About the Book
The revolutionary book that has helped hundreds of thousands of readers find relief from chronic unhappiness is now in a revised and updated second edition. This authoritative, easy-to-use self-help program is grounded in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a clinically proven approach. The expert authors explain why our usual attempts to "fix" sadness or "just stop thinking about it" can actually worsen depression, instead of relieving it. Through vivid stories and downloadable audio meditations encouragingly narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the book shows how you can break the mental habits that lead to despair--and recover a sense of joy, aliveness, and possibility. Revised throughout to be even more reader friendly, the second edition features fresh insights on coping with the challenges of our ever-changing world, the latest scientific data, and four additional audio tracks.
See also the authors' Mindful Way Workbook, which provides step-by-step guidance for building your mindfulness practice in 8 weeks. Plus, mental health professionals, see also the authors' bestselling therapy guide: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Tired of Feeling So Bad for So Long
I. Mind, Body, and Emotion
1. “Oh No, Here I Go Again”: Why Unhappiness Won’t Let Go
2. The Healing Power of Awareness: Making a Shift to Freedom
II. Moment by Moment
3. Cultivating Mindfulness: A First Taste
4. The Breath: Gateway to Awareness
5. A Different Way of Knowing: Sidestepping the Ruminating Mind
III. Transforming Unhappiness
6. Reconnecting with Our Feelings--Those We Like, Those We Don’t Like, and Those We Don’t Know We Have
7. Befriending Our Feelings
8. Seeing Thoughts as Creations of the Mind
9. Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Taking a Breathing Space
IV. Reclaiming Your Life
10. Fully Alive: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness
11. Bringing It All Together: Weaving the Mindfulness Program into Your Life
Notes
Index
Audio Downloads:
1. Introduction (3:01; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
2. Body Scan (29:35; Jon Kabat-Zinn
3. Mindful Standing Yoga (11:22; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
4. Mindfulness of the Breath (10:40; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
5. Mindfulness of the Breath and Body (9:54; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
6. Mindfulness of Sounds and Thoughts (10:40; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
7. The Breathing Space (3:56; Jon Kabat-Zinn)
8. Mindful Walking (13:32; Mark Williams)
9. Mindful Yoga--Formal Practice (38:30; Zindel Segal)
10. Working with Difficulty Meditation (25:30; Mark Williams)
11. Sitting Meditation (37:47; John Teasdale)
About the Author :
Mark Williams, DPhil, is Professor of Clinical Psychology Emeritus at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, where he was Founding Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. He collaborated with John Teasdale and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression, Second Edition. Dr. Williams continues to train mindfulness teachers internationally.
John Teasdale, PhD, held a Special Scientific Appointment with the United Kingdom Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He collaborated with Mark Williams and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression, Second Edition. Since retiring, Dr. Teasdale has taught mindfulness and insight meditation internationally. He continues to seek a psychological understanding of the wider implications of mindfulness and meditation for enhancing our way of being, and is the author of What Happens in Mindfulness: Inner Awakening and Embodied Cognition.
Zindel Segal, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto–Scarborough. Dr. Segal has conducted influential research into the psychological processes that make certain people more vulnerable than others to developing depression and experiencing recurrent episodes. He actively advocates for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health. He collaborated with John Teasdale and Mark Williams in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression, Second Edition.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and the world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Dr. Kabat-Zinn is the author of 15 books. His work and that of his colleagues around the world has contributed to the growing movement of mindfulness in mainstream society and in medicine, health care, psychology, and neuroscience. He teaches and conducts mindfulness retreats worldwide.
Review :
“This is the book to turn to if you want to learn new ways to meet depression. It seamlessly weaves the science and practice of changing how we greet experiences, even profoundly difficult ones.”--J. David Creswell, PhD, William S. Dietrich II Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University
“An essential resource for anyone who struggles with depression. With clarity and compassionate understanding, the authors artfully combine the latest research with decades of clinical wisdom to offer an effective path forward. Filled with immediately relatable examples and easy-to-follow exercises, this book can help you not only to become freer from suffering, but also, ultimately, to live a richer life."--Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, author of The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary
"In this wonderful second edition, the authors once again seamlessly weave scientifically proven mindfulness techniques with insightful, compassionate stories. This book gives readers a completely new way to work with difficult emotions and thoughts. I can't recommend it highly enough!"--Linda E. Carlson, PhD, RPsych, coauthor of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery-
