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Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML: If you've ever struggled with depression or know someone who has, take heart: mindfulness practice is a simple, powerful way to naturally break depression's self-perpetuating cycle. With The Mindful Way Through Depression, four leading researchers present insightful lessons drawn from both Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive therapy about how to triumph over this illness�??and, more importantly, how to prevent it from striking again. Join these uniquely qualified experts to discover the power of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, including: The "quicksand effect" of depression�??why our attempts to think our way out of depression can backfire, and the strategy we can use for true freedom The biology of depression�??how meditation can rewrite neural structures and heal chemical imbalances What to do when you're not depressed�??techniques for cultivating an abiding sense of joy that will protect you from recurrence A full CD of guided mindfulness meditations for health and happiness, narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn Even successful treatments for depression too often stop short of providing you with a way to protect yourself from falling back into the downward spiral. With The Mindful Way Through Depression, you will develop the tools you need to understand the core mental habits and patterns that lead to depression�??and learn a proven method for creating genuine change that lasts a lifetime. Course objectives: Identify ways feelings, thoughts, the body, and behavior interact to trigger depression Summarize basic concepts of mindfulness and awareness Recognize the difference between thoughts and the truth Describe the difference between doing mode and being mode Identify ways awareness counteracts depression List several kinds of mindfulness meditation practices Practice guided mindfulness meditation exerci… (more)
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User reviews
For the record, I do believe in medication and therapy (and use both), but I also find mindfulness invaluable. I don't think the two fields are incompatible. There's a limit to what you can learn about mindfulness from a book--I recommend seeing if your local mindfulness center has a beginner course available--but if you're going to, this book is a good place to start.
The "eight-week program" the book mentions isn't outlined until the very last chapter, so if you're just looking to jump into the practical side of mindfulness, skip to that chapter. It tells you which chapters in the book are related to each week of the program, so you can go back and read those at the appropriate times.
Study after study has shown that people who meditate regularly are healthier than those who don't, on both a physical and mental level. Don't discount it.
Instead (and with the slightest bit more of research I should have realized this), this book describes more about how to achieve mindfulness. There is little to no neuroscience described. That is NOT a fault of this book, but a fault of my own wishes.
As far as a description of how to practice mindfulness, this book does an admirable job, but not in any way that is too much different from many other excellent sources (including some by one of the co-authors, Jon Kabat-Zinn), hence, I give it only 3 stars.
For someone that is just encountering mindfulness for the first time, I think it might be an excellent introduction and might rate higher. For such an individual, I DO recommend this book!
The little stories about people trying the techniques got on my nerves a bit, to me they felt like sales pitches instead of
This book has great insights, but is too abstract to start meditation. I hear there's a companion workbook, which I will be checking out.
I'll definitely read this one again, it feels like one of those books you can read again and again and you'll pick up something different each time.