The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness

Front Cover
Guilford Publications, Jun 1, 2007 - Self-Help - 273 pages
If you've ever struggled with depression, take heart. Mindfulness, a simple yet powerful way of paying attention to your most difficult emotions and life experiences, can help you break the cycle of chronic unhappiness once and for all. In The Mindful Way through Depression, four uniquely qualified experts explain why our usual attempts to "think" our way out of a bad mood or just "snap out of it" lead us deeper into the downward spiral. Through insightful lessons drawn from both Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive therapy, they demonstrate how to sidestep the mental habits that lead to despair, including rumination and self-blame, so you can face life's challenges with greater resilience. Jon Kabat-Zinn gently and encouragingly narrates the accompanying CD of guided meditations, making this a complete package for anyone seeking to regain a sense of hope and well-being.

See also the authors' Mindful Way Workbook, which provides step-by-step guidance for building your mindfulness practice in 8 weeks. Plus, mental health professionals, see also the authors' bestselling therapy guide: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition.

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit
 

Contents

Tired of Feeling So Bad for So Long
1
Part I Mind Body and Emotion
9
Part II Moment by Moment
51
Part III Transforming Unhappiness
115
Part IV Reclaiming Your Life
211
Further Reading Web Materials and Retreat Centers
245
Notes
249
Index
259
About the Authors
271
About the CD
274
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

J. Mark G. Williams, DPhil, is Professor of Clinical Psychology Emeritus and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, where he was Founding Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. He collaborated with John Teasdale and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression. Dr. Williams is also coauthor ofMindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with People at Risk of Suicideÿ(for mental health professionals). He continues to work with colleagues to research the role of mindfulness in the prevention of depression in adolescents, and to train new mindfulness teachers internationally. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the British Academy.

John D. Teasdale, PhD, held a Special Scientific Appointment with the United Kingdom Medical Research Council?s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He collaborated with Mark Williams and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression. Since retiring, Dr. Teasdale has taught mindfulness and insight meditation internationally. He continues to explore and seek to understand the wider implications of mindfulness and meditation for enhancing our way of being.

Zindel V. Segal, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto?Scarborough. He is Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychological Science Program and is also Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Segal has conducted influential research into the psychological processes that make certain people more vulnerable than others to developing depression and experiencing recurrent episodes. He actively advocates for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health. He collaborated with John Teasdale and Mark Williams in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, as well as its world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic. Dr. Kabat-Zinn is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and teacher, which has contributed to the growing movement of mindfulness into such mainstream institutions as schools, corporations, prisons, professional sports teams, government, and the legal profession, in addition to its influence in medicine and health care, psychology, and neuroscience. He teaches and conducts mindfulness retreats worldwide.

Bibliographic information