Empowering Reading: The Path Back Book Review

A Review of The Path Back: A Holistic Nurse’s Guide to Healing from the Intersection of Science, Spirituality, and Ancient Wisdom, by Anna Desmarais. 2025. ISBN: 979-8992687460

“We are on the brink of transformation. The past few years, shaped by the global pandemic, have forced us to pause, reflect, and reimagine what it means to live a healthy and fulfilling life… Many of us realized that the way we’ve been living is unsustainable, that the quick fixes and surface-level solutions no longer serve us.”

It’s hard to describe this thought-provoking book; it’s part memoir/autobiography and part a toolkit to help readers transform their lives through health and healing. It is one of the few books I've encountered that examines health and healing together while also discussing the healing potential of plant medicines -- besides my work.

The Path Back will especially resonate with readers who feel frustrated by conventional healthcare's focus on symptom management, those seeking a more holistic approach to wellness, and anyone interested in the intersection of science, spirituality, nutrition, and personal transformation.

The book’s storyline is also fascinating for readers, watching the author’s progression from an entrepreneur to a classically trained nurse to a holistic nurse and nutritionist to a psilocybin facilitator. Because of all these experiences, Anna provides a unique blend of conventional medicine, integrative care, and ancient healing traditions to offer a truly holistic approach to health that bridges the gap between science and spirituality.

Finally, for the psychedelically curious, the author discusses her transformation into the plant medicine world when she escaped the pandemic and went to Mexico for an Ayahuasca ceremony: “In just one Ayahuasca ceremony, I discovered a sense of peace, purpose, and belonging. I was filled with gratitude for being alive, and I knew I needed to honor what my body and my heart truly needed to thrive.”

Here’s the book description: “Drawing on modern science, spirituality, ancient wisdom, and powerful stories from both the author’s life and her clients, it offers practical, actionable tools to help you rebuild your body’s foundations and be proactive in your health and well-being. More than a guide to physical wellness, it is a roadmap back to balance and getting in touch with your inner wisdom – reconnecting body, mind, and spirit so you can feel energized, purposeful, and fully alive.”

Keep reading to discover some of my favorite passages – which may become your favorites too.

The Path Back: Favorite Passages

What struck me most about this book is its ability to connect ideas often presented separately. The author reminds readers that true wellness is not merely the absence of disease, but the integration of physical health, emotional healing, meaningful relationships, spiritual growth, and purposeful living. Her message is both practical and hopeful, offering readers a roadmap rather than a prescription.

Rather than reading my words, I thought I would share some of my favorite passages from the book – to help you decide if you want to read more of Anna’s inspiring words.

• “The purpose of this book is to guide you on a journey not just toward optimal physical and mental health, but toward purpose, joy, and genuine well-being… It incorporates concepts from conventional medicine, psychology, and neuroscience, but also relatively new fields such as chronobiology and psychoneuroimmunology.”

• “True healing doesn’t come from a pill, a quick fix, or the latest wellness trend – it comes from within. The tools may sound boring and cliché: nutrition and lifestyle changes, journaling, meditating, spending time in nature, and reconnecting with yourself and others.”

• “Chronic stress, poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and unresolved emotional pain are all symptoms of a deeper problem: a life out of sync with how we are meant to live.”

• “We are finally beginning to understand that healing doesn’t come from a single prescription or quick fix; it comes from sustainable lifestyle changes that support the mind, body, and spirit as a unified system.”

• “The constant hustle, the dinging of cell phones, the deadlines, the politics, and celebrity gossip… all pull us away from knowing, from our inner wisdom. So we get off track. We get lost. We live inauthentic lives without even realizing it. We become disconnected from ourselves and each other.”

• “It has become normalized to consume processed, packaged foods that eating mostly whole foods is considered ‘being on a diet.’ I have even been in convenience stores where there wasn’t a single food item that was found in its natural state.”

• “One of the areas I help many clients with is healing and rebuilding their relationship with food. I teach them to practice mindful eating so they can truly appreciate their food, find the inherent joy in it, and use it as a way to nourish rather than punish themselves.”

• “When it comes to health and wellness, the basics cannot be ignored. I consider the basics to be nutrition, hydration, physical activity, sleep, and stress reduction… Unfortunately, no amount of biohacking will save you from skipping the basics. If you try to bypass good nutrition, physical activity, adequate sleep, and stress reduction with infrared saunas and cold plunges, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Put simply, there are no shortcuts when it comes to long-term health and wellness.”

• “When it comes to your health – physical and mental – nothing will move the needle more than optimizing your diet.”

• “Unfortunately, too many people have resigned themselves to the fact that they will inevitably develop certain conditions because ‘it runs in the family.’ The truth is that along with genes, you also inherit eating patterns, lifestyle habits, coping mechanisms, and intergenerational trauma from your parents.”

• “Chronic inflammation is often behind many of the symptoms people usually begin to notice in midlife: weight gain and weight loss resistance, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, digestive issues, skin flare-ups, frequent colds, and even anxiety or depression… Chronic inflammation can also be seen as the precursor to serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, Alzheimer’s disease, and some cancers.”

• “Mindfulness offers a path back to center… Mindfulness is where we begin because so much of what keeps us stuck – those unhealthy patterns of thought, behavior, and emotion – are remnants of coping mechanisms we developed a long time ago.”

• “Self-limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained thoughts that hold us back from reaching our full potential. We are usually not even aware they exist. They often stem from past experiences, societal conditioning, or fears we’ve internalized over time.”

• “For those with treatment-resistant depression that have not responded to conventional treatments or medications, psychedelic-assisted therapies using substances such as psilocybin, MDMA, or ketamine may provide hope and relief amongst otherwise limited options.”

• “Our connection to ourselves is the most important connection to have. We talk to ourselves more than any other person, so we must pay attention to the way we do that. In fact, neuroscience confirms that the way we talk to ourselves has a significant impact on our health.”

Final Thoughts About The Path Back

More than a wellness guide, The Path Back is an invitation to rethink how we approach health, healing, and personal transformation. Author Anna Desmarais successfully bridges conventional medicine, lifestyle medicine, spirituality, and ancient wisdom into a framework that is both accessible and inspiring. Whether you're beginning a health or healing journey or looking to learn more about them, this book offers valuable insights and practical tools for finding your way back to yourself.

I also appreciated that the book includes an extensive list of references and sources, allowing readers to explore the science and research behind many of the concepts discussed.

This book is an excellent companion to two of my books:

• HEAL!: Wholeistic Practices to Help Clear Your Trauma, Heal Yourself, and Live Your Best Life

• Finding Wellness: Essential and Expert Articles for Healing Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Let me leave you with one final quote from the author that resonates with me:

“Sustainable health is about much more than nutrition and exercise. It’s also about supporting inner kindness, surrounding yourself with meaningful relationships, and embodying self-love as a lifelong practice.”

Find more book reviews and advice for living a happy, healthy, and healing life here.