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Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World Paperback – November 13, 2012

by Mark Williams (Author), Danny Penman (Author), Jon Kabat-Zinn (Foreword)

4.6 7,836 ratings

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The life-changing international bestseller reveals a set of simple yet powerful mindfulness practices that you can incorporate into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion.

Mindfulness promotes the kind of happiness and peace that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life throws at you with new courage.

Based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), the book revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. MBCT has been clinically proven to be at least as effective as drugs for depression and is widely recommended by US physicians and the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence—in other words, it works. More importantly it also works for people who are not depressed but who are struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world.

MBCT was developed by the book's author, Oxford professor Mark Williams, and his colleagues at the Universities of Cambridge and Toronto. By investing just 10 to 20 minutes each day, you can learn the simple mindfulness meditations at the heart of MBCT and fully reap their benefits. The book includes links to audio meditations to help guide you through the process. You'll be surprised by how quickly these techniques will have you enjoying life again.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Want a happier, more content life? I highly recommend the down-to-earth methods you'll find in this book. Professor Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman have teamed up to give us scientifically grounded techniques we can apply in the midst of our everyday challenges and catastrophes.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

“Peace can't be achieved in the outside world unless we have peace on the inside. Mark Williams and Danny Penman's book gives us this peace.” —Goldie Hawn

“This is an inspiring program for anyone caring about his or her own health and sanity.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn

About the Author

Mark Williams is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and a Research Fellow at Oxford and a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is the author of The Mindful Way Through Depression. He lives in England.

Danny Penman, PhD, is a feature and comment writer for the UK's Daily Mail. After gaining a PhD in biochemistry, he worked for The Independent and the BBC. He lives in England.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

Chasing Your Tail

Can you remember the last time you lay in bed wrestling with your thoughts? You desperately wanted your mind to become calm, to just be quiet, so that you could get some sleep. But whatever you tried seemed to fail. Every time you forced yourself not to think, your thoughts exploded into life with renewed strength. You told yourself not to worry, but suddenly discovered countless new things to worry about. You tried fluffing up the pillow and rolling over to get more comfortable, but soon enough, you began thinking again. As the night ground ever onward, your strength progressively drained away, leaving you feeling fragile and broken. By the time the alarm went off, you were exhausted, bad-tempered and thoroughly miserable.

Throughout the next day you had the opposite problem--you wanted to be wide awake, but could hardly stop yawning. You stumbled into work, but weren't really present. You couldn't concentrate. Your eyes were red and puffy. Your whole body ached and your mind felt empty. You'd stare at the pile of papers on your desk for ages, hoping something, anything, would turn up so that you could gather enough momentum to do a day's work. In meetings, you could barely keep your eyes open, let alone contribute anything intelligent. It seemed as though your life had begun to slip through your fingers ... you felt ever more anxious, stressed and exhausted.

This is a book about how you can find peace and contentment in such troubled and frantic times as these. Or rather, this is a book about how you can rediscover them; for there are deep wellsprings of peace and contentment living inside us all, no matter how trapped and distraught we might feel. They're just waiting to be liberated from the cage that our frantic and relentless way of life has crafted for them.

We know this to be true because we--and our colleagues--have been studying anxiety, stress and depression for over thirty years at Oxford University, UMass, the University of Toronto, and other institutions around the world. This work has discovered the secret to sustained happiness and how you can successfully tackle anxiety, stress, exhaustion and even full-blown depression. It's the kind of happiness and peace that gets into your bones and promotes a deep-seated authentic love of life, seeping into everything you do and helping you to cope more skillfully with the worst that life throws at you.

It's a secret that was well understood in the ancient world and is kept alive in some cultures even today. But many of us in the Western world have largely forgotten how to live a good and joyful existence. And it's often even worse than this. We try so hard to be happy that we end up missing the most important parts of our lives and destroying the very peace that we were seeking.

We wrote this book to help you understand where true happiness, peace and contentment can be found and how you can rediscover them for yourself. It will teach you how to free yourself progressively from anxiety, stress, unhappiness and exhaustion. We're not promising eternal bliss; everyone experiences periods of pain and suffering, and it's naive and dangerous to pretend otherwise. And yet, it is possible to taste an alternative to the relentless struggle that pervades much of our daily lives.

In the following pages and in the accompanying downloads we offer a series of simple practices that you can incorporate into your daily life. They are based on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) that grew out of the inspiring work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the UMass Medical Center in America. The MBCT program was originally developed by Professor Mark Williams (coauthor of this book), John Teasdale at Cambridge and Zindel Segal of the University of Toronto. It was designed to help people who had suffered repeated bouts of serious depression to overcome their illness. Clinical trials show that it works. It's been clinically proven to halve the risk of depression in those who have suffered the most debilitating forms of the illness. It's at least as effective as antidepressants, and has none of their downsides. In fact, it is so effective that it's now one of the preferred treatments recommended by the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

The MBCT technique revolves around a form of meditation that was little known in the West until recently. Mindfulness meditation is so beautifully simple that it can be used by the rest of us to reveal our innate joie de vivre. Not only is this worthwhile in itself, but it can also prevent normal feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness from spiraling downwards into prolonged periods of unhappiness and exhaustion--or even serious clinical depression.

A typical meditation consists of focusing your full attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body (see "A one-minute meditation"). Focusing on each breath in this way allows you to observe your thoughts as they arise in your mind and, little by little, to let go of struggling with them. You come to realize that thoughts come and go of their own accord; that you are not your thoughts. You can watch as they appear in your mind, seemingly from thin air, and watch again as they disappear, like a soap bubble bursting. You come to the profound understanding that thoughts and feelings (including negative ones) are transient. They come and they go, and ultimately, you have a choice about whether to act on them or not.

Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with yourself. When unhappiness or stress hovers overhead, rather than taking it all personally, you learn to treat them as if they were black clouds in the sky, and to observe them with friendly curiosity as they drift past. In essence, mindfulness allows you to catch negative thought patterns before they tip you into a downward spiral. It begins the process of putting you back in control of your life.

Over time, mindfulness brings about long-term changes in mood and levels of happiness and well-being. Scientific studies have shown that mindfulness not only prevents depression, but that it also positively affects the brain patterns underlying day-to-day anxiety, stress, depression and irritability so that when they arise, they dissolve away again more easily. Other studies have shown that regular meditators see their doctors less often and spend fewer days in hospital. Memory improves, creativity increases and reaction times become faster (see "The benefits of mindfulness meditation").

A One-Minute Meditation

1. Sit erect in a straight-backed chair. If possible, bring your back a little way from the rear of the chair so that your spine is self-supporting. Your feet can be flat on the floor. Close your eyes or lower your gaze.

2. Focus your attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Stay in touch with the different sensations of each in-breath and each out-breath. Observe the breath without looking for anything special to happen. There is no need to alter your breathing in any way.

3. After a while your mind may wander. When you notice this, gently bring your attention back to your breath, without giving yourself a hard time--the act of realizing that your mind has wandered and bringing your attention back without criticizing yourself is central to the practice of mindfulness meditation.

4. Your mind may eventually become calm like a still pond--or it may not. Even if you get a sense of absolute stillness, it may only be fleeting. If you feel angry or exasperated, notice that this may be fleeting too. Whatever happens, just allow it to be as it is.

5. After a minute, let your eyes open and take in the room again.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Numerous psychological studies have shown that regular meditators are happier and more contented than average.1 these are not just important results in themselves but have huge medical significance, as such positive emotions are linked to a longer and healthier life.2

• Anxiety, depression and irritability all decrease with regular sessions of meditation.3 Memory also improves, reaction times become faster and mental and physical stamina increase.4
• Regular meditators enjoy better and more fulfilling relationships.5
• Studies worldwide have found that meditation reduces the key indicators of chronic stress, including hypertension.6
• Meditation has also been found to be effective in reducing the impact of serious conditions, such as chronic pain7 and cancer,8 and can even help to relieve drug and alcohol dependence.9
• Studies have now shown that meditation bolsters the immune system and thus helps to fight off colds, flu and other diseases.10

Despite these proven benefits, however, many people are still a little wary when they hear the word "meditation." So before we proceed, it might be helpful to dispel some myths:

• Meditation is not a religion. Mindfulness is simply a method of mental training. Many people who practice meditation are themselves religious, but then again, many atheists and agnostics are avid meditators too.
• You don't have to sit cross-legged on the floor (like the pictures you may have seen in magazines or on TV), but you can if you want to. Most people who come to our classes sit on chairs to meditate, but you can also practice bringing mindful awareness to whatever you are doing on planes, trains, or while walking to work. You can meditate more or less anywhere.
• Mindfulness practice does not take a lot of time, although some patience and persistence are required. Many people soon find that meditation liberates them from the pressures of time, so they have more of it to spend on other things.
• Meditation is not complicated. Nor is it about "success" or "failure." Even when meditation feels difficult, you'll have learned something valuable about the workings of the mind and thus will have benefited psychologically.
• It will not deaden your mind or prevent you from striving toward important career or lifestyle goals; nor will it trick you into falsely adopting a Pollyanna attitude to life. Meditation is not about accepting the unacceptable. It is about seeing the world with greater clarity so that you can take wiser and more considered action to change those things that need to be changed. Meditation helps cultivate a deep and compassionate awareness that allows you to assess your goals and find the optimum path towards realizing your deepest values.

Finding Peace in a Frantic World

If you have picked up this book, the chances are you've repeatedly asked yourself why the peace and happiness you yearn for so often slip through your fingers. Why is so much of life defined by frantic busyness, anxiety, stress and exhaustion? These are questions that puzzled us for many years too, and we think that science has finally found the answers. And, ironically, the principles underlying these answers were known to the ancient world: they are eternal truths.

Our moods naturally wax and wane. It's the way we're meant to be. But certain patterns of thinking can turn a short-term dip in vitality or emotional well-being into longer periods of anxiety, stress, unhappiness and exhaustion. A brief moment of sadness, anger or anxiety can end up tipping you into a "bad mood" that colors a whole day or far, far longer. Recent scientific discoveries have shown how these normal emotional fluxes can lead to long-term unhappiness, acute anxiety and even depression. But, more importantly, these discoveries have also revealed the path to becoming a happier and more "centered" person, by showing that:

• when you start to feel a little sad, anxious or irritable, it's not the mood that does the damage but how you react to it.
• the effort of trying to free yourself from a bad mood or bout of unhappiness--of working out why you're unhappy and what you can do about it--often makes things worse. It's like being trapped in quicksand--the more you struggle to be free, the deeper you sink.

As soon as we understand how the mind works, it becomes obvious why we all suffer from bouts of unhappiness, stress and irritability from time to time.

When you begin to feel a little unhappy, it's natural to try and think your way out of the problem of being unhappy. You try to establish what is making you unhappy and then find a solution. In the process, you can easily dredge up past regrets and conjure up future worries. This further lowers your mood. It doesn't take long before you start to feel bad for failing to discover a way of cheering yourself up. The "inner critic," which lives inside us all, begins to whisper that it's your fault, that you should try harder, whatever the cost. You soon start to feel separated from the deepest and wisest parts of yourself. You get lost in a seemingly endless cycle of recrimination and self-judgment; finding yourself at fault for not meeting your ideals, for not being the person you wish you could be.

We get drawn into this emotional quicksand because our state of mind is intimately connected with memory. The mind is constantly trawling through memories to find those that echo our current emotional state. For example, if you feel threatened, the mind instantly digs up memories of when you felt endangered in the past, so that you can spot similarities and find a way of escaping. It happens in an instant, before you're even aware of it. It's a basic survival skill honed by millions of years of evolution. It's incredibly powerful and almost impossible to stop.

The same is true with unhappiness, anxiety and stress. It is normal to feel a little unhappy from time to time, but sometimes a few sad thoughts can end up triggering a cascade of unhappy memories, negative emotions and harsh judgments. Before long, hours or even days can be colored by negative self-critical thoughts such as, What's wrong with me? My life is a mess. What will happen when they discover how useless I really am?

Such self-attacking thoughts are incredibly powerful, and once they gather momentum they are almost impossible to stop. One thought or feeling triggers the next, and then the next ... Soon, the original thought--no matter how fleeting--has gathered up a raft of similar sadnesses, anxieties and fears and you've become enmeshed in your own sorrow.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rodale Books; Reprint edition (November 13, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1609618955
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1609618957
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.73 x 8.44 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #32,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #151 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
- #247 in Meditation (Books)
- #1,063 in Personal Transformation Self-Help

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J. Mark G. Williams DPhil
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I am Professor Emeritus in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. (I also publish as J Mark G Williams.) I have held previous posts in the Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the University of Wales, Bangor. My research aims to understand how to prevent recurrent depression, and how to decrease risk of suicidal behaviour in depression. With colleagues John Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto) and the support of Jon Kabat-Zinn (Center for Mindfulness, UMass) we developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for prevention of relapse and recurrence in depression. Research has now found that MBCT significantly reduces risk of future depression in those who have suffered three or more previous episodes. In Great Britain, the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), working on behalf the National Health Service, has recommended MBCT as a primary treatment for prevention relapse in depression.
My previous books include Cry of Pain: understanding suicide and self harm (Penguin, 1997, 2002; Piatkus 2014) and with Z. Segal and J.D. Teasdale, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (Guilford, 2002, 2013) and The Mindful Way Workbook (Guilford, 2013), and Mindfulness -based Cognitive Therapy with People at Risk of Suicide (with Melanie Fennell, Thorsten Barnhofer, Sarah Silverton and Rebecca Crane; Guilford, 2015)
The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Guilford, 2007; co-authored with John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn) is written for a lay-readership, and includes a CD narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn so that readers may try mindfulness practice for themselves.
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World (Piatkus, 2011, co-authored with Danny Penman) extends MBCT to those who find themselves over-busy, stressed and exhausted; who feel that life is running away from them. It includes a free CD of short meditations that anyone can use to enhance their quality of life.
Our most recent book, Deeper Mindfulness (Piatkus, 2023) reveals how the latest advances in neuroscience, combined with millennia old wisdom, can be harnessed to transform your life. These discoveries open the doors to a deeper layer of mindfulness known as the ‘feeling tone’. This sets the ‘background colour’ that guides your thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is also the tipping point from which you can reclaim your life in an increasingly stressful and chaotic world. Proven effective at treating anxiety, stress and depression, the downloadable practices in Deeper Mindfulness offer a new and more fruitful direction for both novice and experienced meditators. It also allows the rest of us to approach life with renewed strength, vigour and equanimity.
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Dr. Danny Penman
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Dr Danny Penman is a meditation teacher and an award winning writer and journalist. He  is co-author of the million-selling 'Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World'. He has received journalism awards from the Humane Society of the United States and the RSPCA. In 2014, he won the British Medical Association’s Best Book (Popular Medicine) Award for 'Mindfulness for Health: A Practical Guide to Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress and Restoring Wellbeing' (published in the US as 'You Are Not Your Pain'). His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. His journalism has appeared in the Daily Mail, New Scientist, The Guardian, CNN and the BBC. He trained to teach mindfulness with the acclaimed Breathworks.
Dr Penman has been a keen meditator since his teenage years. He discovered mindfulness meditation in 2006 following a terrible paragliding accident that left him temporarily crippled and in constant pain. He was so surprised by how effective a painkiller (and stress-reliever) the meditations proved to be, that he sought out Professor Mark Williams of Oxford University, the co-developer of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. The pair then wrote 'Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World'.
Dr Penman recovered from his paragliding injuries in record time and he is now a keen runner, cyclist, and long-distance hiker. He credits his recovery, in large part, to the meditations he has practiced since his accident.
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Customers find the book easy to understand and practical. They find it useful for self-development and a good read for taking stock of oneself. The exercises provoke contemplation and personal evaluation, helping them calm their thoughts and focus on their goals. The rigor is non-dogmatic and non-judgmental, with a general lacing of common sense. The exercises are simple yet effective, working subtly and gradually. Customers appreciate the self-paced approach that works well for them.

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Mindfulness Ease of reading Readability Resiliency Rigor Effectiveness Pace Program content

259 customers mention "Mindfulness"254 positive5 negative

Customers find the book helpful for practicing mindfulness. They say it helps calm thoughts and focus on their goals. The exercises provoke contemplation and personal evaluation, which is easy to get lost in. Readers mention that the techniques have helped them find peace and stay out of depression. The book provides detailed instructions on mindfulness therapy for an eight-week course.

"...anyone, but I have been absolutely amazed by the significant links between modern psychology, particularly positive psychology and even mindfulness,..." Read more

"...I find the exercises provoke contemplation and personal evaluation - easy to get lost in thinking...." Read more

"...Paying attention is always a good thing however, and one can always benefit from separating awareness from our habitual thinking...." Read more

"...I'd be happier at work and at home, I'd be less anxious in social situations, both friends and strangers seemed much more naturally drawn to me, and..." Read more

140 customers mention "Ease of reading"132 positive8 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They appreciate the simple techniques and exercises, as well as the comprehensive, step-by-step guide to MBSR. The book is practical with some flexibility for application. Readers mention it's convenient to have the book and audio in one package.

"...I do like it - very much so. The exercises are easy-to-do and logical, with a general lacing of common-sense...." Read more

"...refine the two into an an 8- week course that one can follow in a very simple and practical form...." Read more

"...The book is so well written that every word and page makes so much sense and it's impossible to skip any...." Read more

"...Compared with all the others, this book is the most systematic and complete way to ease into MM for the long haul...." Read more

49 customers mention "Readability"35 positive14 negative

Customers find the book useful for self-development and learning how to live better. They say it's well-written, engaging, and fun to read. Some readers consider it one of the best non-fiction books they have read in a while.

"...This book is basically my personal bible and drastically changed my life for the better...." Read more

"A good read to take stock of oneself. I recommend reading this book. Helpful, meaningful, and very present reading material." Read more

"...which are hidden in the footnotes...OK as an introduction but totally impotent and irrelevant to the major issues that can turn your life upside..." Read more

"...I consider it an essential book that has contributed to my empowerment and healing, and continues to teach me how to have a more prosperous and sane..." Read more

20 customers mention "Resiliency"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for improving their quality of life and achieving a more prosperous and sane life. They describe it as an uplifting, caring, and practical guide that helps them strengthen their emotional intelligence and learn to meditate.

"...These are some of the most uplifting things that I have ever listened to. Joel Osteen is one of the most dynamic, charismatic speakers of our time...." Read more

"...This book will teach you to allow life to unfold moment by moment; it will teach you to be kind to yourself and realize the true nature of thoughts...." Read more

"...I can see major changes in my mood, attitude and general happiness regarding my life...." Read more

"...for writing it. The book is wise, skillfully written, and compassionate. The meditations are beautiful and effective...." Read more

13 customers mention "Rigor"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book non-dogmatic and secular. They appreciate the logical exercises that provoke contemplation and personal evaluation. The concepts are clear, with an impartial approach to consider them. The week plan and examples are helpful for readers.

"...I find the exercises provoke contemplation and personal evaluation - easy to get lost in thinking...." Read more

"...This book is an interesting hybrid of American thinking overlaid upon Buddhist psychological techniques of objective self observation...." Read more

"...to actually distance itself from these thoughts and regard them impartially...." Read more

"...They are research-based and thorough in their methods, rigorous in their ethics. They do pastoral and charity work...." Read more

8 customers mention "Effectiveness"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book effective. They say the workbook is simple yet effective, and the 8-week course works well. The guided meditations on CD are wonderful.

"...The meditations are beautiful and effective...." Read more

"...It works subtly and gradually...." Read more

"I read it and applied all the exercises in it. The results were very positive for me...." Read more

"...It’s a great resource and is a simple, effective, engaging program." Read more

7 customers mention "Pace"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pace helpful. It helps them slow down and relieve stress. They say it makes time less important and allows them to live life at a better pace.

"...It works subtly and gradually...." Read more

"...2. When in the moment, time seem to slow down and you can plan your move 3. It is all about the present moment that matters...." Read more

"...It helps me slow down Time. Better yet, it makes Time less and less important and somehow stuff gets done." Read more

"...to gain perspective, find perspective in challenging situations, slow things down. If one does what the book advocates, it works...." Read more

6 customers mention "Program content"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the program helpful and complete. They appreciate the first CD that explains the program and details the 8-week program.

"...The first CD explains the program and details the 8 week program and all the mindful meditations that follow in the second CD...." Read more

"Excellent program." Read more

"A Complete Program If You Have the Stamina..." Read more

"What a helpful program!!!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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If you are stressed (and who isn't nowadays), you need to read this book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2011
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Initial Review 12/14/2010:

Let me begin by saying that I have always been a huge skeptic about mindfullness, meditation, and anything else along those lines. That is until I began seeing all of the new scientific research on the subject and the new theory of brain plasticity...how people can literally change their brains no matter how old they are. This research was enough to convince me to give mindful meditation a try. Staying with the theme of the science of meditation, I chose The Frantic World book because the program was created by a team of phD scholars from respected universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, UMass, etc. Interestingly, the main author of this book, Mark Williams, was a skeptic when he started researching the subject as well. Not any more.

I am currently on week eight of the plan and I can tell you that I absolutely have noticed a difference. Not only do I feel calmer in situations that used to bother me the past physically, but I am also learning how to treat myself with more compassion, get out of autopilot and break many of my bad habits, and how to face my fears head on rather than avoiding them and actually making things worse. I have gone from a complete skeptic to someone who plans to continue to practice mindfulness for the rest of my life.

I'm not going to sugarcoat things and say that it's easy to find the time to meditate. It's not. One has to work hard to make sure that they find the half hour or so per day that they need to dedicate to the practice. That's not easy with work, kids, and life in general. I promise you though that it's definitely worth the time that you put in. I've never written a product review about anything on Amazon or any other site for that matter before. I am writing this review in the hopes that others out there who are struggling with stress, anxiety, etc read it and give mindfulness shot. Incorporating it into my daily life passively as well as actively meditating for short periods of the day has helped me tremendously.

Update 1/17/12:

Let's see if I can update my review using the comments section. Bear with me because I've never tried to do this before. I completed the entire Frantic World course several weeks ago. I definitely believe that it was beneficial. Do I still get stressed out from time to time? Of course. The idea behind mindfulness is not to make one live in some unrealistic, nirvana-like world...thought that would be nice :). To me it seems as though the goal of mindfulness is to help people deal with life's inevitably stressful situations more easily and quickly than they would have in the past. I think that incidents which would have dragged me down into a huge stressed-out mess for a prolonged period of time a year or so ago no longer seem to have the power to do so.

I am still continuing to do the mindfulness practices that were outlined in the book, particularly meditations four and seven. The first being a more general meditation using breathing and sensing the body and the second directed towards self-compassion or as the book calls it "befriending." Those two are my favorite, though from time to time I do practice meditation one and two, which are essentially body scans.

I plan to continue meditating. Though I rarely meditate for more than 20 to 30 minutes per day, I have not missed a single day since I started the practice. I believe that every little bit helps. It takes a long time to master any skill. Let's say that one meditated for 20 minutes every day for the entire eight week program. That seems like a long time right? Well, in reality one who has diligently done this meditation has actually only meditated for a total less than twenty hours. When one considers the popular modern-day theory that it takes 10,000 hours to truly be an expert at something, it looks like there is a long way to go. So what's my point in all of this rambling? I guess that my point is that mindfulness' benefits seem to accumulate over time. One will definitely benefit from taking the eight week Frantic World course, but don't just expect to do it for eight weeks and poof be magically stress free from then on. I'm sure that people who do this will experience some benefit, but I think that mindfulness is more of a life-long pursuit. The more one does it, the more benefit they will receive. Am I right? Who knows? I'm certainly not a psychologist or neuro-biologist. I'm just a normal family man who has read a lot on the subject of mindfulness over the past several months.

Speaking about reading, here's a list of a couple of other books that I have found helpful in this process. They more emphasize the practice of mindfulness in every day life, rather than purposeful meditation. Hopefully anyone who is reading this will find them helpful as well:

Just One Thing: Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time - Rick Hanson

How to Train a Wild Elephant: And Other Adventures in Mindfulness - Jan Chozen Bays

Well, that's all for now. Perhaps I'll check back with another update and some more book suggestions some other time.

Update 2/7/12:

I have found that the new research on Positive Psychology meshes very well with mindfulness practices. I have been practicing and reading about both on a regular basis. Here's a list of the best books that I have found on the subject for anyone who's interested:

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman - Dr. Seligman is basically the founder of the Positive Psychology movement. He established the school on the subject at U Penn. While older, Authentic Happiness seems better than his newer book on the eubject because it cnotains more practical advice on how to incorporate positive psychology into your life, such as practicing forgiveness, gratitude, flow, etc...

Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson - Dr. Hanson is another well known advocate of mindfulness, though his version of the meditations and his books seem to oncorporate many elements of Positive Psychology as well. It's a nice blend of the two. Not just some random person off of the street, Hanson's work delves deep into the science of the mind. He is the founder of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and has taught at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard.

3/13/2012:

Make sure to check out the new book by Richard Davidson, The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live--and How You Can Change Them . It's absolutely amazing.

Update 5/31/2012

Wow it's been awhile since my last update. I hope that everyone is doing well. I know that I am. I recently has an amazing revelation that I had to share with others who are in a similar situation to the one that I found myself in last year. I used to feel sorry for myself that I went through a period of significant depression and anxiety. Thinking why me? I now have come to realize that those few short months that I felt a little off were one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. Hitting bottom actually enabled me to push off and soar to the top. I honestly feel as though I am a better person today than I was before I went through that whole ordeal. I consider myself to be a reasonably smart individual and this enabled me to do the research that was necessary to not only break the cycle of negativity that I was stuck in, but to actually come out the other side a better, stronger, happier, healthier, more spiritual person than I have ever been in my life. I always considered myself to be a relatively happy individual, but I am now realizing just how unhealthy how some of the habits that I had in the past, like holding grudges, believing in jinxes, etc... really were. Not only was I able to become a better person, but even better I can now pass this gift onto everyone in my family...and elsewhere for that matter. I can now build a solid foundation of positivity and confidence for my children that I'm not sure I would have been able to give them in the past. Again, I have always considered myself to be a good father, but kids pick up on it when you're not feeling great, when you hold a grudge, when you say something negative...I think that I can provide them with the gift of positivity at one of the important times for the development of their minds. A gift that they can hopefully pass onto future generations.

I never try to force religion upon anyone, but I have been absolutely amazed by the significant links between modern psychology, particularly positive psychology and even mindfulness, and many forms of religion. I'm not sure if psychologists are borrowing from religion, if preachers are borrowing from modern psychology or if they both independently arrived at the same conclusions but the links are definitely there. If you are a religions person and you haven't ever listened to him, I suggest that you check out some of the works by Joel Osteen, especially his book "Every Day is a Friday" and some of his sermons that are available on iTunes such as "Good, Better, Blessed" and "Living in Favor Abundance and Joy." These are some of the most uplifting things that I have ever listened to. Joel Osteen is one of the most dynamic, charismatic speakers of our time. I'm sure that there are people who reject religion in general or Osteen in particular. I know that I certainly never thought that I would listen to a televangelist regularly, but trust me Joel Osteen and his uplifting message are a gift from God that everyone should listen to. I'm not trying to push my views on anyone, again I'm just here to try to help others by suggesting things that have worked for me. I hope that anyone who is reading this who feels that they need a little help because they are anxious, depressed or just thinks that they could be a little more positive or relaxed in life finds it helpful.

Update 4/30/2013:

Hi everyone. I was on Amazon today looking for books on positive psychology and I noticed all of the wonderful comments that many people have made. Thank you so much for the kind words. My intention in writing this review was to try to help others improve their lives like I have been able to do through making changes, many of which were inspired by Mark William's brilliant work on the subject of Mindfulness.

So, how have things been going? To sum them up in one word...Amazing. The changes that I started making in my life two and a half years ago have literally made these the best years that I have ever had. I like to think that one's mindset is sort of like a huge ship. Once the ship of emotions sets off in a negative direction, it's slow-going and it requires effort to turn it around, but it can be done. When you do get it pointed in the right direction the inertia works just as well that way. Positivity, faith, mindfulness all become easier and more natural with practice over time as the structure of the brain changes. It takes just as much energy to be positive and expect something good to happen as it does to be negative ane expect something bad, but the former is a whole lot more fun and healthy than the latter.

Here's a few random thoughts on what I have learned throughout this process:

1. Don't label yourself as having this or having that, being a positive person or a negative person, or being prone to this phobia or that condition. We're all people and we all have emotions. The people that you see walking down the street have the same feelings that you and I have. There's nothing wrong with you if you feel sad or anxious or whatever from time to time. Everyone does. As much as some people would like you to think that they're immune to feelings such as fear, etc...they're not.

2. The key is not to avoid having negative emotions, it's to not let them spiral out of control. Recognize that a thought is just a thought. It can't hurt you. It's nothing more than a cloud passing through the sky of the mind. Trying to avoid anything just makes it worse. While it sounds funny, you have to face your fears in order to master them. Mindfulness has helped me tremendously with this one.

3. Always try to have as many positive thoughts as possible and to look at things in the most favorable light. I have tons of digital picture frames in my office and at home that constantly scroll (I had to change it to every 1/2 hour because every minute was becoming very distracting and not very mindful ;) ) pictures of happy times in my life. I also use the notepad in my phone to write down a couple of positive things that happened to me that day or recently when I have the time at work, such as a short break. The more you reinforce the positive, the more a part of your mindset it will become. Scientists have proven that neuroplasticity exists and that what you expose yourself to literally changes the physical structure of your brain.

4. I personally have found faith and religion to be very helpful in my life.

5. While I don't bury my head in the sand, I have significantly cut back on the news that I watch on television and read on the Internet. Why? The world is filled with millions and millions of people. The news will take the two or three people who have dome something wrong and rub them in your face for hours at a time. The people who commit crimes, etc. represent less than one percent of the population but if you constantly think about the news you'll believe that it's everyone. No thanks. I'm looking for the good in people and you know something, if you walk around with a smile and a positive attitude, looking to help people and thinking the best I've found that you call in the best. I meet more nice people today whan I ever did when I was looking for the worst in everyone.

HA, I just read Amazon's review guidelines..."Reviews must contain at least 20 words..." I've got that one covered. Well, that's all the time I have for now, but I wanted to provide an update for anyone who's interested. On a related note to steer things back towards the product, I corresponded with Dr. Williams via e-mail to thank him for all that his work has done for me and he told me that he is almost finished with a new workbook on the subject. I definitely plan on reading it when it's available.

Take Care everyone!

Jason

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FEM
Excellent addition for your bookshelf.
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
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Have been reading mindful-oriented books these past six month to help de-stress, make habit changes and live more in the present. I first checked this book out from our local library to see if I would like it and would want to own it. I do like it - very much so.

The exercises are easy-to-do and logical, with a general lacing of common-sense. I find the exercises provoke contemplation and personal evaluation - easy to get lost in thinking.

Also, one might think they could easily read the book quickly due to easy visual layout of the book and how the text is written. However, I challenge you to NOT be "caught" in what the authors are presenting in the hopes you become more mindful and present.

Finally, I have yet to use the book as a straight-forward "8 week plan". So far, I've just opened the book and thought about what was the page(s). Often, I have to leave it for a few days or week or to and practice.

"Mindfulness" has helped me and I'm only beginning to do the "plan". I highly recommend investing in the book for your personal library.

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Rakibe
A Promising New Treatment Plan for MIndfulness
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2012
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In the 70's primal scream therapy and gestalt was the flavor of the day in psychology; currently in the new millenium it is the Hybrids of CBT and Mindfulness. This book appears to refine the two into an an 8- week course that one can follow in a very simple and practical form. It is interesting however to note, On Page 3 Williams says that Mindfulness meditation is a technique that was introduced to the west. This is technically not true at all. There is no such thing as "mindfulness meditation" in the east nor was such a thing taught by Buddha. Just as there is no such thing as the English word "mindfulness" in the sutras. And as Buddhism continues to be Psychologized by westerners, it also continues to become a hybrid that no longer resembles its source. This is not to say there are not valuable teachings in this book, especially for people suffering from chronic depression; however one of the biggest differences culturally is that in the Asia you can learn this stuff for FREE and depression is not seen as a diagnosis in a book used by insurance companies (DSM IV), depression is seen as a motivator for the understanding of the 1st noble truth. You don't need to pay a therapist or have to buy a book to learn this.
In the Tripitaka (the Buddhist sutras) there is no reference to "Mindfulness Meditation". This book is an interesting hybrid of American thinking overlaid upon Buddhist psychological techniques of objective self observation. The so-called "Mindfulness Meditation" does not get credit as it should (Showing that Williams is either a poor scholar or an exploitative American thief) Drawing a lot more from U BHA KIN and his style of "Vipassana" teaching(also from S.N. Goenka) than from Buddha. Williams tries to give a good treatment plan for day to day living. More than a book of inspirational phrases, he is experimenting with a book to see if we can really have it all. Keep up very busy lives, seeking materialism to bring us happiness and also integrating Mindful observations into that busyness. Paying attention is always a good thing however, and one can always benefit from separating awareness from our habitual thinking. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this experiment, as it promises a positive outcome, I am very hopeful.

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Keith McL
One of the Best Books on Mindfulness
Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2023
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I have given away four copies of "Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan . . .". Practicing mindfulness is considered by the British NIH to be as effective as taking medication for depression without the side effects and costs.

Even if you are not clinically depressed or anxious, doing these practices will make you more peaceful and calm. To me: doing these practices is like going fishing or walking in nature.

The authors have given just enough explanation of how we ruminate and self create our anxieties and depression.

Williams and Penman have put together some excellent practices with online access to audios. If you follow their instructions you will see the benefits.

But you have to be motivated enough to set aside some time to practice.

There are other good books on mindfulness. But to me this is the best.

I highly recommend this book.

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Dr SAM Ahuja
Finding Peace!!
Reviewed in India on June 2, 2024
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This book is a comprehensive view of our hectic lives!! It teaches us how to find peace, in this hectic world!! The steps are simple to follow!! It made peaceful reading!! We could actually do the various steps of mindfulness!!
Dr SAM Ahuja

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Francesco Gilio
Un buon riferimento per iniziare
Reviewed in Italy on August 31, 2022
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Gli esercizi proposti sono utili per iniziare a praticare la Mindfulness. I capitoli introduttivi fanno capire bene il contesto.

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Manuel Serrano
Necesario para la vida diaria
Reviewed in Mexico on July 21, 2019
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Un libro necesario para poder vivir en la era de hoy en día

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Haynna
Excelente
Reviewed in Brazil on October 31, 2018
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Os autores começam expondo dados científicos sobre os benefícios da meditação. Depois, eles propõem um programa de 8 semanas em que o leitor faz, com a ajuda dos áudios, uma meditação diferente por semana. No fim do programa, eles aconselham que você escolha sua preferida para continuar. É tudo muito fácil de seguir.

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