Amazon.com: The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness: Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn: Books

Review

"Using mindfulness training to prevent and treat depression is a novel strategy in the West, though it is a traditional application of Eastern meditation practice. Whether you struggle with depression or simply want to understand your mind and emotions better, you will find this book accessible and useful. Depression is epidemic in our society, and I would love to see this sensible treatment approach gain ground." –Andrew Weil, MD, author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Healthy Aging

"A revolutionary treatment approach. For depression sufferers, this is a truly useful guide to achieving emotional balance. For mental health professionals, it should be mandatory reading. I recommend this book and companion CD most highly." –Daniel Goleman, PhD, author of Emotional Intelligence

"An invaluable resource not only for those who suffer from depression, but for anyone familiar with the downward spiral of negative thinking and self-doubt. The authors of this book explore the reasons for depression and give us guidance and support, along with useful tools to find a way through it." --Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness

"If I could select one group of individuals for people to really pay attention to when grappling with chronic unhappiness, I could not think of a better group than these authors. Not only are they consummate scientists, but they are each personally immersed in the moment-to-moment mindfulness that they teach. This book brings together the practices of both science and insight meditation in an effective fashion that is understandable to the ordinary person--no esoteric practice or mental health background is necessary. Read it and see for yourself!" –Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, University of Washington

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"With the emergence of The Mindful Way Through Depression, those with chronic unhappiness now have a text that speaks poignantly to their experience....Overall the text is a personal and easy to read narrative that still manages to include most of the difficult concepts of mindfulness....The reader is left feeling hopeful and excited about the possibility of being truly free from chronic unhappiness and fully alive."--Canadian Psychology

"Very easy to read and is a useful guide to those wishing to use just one aid from the vast number available to those in the practice."--Journal of the Buddhist Society

"Every word in this affordable paperback seems to embody the gentleness and the spirit of openness that one brings to the practice of MBCT. It is therefore an ideal tool for guided self-help....Invaluable for all non-professionals and therapist alike, The Mindful Way through Depression takes the reader step by step on a journey of exploration....Just get the book, get your bottom on the cushion and read it."--British Journal of Psychiatry

"A practical, thoughtful approach to the treatment of depression, combining classic cognitive techniques with the use of mindfulness, or a sense of non-judgmental awareness of and attention to the present moment....I would definitely recommend The Mindful Way Through Depression to therapists wanting to incorporate the use of mindfulness techniques with their clients, and I also believe that it would be appropriate self-help reading for depression sufferers who have an interest in meditation techniques and/or who are looking for a fresh perspective to assist with managing their depression."--Metapsychology Online Reviews

"This is a helpful book for readers interested in mindfulness and meditation approaches to treating depression….This can be a good resource for individuals wishing to embark on a self-therapy voyage."--Doody's Review Service

"Composed by a star-studded team of scientists and practitioners, this powerful book is the best self-help title to arrive since David Burns’s seminal Feeling Good. Williams, Teasdale, and Segal previously collaborated on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression,a well-received text for mental health professionals. Add to the mix Jon Kabat-Zinn, a luminary in his own right, and the result is a useful lay reader’s guide to incorporating mindfulness techniques in everyday life. Providing a realistic 8-week program, this wonderful guide and its accompanying CD offer invaluable practical strategies for banishing depression and regaining one’s life. Highly recommended. (starred review)"--Library Journal

"The book is well written and easy to read....People who are prone to depression, dysthymia, or general unhappiness will find this a helpful new way to reframe their thinking about their issues, and practitioners may also find it a useful basis for counseling."--Drug and Alcohol Review

Product Description

The Mindful Way through Depression draws on the collective wisdom of four internationally renowned cognitive therapy and mindfulness experts, including bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn, to help you break the mental habits that can lead to despair. This authoritative, easy-to-use self-help program is based on methods clinically proven to reduce the recurrence of chronic unhappiness. Informative chapters reveal the hidden psychological mechanisms that cause depression and demonstrate powerful ways to strengthen your resilience in the face of life's misfortunes. Kabat-Zinn lends his calm, familiar voice to the accompanying CD of guided meditations, making this a complete package for anyone looking to regain a sense of balance and contentment.

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Product Details

Paperback: 273 pages
Publisher: The Guilford Press (June 2, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593851286
ISBN-13: 978-1593851286
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #806 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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#2 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Clinical Psychology
#2 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Meditation
#2 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > Kabat-Zinn, Jon

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mindful yoga, doing mode, mindfulness program, raisin exercise, cultivating mindfulness, bringing mindfulness, internal barometer, mindful walking, experiential avoidance, choiceless awareness, cultivate mindfulness, body scan, being mode, mindful awareness

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Everyday Life, Our Feelings, The Healing Power of Awareness, Different Way of Knowing, Fully Alive, Bringing It All Together, Mark Williams, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Zindel Segal, John Teasdale, The Guest House, Seeing Thoughts, Doing Mind

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

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	90% buy the item featured on this page: The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness 4.6 out of 5 stars (52) $13.57
	4% buy Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness 4.7 out of 5 stars (54) $13.60
	2% buy The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness [With CD] [MINDFUL WAY THROUGH DEPRE- -OS] 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
	2% buy Wherever You Go, There You Are (ROUGH CUT) 4.7 out of 5 stars (96) $10.87

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Customer Reviews

52 Reviews

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you ever get depressed or get caught up in negative thinking, , you need to read this!, January 10, 2008

By	KV Trout ""Yesterday is history. Tomorrow... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is truly an excellent method of working to accept and overcome the problems of depression.

I have read some of the classic books on depression and cognitive therapy such as David Burns' "Feeling Good", and this is a much more comprehensive approach, based on the principles of cognitive therapy but with the addition of mindfulness.

This approach is also good for people who aren't really clinically depressed but who get caught up in negative thinking patterns and low self esteem: "Why me?" "I'm a loser", "I'll never get ahead", etc...

The book has a great cd with it to teach you exactly how to practice the mindfulness exercises. I hesitate to use the term meditation because people tend to start thinking things like "I can't meditate", "It's too hard", etc... By the time you read the book, you will understand that meditation is not hard at all, it's just a matter of doing it, and it can be done in as little as 3-5 minutes and still be worthwhile. It's not a matter of "contemplating your navel" but rather just learning to BE in the present moment, to watch one's thoughts arise and fall away, to slow down, to look at what is happening in one's body and in one's mind. Nothing at all difficult about it. You can do it. And you will find it worthwhile if you do it for a few weeks.

I highly recommend this book to people suffering from depression.

Another very good book for certain types of depression and anxiety that I highly recommend is "Emotional Blackmail" by Susan Forward, which helped me a great deal.

One more book I will recommend not so much specifically for depression but because it teaches the value and technique of "mindfulness", is Jon Kabat-Zinn's "Wherever You Go, There You Are".

The last thing I will say is that just reading any of these books is not enough! You MUST do the exercises and put mindfulness into practice! You will be glad you did!

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216 of 227 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mindful Way through Depression, September 3, 2007

By	Gary G. Miles "slow reader" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend this book. I have suffered from depressed for a long time, and I am always looking for new ways to cope with my depression. I found this book to be most helpful in describing useful techniques to deal with my depression. The book is written in very layman language and is easily understandable. To my knowledge the four professionals who wrote this book collaborated their ideas, and came up with a scheme that was relatively easy to follow. I take anti-depressant medications that enable me to get up to "base line", but after that, if I do not have some way of facing every day problems, I find myself in the dump of depression again.

This book helps me to stay up, and not slip back too far into depression. Medications are very helpful, but by themselves, they can not keep one at base line (or what some people call "normal.") Once we reach base line, we depressed persons, need help in staying at that level. The teachings of this book definitely has helped me in this endeavor.

I do not say this book totally cured me of depression (I don't think anything ever will.) However, the information in the book has been a big help to me, and I can cope with depression much better than I did before I read the book.

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99 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking approach, October 9, 2007

By	David Fahrland "Bald Eagle" (Northeastern Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a ground-breaking method in the treatment of depression by combining C.B.T. with Buddhist mindfulness practice. The descriptions and exercises for meditating have helped me to overcome my resistance(s) to practice. I also have discovered "moving meditation" that can be done with walking, swimming, whatever to reach a result that is even more enlightening than classic sitting meditation practice.

I also realize from my past deep depressions that any practice seems hard because it is extremely difficult to overcome "inertia" and cut through the cognitive "fog" symptoms that accompany the disease. Hopefully, the moving meditation practice and some simple cognitive practices described here could be effective even under the duress of a full blown relapse.

This book is also very well written and clearly readable.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into and practical help for depression
This book is the best written of any I have read on the subject of depression. It teaches you a different way to approach handling your feelings by becoming more aware of your... Read more

Published 12 hours ago by Green Herron

5.0 out of 5 stars Putting Buddhism and Mindfulness into Practice for the Depressed
Having been interested/involved in Buddhism for some time, it was apparent mindfulness and meditation brought temporary ways to "reset" the mind when depressed and obsessive. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Aufton Wunderbar

5.0 out of 5 stars great introduction of mindfulness for anyone
As a therapist who incorporates mindfulness practice into therapy with certain clients, I've found this book to be very helpful. Read more

Published 8 days ago by D.H.

2.0 out of 5 stars Too materialistic
I have to say that this is CBT with added Buddhist practice, but the authors I think would never call it that. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Stephanie A. Reinheimer

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mindful Way
I purchased this book after discussing some of the contents and theories with my counselor.

I found it easily readable and interesting. Read more

Published 1 month ago by S. J. Crews

4.0 out of 5 stars Happy with book...but
I've learned alot from this book and have found the information to be very helpful. The only problem I have is that I needed two of these books. Read more

Published 1 month ago by R. Hunter

5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful
This book has absolutely saved my life. It is as simple as that to a very serious situation. It is incorporated as I have dedicated time for it in my daily living. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Pamela Hyatt

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough trying to get depressed husband to pick it up & read
It seems like a good book - could be very helpful, but as I said - trying to get my husband who suffers from treatment resistant, MAJOR depression to pick it up & read it isn't... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Barbara Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful
This book doesn't just talk about depression, it provides explanations and remedies. Real life examples make it readable by the layman, such as myself. Read more

Published 3 months ago by J. N. Mason

4.0 out of 5 stars the mindful way through life
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this newly found application of ancient practice of meditation as an inspired extension of cognitive behavioural therapy. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Elli Tholouli

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