True Belonging: Mindful Practices to Help You Overcome Loneliness, Connect with Others, and Cultivate Happiness [Paperback]

Jeffrey Brantley MD DFAPA (Author), Wendy Millstine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2011

Find True Connection with Others and Compassion for Yourself

When was the last time you experienced authentic connections with others, truly felt that you belonged, and were surrounded by people who really understood you? Even though many of us experience the power of deep connection much less often than we would like, this sense of true belonging is always available to us, regardless of our outside circumstances. You can reduce feelings of alienation, isolation, and loneliness by simply choosing to foster feelings of unity and connectedness. This book will show you how.

True Belonging offers over thirty reflective practices that will help you explore your interdependence with all living things, treat yourself more kindly, and create richerconnections with others. Each practice will help you build a deeper-felt sense of belonging in all of your relationships and develop compassion for yourself and those around you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Curl up with this delicious book. Savor it. Taste the exercises. In a world where we so often find ourselves alienated, disconnected from others and even from ourselves, it can help you reconnect and heal.”
—Thomas Bien, PhD, author of The Buddha’s Way of Happiness and Mindful Recovery

“Perhaps one of the most important topics of our time. True Belonging shows us how to connect with what truly matters.”
—Elisha Goldstein, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

“In clear, straightforward language—and with unmistakable caring—True Belonging shows ways to break through partial truths, mistaken beliefs, and shoddy storylines that mire us in loneliness. On the other side lies a cheerful appreciation of the ‘whole truth’ of who we really are.”
—Barry Boyce, editor of The Mindfulness Revolution and www.mindful.org

“Whether you already know and cherish a sense of true belonging in this world and would dive more deeply into it or are someone who longs for its embrace, this lovely guidebook to personal transformation will greatly contribute to your life. It offers a true path from isolation and loneliness. You will find here a loving and thoughtful weave of wisdom and compassion, gentle, caring guidance, and many simple yet profound meditations that can awaken in you a deep sense of connectedness in the family of all things.”
—Steve Flowers, MS, MFT, author of The Mindful Path through Shyness, coauthor of Living With Your Heart Wide Open, and director of the mindfulness-based stress reduction clinic at Enloe Medical Center in Chico, CA

“True Belonging is a true gift. This book is for anyone who wants to connect more deeply and compassionately with themselves, with others, and with the great web of life to which we all belong. No need to wait another moment—follow the practical guidance offered in True Belonging and open your heart now.”
—Diane Reibel, PhD, is director of the Mindfulness Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and coauthor of Teaching Mindfulness

“Jeffery Brantley and Wendy Millstine’s True Belonging is a gift! This book offers a pathway of connection and interconnection into all of life. Read this book, work these practices, and feel the loving embrace of the universe. You have not been forsaken!”
—Bob Stahl, PhD, mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher in northern California, adjunct senior teacher at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook and Living With Your Heart Wide Open

“The real you is centered, confident, connected, and inspired. Feel it! Read True Belonging. I love this book!”
—Jill Spiegel, author of How To Talk To Anyone About Anything!

“Isolation and loneliness are quite debilitating states of being that can result in difficulties in mental and physical health. Brantley and Millstine offer mindfulness-based skills and insights that can dramatically improve one’s quality of life through connecting with others and cultivating happiness.”
—Gina M. Biegel, MA, LMFT, psychotherapist, mindfulness-based stress reduction researcher and teacher, and author of The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens

From the Publisher

Written by the authors of the Five Good Minutes® series, Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine, True Belonging presents inspirational quotes, mindfulness meditations, and practical exercises readers can do to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation and enhance compassion and social connection.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (July 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572249331
• ISBN-13: 978-1572249332
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Inviting Mindfulness Wisdom August 10, 2011

By Robert L. Rose VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

A compact, clear, skillful, and very inviting introduction to mindfulness practice. As you read you will recognize your essential clarity and maybe even be amazed at how easily this has been obscured. And this awareness will open into a readiness for the simple yet powerful practices of self-compassion and insight offered here.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've ever read April 16, 2012

By Cara

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have not written many reviews, but I had to write about this wonderful book! This book introduced me to mindfulness and that mindfulness helped me connect to myself and connect to others and the world around me in a way I have never experienced before. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Every chapter is helpful and right. I could honestly say that reading this book changed my life. I will read it again and again.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars True Belonging January 7, 2013

By AlaskanAnnie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this to give to my youngest son who is in a toxic relationship so that he can eventually see that he is worth far more than what she shows him.