Synopses & Reviews
Review
"I consider MBCT to be an effective means of preventing and treating depression and enhancing emotional well-being. This workbook gives practical advice for applying the principles of MBCT in your life. I recommend it highly."--Andrew Weil, MD, author of
8 Weeks to Optimum Health and
Spontaneous Happiness
"Wisdom, illuminated and applied! We could ask for nothing more from three of the world's most gifted and caring clinicians, who provide us with a clear and practical guide to understanding and strengthening the mind. This workbook is a generous gift that can help you relieve depression and anxiety, improve your health, and enhance your way of being in the world."--Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Mindsight
"Fantastic
.[It] functions as a trusted friend, counselor, and guide."--from the Foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
"What could be more fabulous than this? An evidence-based treatment for depression translated into a workbook that everyone can use. This is a treatment that has circled the globe for a reason--it works. Fortunately, the authors who translated the treatment into a workbook are the very people who developed the treatment in the first place; all three are expert clinicians and scientists. My advice: 'Try this.'"--Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Director, Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics, University of Washington
"Three of the world's leading authorities on psychotherapy and mindfulness have developed a workbook of great clarity and value. It outlines an easy-to-follow, step-by-step program for how to train our minds out of repetitive loops and find states of peace."--Paul Gilbert, PhD, Head, Mental Health Research Unit, University of Derby, United Kingdom
"The strategies in this book have truly changed my life. I feel a thousand times better today than ever before. Like anyone else, I still get sad and anxious sometimes, but it happens much less frequently and I'm better equipped to deal with it. I definitely plan to continue practicing mindfulness for the long term."--Alain K.
Review
“The authors are leading experts in developing the scientific theories and experiential skills of how mindfulness can help to disrupt the ruminative cycle that perpetuates depression….This book is written and arranged in such a way that the layman with no prior knowledge of cognitive theory of depression can easily understand why and how MBCT can be of benefit to them….This workbook is highly recommended to anyone who is interested in MBCT for self-improvement or self-help in coping with depression, as well as to mental health professionals who want to learn mindfulness skills for personal enhancement or for teaching their own patients. I have now incorporated this workbook as a companion resource into my own practice of cognitive-behavioral therapy. My daily practice of mindfulness skills has also strengthened my personal ability to develop moment-to-moment case conceptualizations for my patient's problems during each therapeutic encounter"--International Journal of Social Psychology
Synopsis
This carefully constructed workbook shows the reader how to build a mindfulness practice in 8 weeks. Basic mindfulness principles and facts about depression and other common emotional problems are combined with specific mindfulness practices to try on a daily and weekly basis, plus a wealth of interactive features that encourage and motivate. Readers will be drawn in immediately by self-assessments, reflection questions and exercises with spaces to jot down notes, worksheets for keeping track of progress, and quotations and questions from others going through the program. Each week's guided meditations are provided on the accompanying MP3 CD and can also be downloaded by purchasers.
See also the authors' The Mindful Way through Depression, which demonstrates these proven strategies with in-depth stories and examples. Plus, mental health professionals, see also the authors' bestselling therapy guide: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition.
Synopsis
Imagine an 8-week program that can help you overcome depression, anxiety, and stress--by simply learning new ways to respond to your own thoughts and feelings. That program is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and it has been tested and proven effective in clinical trials throughout the world. Now you can get the benefits of MBCT any time, any place, by working through this carefully constructed book. The expert authors introduce specific mindfulness practices to try each week, plus reflection questions, tools for keeping track of progress, and helpful comments from others going through the program. Like a trusted map, this book guides you step by step along the path of change.
Guided meditations are provided on the accompanying MP3 CD and are also available as audio downloads. Note: The MP3 CD can be played on CD players (only those marked "MP3-enabled") as well as on most computers.
See also the authors' The Mindful Way through Depression, which demonstrates these proven strategies with in-depth stories and examples. Plus, mental health professionals, see also the authors' bestselling therapy guide: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition.
Winner (Second Place)--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Consumer Health Category
About the Author
John D. Teasdale, PhD, held a Special Scientific Appointment with the United Kingdom Medical Research Councils Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. He is a founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award from Division 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. Since retiring, he has taught insight meditation internationally.
J. Mark G. Williams, DPhil, is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Wellcome Principal Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He is also Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre in the University of Oxfords Department of Psychiatry. He is a founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, and the Association for Psychological Science.
Zindel V. Segal, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto/n-/Scarborough and Senior Scientist in the Campbell Family Research Institute at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is a founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and advocates for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health.
Table of Contents
Foreword,
Jon Kabat-Zinn I. Foundations
1. Welcome
2. Depression, Unhappiness, and Emotional Distress: Why Do We Get Stuck?
3. Doing, Being, and Mindfulness
4. Getting Ready
II. The Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Program
5. Week 1: Beyond Automatic Pilot
6. Week 2: Another Way of Knowing
7. Week 3: Coming Home to the Present--Gathering the Scattered Mind
8. Week 4: Recognizing Aversion
9. Week 5: Allowing Things to Be as They Already Are
10. Week 6: Seeing Thoughts as Thoughts
11. Week 7: Kindness in Action
12. Week 8: What Now?
Resources
List of Audio Files
MP3 CD tracks (including running time and narrator):
1. Welcome (00:31; John Teasdale)
2. Raisin Exercise (09:53; Zindel Segal)
3. Body Scan (39:08; John Teasdale)
4. 10-Minute Sitting Meditation--Mindfulness of the Breath (09:54; Mark Williams)
5. Mindful Movement--Formal Practice (38:30; Zindel Segal)
6. Stretch and Breath Meditation (33:39; Mark Williams)
7. Mindful Walking (13:42; Mark Williams)
8. 3-Minute Breathing Space (05:02; John Teasdale)
9. 3-Minute Breathing Space--Extended Version (05:19; Zindel Segal)
10. 20-Minute Sitting Meditation (20:38; Zindel Segal)
11. Sitting Meditation (37:47; John Teasdale)
12. Working with Difficulty Meditation (25:47; Mark Williams)
13. Bells at 5 Minutes, 10 Minutes, 15 Minutes, 20 Minutes, and 30 Minutes (30:10)
14. Two Ways of Knowing (07:06; John Teasdale)