The Inner Work: An Invitation to True Freedom and Lasting Happiness

Buy this book. I waited six weeks to write a review to be sure to get through all of The Inner Work. Especially the first chapters because they explain so much & set the groundwork for the heavy lifting. But…that heavy lifting has taken a weight away that I have carried since childhood. For real. I wrote narratives for future reference on each of The Wounds of Consciousness (all 8 of them!) plus the Themes of Healing. Mat and Ash have formatted The Inner Work to be very concise. There is so much kindness & so much encouragement in this book. There are diagrams that show The Themes of Consciousness Spectrum & clearly show the categories (and the way to work up through the trauma spectrum and into the healing spectrum and that made it seem less overwhelming and intimidating. You can do this and it shows you how. It’s not even scary to dig into old buried wounds even though it hurts.) That spectrum color copy I printed is much folded and worn. Every time I did work it got propped up to show that yes, progress was being made and there was a goal that was reachable. Loss, trauma and hurt creates chaos in our minds. Deep wounds create weird reactions and flareups. As a childhood victim of some really bad crap The Inner Work gave me the power/tools to heal finally. This book also is the first to have it all in one—first, the kindness to say (my words) ‘you are heard, you are accepted, you have the right to release emotions and heal, don't be ashamed and just be’. Second, it has the tools for an easy 3-4 step process to get through each category. Like Rejection, Judgement, Overwhelm, Loss ect. That is especially helpful because so many of us do not know where to start. Or we start and get lost in too much information. This teaches us to start at the beginning, prepare for some very hard spots in between, but know that there is a manageable end in sight at all times. If it goes sideways, it’s simple to go back and go over areas. Every page in my copy has lots of highlighted parts. I got special pastel markers to highlight stuff in the Healing Section, it was fun. lol Obviously some of the teaching won’t pertain to each of us. Buy this book. My counselor loves it too. If working through it gets too heavy, just look at the Spectrum diagram of Consciousness and focus on the Healing part for a little bit, the keyword is RELIEF. That shows that easier times are coming along soon. I have never been so settled and at peace. This is practical step by step work stuff. The Inner Work brings calmness and peace and if a situation flares up, there are the narratives to read again (if you choose to do that). It’s very hard work for a period of time, but think about it, carrying trauma is harder work and is exhausting. The past is finally in the past. Next step: Mat and Ash's other book about Relationships. I can't wait.

✨🧘🏻‍♀️✨I hardly ever post reviews on Amazon. Like, hardly ever. But when I do, you better believe it’s because something has shaken me to my core—and this book? Oh, this book did that and so much more. If you’re ready to do the work—like, really do the work—this is the only book you need. I’m a deep believer in self-help, personal growth, and all that jazz, but let me tell you something: The Inner Work is in a league of its own. It’s not just a book; it’s a life-changer. Here’s the deal: If you want ultimate happiness, ultimate self-forgiveness, and ultimate freedom from all the crap you’ve been carrying around (you know, the stuff that makes you feel like you’re not enough), this is your must-read. And I don’t say “must” lightly. I mean it like Parks and Rec’s Donna Meagle means “must” when she says, “It’s a must, must, must.” It’s non-negotiable. I’ve never in my life felt this happy, this in love with myself, or this forgiving of everyone and everything around me. This book helped me see that we’re all united, we’re all connected, and we’re not our thoughts, our beliefs, or the stories we’ve been told. We’re so much more than that. There’s a divine light within each of us, just waiting to be discovered—and this book is the map to finding it. Now, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: The work isn’t easy. It’s hard. Like, really hard. The emotions are strong, the old narratives are stubborn, and there were moments when I wanted to throw the book into my bookshelf of lovely books (but I didn’t, because I love myself too much now). But if you’re ready to let go of the past, step into your truth, and feel genuinely happy just because you’re happy with yourself, then this is the book for you. Final warning: This book will mess you up (in the best way possible). It’ll challenge you, it’ll transform you, and it’ll leave you wondering why you didn’t pick it up sooner. But hey, better late than never, right? Do yourself a favor: Buy this book. Read it. Do the work. And then come back here and thank me later. You’re welcome.

I love this book. It will definitely expand your consciousness and help you more forward in healing.

I purchased this book once before and was sent a random book.. I was bummed but decided to try it again and I cannot express how extraordinary this book is. From the moment I picked it up and started reading, I was 50 pages in and could not put it down. I’m a “highlighter” when I read books.. and every page has something standing out. Not only does this book not focus on religion as a whole, but gives different perspectives from the creators stand point. I LOVE this book. When I first saw it online, didn’t know anything about the book but for some reason it just kept sticking out to me and so glad I decided to repurchase this book again for the second time! This book resonates with so many situations and obstacles and will hit home for everybody in some way, shape or form. I’ve found it to be helpful for me personal in my experience here on Earth trying to navigate our existence and society, etc.. I truly feel like anyone could benefit from this book rather they feel they want too or not.

So eye opening! I’m a 49 year old female with plenty of relationship baggage. I’ve read it twice now. The 1st time I was so excited to get to the part where we actually dissect each of our ‘wounds’. It’s hyped up!! But I feel the 3-D theme wound descriptions are too extreme and unrelatable, so I didn’t resonate with the ones that I know I have a wound in. I didn’t like the description section. There should at least have more examples for the average human, or a scale of mild to medium to extreme. Which seems sooo important to do the work!! The second time reading, the first part of the book resonated more I think because I was highlighting it. I would recommend doing the same. Beware of a few things!! (Should be a warning) 1) If you are in an emotional relationship, I would highly suggest your partner read it too. I feel like I took the pill in the matrix that was reality, and my partner was left behind. I saw how our conflicts became what they were, some based on his wounds. This knowledge is too difficult to share without someone reading the book because they have to acknowledge things on their own. So I couldn’t tell him without hurting him , causing more conflict or ‘blaming’. I did share with him how I contributed to the conflict, because of my wounds, but he didn’t have the same self awareness from the book, so it was like we were speaking 2 different languages and it made me want to stop doing the inner work and made me feel lonelier the more time that went on-not being able to connect on that level. 2) I had a nightmare that had so many fear-based multiple meanings, which is one of my wounds. My mind was trying to scare me from the truth. It was deep and dark. In some of it, I was trying to protecting my son who also represented my child self that could not hear/ also ego, to being chased, running away... it was really cool thinking back on what it meant actually, but omg was it vivid and did it scare me!

I have read lots of self help books and done lots of therapy. That being said, this book is much deeper and helpful at finding the root behind everything keeping us from being our true selves before our hurt, tramatic experiences, false teachings from others tough experiences. It teaches how to let go of everything once we realize the shackles we have been locked into. I highly recommend signing up to the bonus of their videos that help guide you with meditation, processing, yoga and things to help you stay on track. You want to heal and become the best you so you can be happy within? I highly suggest you read this book and deal with the tears and hard process of releasing amd letting go of what no longer and never served us to begin with. We are all innocent at our core. I wish everyone could and would read this book and apply it! The world, us as individuals and relationships would be in a much better place! Their is a chance at being truly happy and flowing with life without resistance. I am far from done but with continued work I believe I will be in a much better spot mentally, emotionally and spirituality.

I haven’t stopped talking about this book since I read it back in January. I had bought it a few months prior and remembered I had it at that time-the lowest point of my life. It was definitely a commitment- my body was being so avoidant, but I pushed through and I’m so glad I did. I’ve shared this book on social media many times and have even gifted it a couple times so far- it truly saved my life. I would blame myself so anything that went wrong and shame myself immensely- I hated myself and my life. Before finishing the book I began to like myself, and once I was done, I was able to have compassion for myself and speak truth over myself. I cant recommend this book enough. I’m a Christian, and even the Bible couldn’t get through to me because my mind wasn’t able to absorb any of its nutrients since I’d be subconsciously allowing the shame and lies/ “ego”/ (the adversary) to poison its message. I could probably write an entire book about this book, but I’ll leave it at that. Thank you Matt & Ash 🩵

I recently received my copy on the mail and started reading it and I’m in awe of how in-depth this book goes into explaining the healing process. A lot of which I have already deep dived into the healing work and done over the years but especially over the last nearly 2 yrs. This book I wish I had found back in 2023. I’m tremendously grateful I found it last year and was waiting for the best time to order it and it is a life changer for anyone on the spiritual journey, healing journey and or those on a twinflame journey like myself. I give this book a 10 out of 10 review recommendation! I also just ordered a copy for my significant other and hope it is as equally helpful and beneficial to their healing journey too. Can’t wait for the full album to be complete as that is also just as inspiring and healing.

After spending the last few years healing, I'd hit a bit of a lull. I knew there was more but wasn't sure what that next step looked like. This book was it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page, it's so easy to read and understand, without feeling like you're being told the same stuff just regurgitated. It was truly fantastic and I would go as far as saying it was life changing. Not because anything massive and dramatic happened, but multiple times I had to put the book down, and just say wow, that's it, I've let that go. Or wow I didn't even know I was doing that but I instantly feel lighter now I am observing it. I could go on (I kind of already have lol). I'm just very passionate because I understand how a good book can stay with you forever. This one certainly will. Thank you

What an amazing and helpful book. It really opens you up to the wounds we carry within and how to better deal with them. I love that we all as humans shift between the 3D, 4D and 5D levels of consciousness....and always striving to live ans love in the 5D consciousness. It's a journey for sure, and Mat and Ash really created something amazing in writing this book. Not only do you get such a helpful and insightful book to read, but you also get e-mailed great mediations, and somatic healing yoga sessions, as well as episodes from their Inner Work Podcast. I really love how they curated a full on healing journey....or better yet your own personal hero's journey and give you tools to use to help you break through to higher levels of consciousness. A great reason for anyone who wants ro dive deep into their Inner Work.

recommended

The best self-help book I ever read. I recommend this book to everyone. This is the recipe to a better world.

Having gone through the book, I would say that the content is worth the price, I don't regret the buy, am learning a lot from it and am content with the purchase. However, there are a few typos and two of the pages just detached so I'm taking a star off for that. Update: another page detached after a few more weeks. I've not had the book for that long and I'm not doing anything special it, the pages just detach. I can understand one page but three now at the moment just shows the bad quality of the publishing.