"This Is Body Grief" is for you.
Are you lonely in your body? Do you miss your past self?
Have you ever felt betrayed by your body? Maybe you’re no longer as fast or strong as you once were. Perhaps illness has changed your sense of identity, or you continue to feel uncomfortable in your body despite trying every diet and wellness plan. It can be easy to fight against your body for what it can no longer do—but the truth is, your body has always been working to support you.
In This Is Body Grief, disability advocate and recovery expert Jayne Mattingly offers a groundbreaking framework for grieving and accepting an ever-changing body. She explains that, like all grief, Body Grief isn’t something to “get over”—it’s something to experience, process, and make space for.
Challenging the belief that your body is working against you, Mattingly shares compassionate ways to navigate changing abilities and reconnect with yourself. She guides readers through the seven stages of Body Grief—from dismissal, shock, and self-blame to hopelessness, hope, and ultimately, body trust—offering insight and practical wisdom for meeting each difficult emotion with compassion.
Through stories from people experiencing Body Grief, alongside her own journey as a newly disabled woman, Mattingly brings these experiences to life. She recounts the first of many difficult hospital visits that led to a life-altering diagnosis, using a rollator on her wedding day when walking independently was no longer safe, and accepting the need for a hysterectomy in her early thirties.
With honesty and grace, This Is Body Grief reminds us that healing is not linear. It begins when we stop fighting our bodies and learn to trust, listen to, and work alongside them.
what is body grief?
“As a Black disabled woman, Body Grief is my daily story. Mattingly reminds us that ‘without storytelling there is no healing,’ validating why it is important to listen to the stories our bodies tell us. Read this book to heal in your own way. To be angry. To share. To accept. To celebrate and to love your body unconditionally amongst the continuous grief it brings.”
— Dr. Akilah Cadet, MPH, author of White Supremacy Is All Around
"Read this book to heal in your own way."
“In a world that teaches us to ignore, control, or conquer our bodies, Jayne Mattingly intervenes with a much-needed revision to the default framework. Through her own hard-earned wisdom and professional expertise, she offers us language and tools to mend the fractured relationships we’ve developed with our own bodies. She guides us—gently, powerfully, and tangibly—through the process of building a sturdy home within the only bodies we’ll ever have—a desperately needed map for every single one of us.”
— Rebekah Taussig, PhD, author of Sitting Pretty
"...a desperately needed map for every single one of us."
- Rachel Cargle, author of
A Renaissance of Her Own
"We all need an opportunity to sit gently and thoughtfully with our grief. Consider this book your invitation."
In a body that often feels like a betrayal, the struggle can lead to a unique, profound grief; one that has lacked a name until now. Welcome to This Is Body Grief, a guide to understanding and moving through the complexities of living in a world that doesn’t always accommodate our physical realities. Jayne gives voice to a grief that’s waiting to be recognized.
Body Grief is often described as mourning a version of yourself that you'll never get back.
by jayne mattingly
This Is Body Grief finally gives language to the pain, confusion and loss that comes with living in an ever changing body that is not fit for an inaccessible world.
“Beautifully written and unapologetically honest, This Is Body Grief not only dismantles the false narrative that our bodies are against us, but offers a compassionate path through the messy landscape of grief turned inwards. This book is for anyone who’s ever felt uncomfortable in their own skin and wants to reclaim their sense of self.
— Ciera Rogers, founder of Babes and author of The Outsider Advantage
"...dismantles the false narrative that our bodies are against us."
more praise for the book...
“I laughed, I cried, and I related all while reading This Is Body Grief. Jayne beautifully articulates the universal feeling of Body Grief and explores it on both macro and micro levels. It is the perfect blend of informative and vulnerable.”
— Jacqueline Child, co-founder of Dateability
"...the perfect blend of informative and vulnerable."