests, and an unhealthy reliance on medications that left her numb and lifeless.

With her happiness and future on the line, she then made the decision to become unmedicated, reaching out to the alternative, holistic health realm. After years of practice and research, Madisyn developed a natural wellness program that put her back in the driver’s seat of her health, and ultimately, her life.

Unmedicated is her thoughtful account of how she broke free from binding mental chains and physical ailments to be happy, healthy, and productive. It is also a guide for you to apply her practical techniques to your own healing journey. Madisyn offers a daily program of easy-to-follow actions based on four pillars that will build a lifelong foundation for health: clear your mind; strengthen your body; and nurture your spirit.

By giving “much-needed hope to those who have yet to find a solution to their suffering” (Jen Sincero, New York Times bestselling author of You Are a Badass), Unmedicated is a gentle, compassionate, and achievable path that empowers you to take back your life and live fully.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501176906
Publisher:	Atria Books/Beyond Words
Publication date:	01/23/2018
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Madisyn Taylor is the cofounder, editor-in-chief, and content curator of the popular inspirational website and daily email newsletter, DailyOM. A recognized leader in self-help and new thought spirituality, Madisyn has more than twenty-five years of experience in personal development and alternative healing methodologies. Madisyn has written articles and an online course for Oprah.com and other publications. She is an award winning and bestselling author of two previous books, creator of a line of meditation albums, and was featured in the documentary Sensitive: The Untold Story. Madisyn resides in Santa Barbara, California. You can find her work at DailyOM.com or MadisynTaylor.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword David R. Allen, MD xi

Introduction xv

1 The Unmedicated Program: A New Healing Foundation 1

2 Pillar One: Clear Your Mind 15

3 Pillar Two: Nurture Your Spirit 45

4 Pillar Three: Strengthen Your Body 85

5 Pillar Four: Find Your Tribe 127

Unmedicated Program Review 153

Afterword 159

Additional Resources 163

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2017
Taylor, cofounder of dailyOM.com, shares her personal program for mitigating depression and getting off antidepressant drugs. Organized into the four "pillars"—"Clear Your Mind," "Nurture Your Spirit," "Strengthen Your Body," and "Find Your Tribe"—the title shares how the author moved from a scared and sad little girl to neurotic/depressed/substance-abusing adult to spiritually alive, drug-free New Age guru. Her advice is not particularly new (meditate, exercise, journal, practice forgiveness) and at times borders on the condescending; she is pretty sure if it worked for her, it will work for you, too. However, solid guidance from a supportive voice often bears repeating and just may be the antidote to what the doctor prescribed. Following her common-sense program and applying the rebuttal to self-sabotage could develop physical well-being as well as positive emotional and mental health. VERDICT This upbeat book offers a nonjudgmental and flexible guide to making healthy changes leading to an unmedicated and happier life.—Janet Tapper, Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR

Library Journal

11/13/2017
Taylor, cofounder and editor-in-chief of the inspirational website DailyOM, shares her story of her own overreliance on medications that numbed her to her full potential in this instructive take on holistic medicine. She was on antidepressants and antianxiety medications for decades but now lives without them, and here presents a four-pillar plan aimed at helping readers break their need for pharmaceuticals. The first pillar, “clear your mind,” emphasizes meditation, explaining how it can help readers quiet the mind and giving practical steps for beginning a daily practice. With this foundation, Taylor says, readers can then slowly wean themselves off of medications with the help of journaling, strengthening the body from inside out by eating well, learning to manage time efficiently, and purposefully engaging others. Taylor introduces potential pitfalls and solutions so that readers won’t be overwhelmed. Spiritual elements are slight but they do undergird her holistic philosophy of building mental health from a foundation of meditation. Taylor’s slow-burning guide to releasing the mind from medication will work best as a supplement to clinical advice. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Unmedicated offers those using prescription drugs for depression, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, HSP symptoms and other similar maladies, hope, inspiration, and most importantly, solutions to assist them in living drug-free. With a four-tier program, this book provides an easy, yet powerful program that holistically balances mind, body and spirit. If you are seeking more joy, more peace through natural methods, this book is for you.

Arielle Ford

Madisyn Taylor has been a leader in the self-help and inspirational fields for over twenty-five years, and her work has impacted countless lives. With her new book, Unmedicated, she tackles the field of mental health, and she provides inspiration and hands-on guidance in a compassionate and soulful way for anyone looking to help themselves or their loved ones.

Dr. Peter D’Adamo

Unmedicated is a precious gift of a book for anyone who has struggled with depression. In this deeply personal and profoundly practical guide, Madisyn will hold your hand through how to take daily actions to change your state. This is not some intellectual, do-this-to-feel-better-immediately read, but a guide from a veteran who has been in the trenches of depression and shares her secrets and practices to healing from the inside out.

HeatherAsh Amara

"With wisdom and sensitivity, Madisyn Taylor shares her journey to unmedicated freedom, using four unique pillars of holistic healing. For anyone who has tried everything, as Madisyn has, or who simply seeks the joy of living life in a new way, this offering shines a bright light of hope."

Sara Wiseman

Via bravely sharing her inspiring journey to self-healing, Madisyn Taylor offers healthy, profound, and easy to implement solutions for anyone dealing with depression, anxiety, and other challenges. This book will give much-needed hope to those who have yet to find a solution to their suffering.

Jen Sincero

As one of the 40 million Americans with an anxiety disorder, I am grateful for Madisyn Taylor’s new book Unmedicated. Like a close friend, Madisyn Taylor shares with her readers her personal healing journey and the insights she garnered while on it. Her revelations result in her 'Four Pillar Program' that can lead anyone who follows the practices to a profound feeling of health and wellbeing. Whether you take medication or not, I encourage you to use Unmedicated as a tool to create positive change. Take action and feel the shift.

Lissa Coffey

Thank you Madisyn for this book. Long needed are words that inspire people to seek help for behavioral issues through taking responsibility and living a mindful life addressing all our incredibly important daily activities.

Mariel Hemingway

"Told with unflinching honesty, clarity, and purpose, Madisyn's revelatory Unmedicated reveals a hard fought and well-earned reclamation of health from a minefield of self-medication, drugs, depression, anxiety, and disconnection from life. By sharing her inspirational journey, as well as strength, courage, life-lessons, and love, she offers readers welcomed pillars of strength and beacons of light to help free ourselves from the darkness of pain and suffering. A beautiful guide to self-healing, encouraging and nurturing in its approach, this remarkable book serves as an invaluable resource for self-reflection, offering indispensable holistic tools for personal growth, and transformation."

Anthony J.W. Benson

"Many eloquent voices have begun to dispute the widely held view that our life challenges are best handled by taking chemicals. In Unmedicated, Madisyn Taylor shares how sadness and anxiety dogged her heels, how medication proved the wrong answer for her, and how, by following her program, you can live an emotionally healthy life without psychiatric medication. A very rich, interesting and important book—and highly recommended!

Eric Maisel

"Many years ago, I started to face the darkness of my childhood and the addictive patterns I used to avoid my inner pain and suffering. I wish that my yesterday-self had been handed Madisyn's book, Unmedicated. With amazing honesty, Madisyn shares her own spiral into despair and resulting over-reliance on prescription medications. The four pillars she discovered, created, and employed to free herself from the secrets within her soul also released her from this dependency. These four pillars, each composed of wisdom and action steps, can do the same for you, whether you are hiding your light within medications, isolation, illicit drugs, or simply bad thoughts about yourself. When taken sequentially, the four pillars will unlock you from bondage. When integrated into the rest of your life, they will bring meaning to the phrase, 'being alive.'"

Cyndi Dale

Madisyn Taylor has been a leader in the self-help and inspirational fields for over twenty-five years, and her work has impacted countless lives. With her new book, Unmedicated, she tackles the field of mental health, and she provides inspiration and hands-on guidance in a compassionate and soulful way for anyone looking to help themselves or their loved ones.

Dr. Peter D’Adamo