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“Williams and his international team of authors provide insight into the healing power of so-called 'awareness' through which people can escape the wearisome ruminations of the obsessed mind, befriend alien feelings, and come more alive in themselves....A practical volume that bears the authority both of contemporary psychology and the age old spiritual practice of meditation.”

—New Directions (on the first edition)


“An invaluable resource for patients who suffer with depression. In addition to psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and CBT, it provides another resource to patients and another way of looking at their struggle, a way of trying to understand what's happening and a way to learn a technique of self-help; a way of attempting to break through a cycle of chronic unhappiness….A book of this sort is invaluable in that it provides a series of take-home exercises for the novice and provides a step-by-step guide to patients or clinicians interested in effective noninvasive therapeutic techniques.”

—Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic (on the first edition)


“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 (on the first edition)


“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.”

—Metapsychology Online Reviews (on the first edition)


“This work is a culmination of the many years of expertise and talent that the four authors have to share....They have carefully crafted the explanation of the cycle of depression utilizing a cognitive-behavioral model. The concept of prevention of depression starts here and continues throughout the package....Practitioners and clients will find exercises…that can be helpful to include in a treatment plan.”

—Therapy Today (on the first edition)


“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….Highly recommended. (starred review)”

—Library Journal (on the first edition)


“This is the book to turn to if you want to learn new ways to meet depression. It seamlessly weaves the science and practice of changing how we greet experiences, even profoundly difficult ones.”

—J. David Creswell, PhD, William S. Dietrich II Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University


“An essential resource for anyone who struggles with depression. With clarity and compassionate understanding, the authors artfully combine the latest research with decades of clinical wisdom to offer an effective path forward. Filled with immediately relatable examples and easy-to-follow exercises, this book can help you not only to become freer from suffering, but also, ultimately, to live a richer life.”

—Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, author of The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary


“In this wonderful second edition, the authors once again seamlessly weave scientifically proven mindfulness techniques with insightful, compassionate stories. This book gives readers a completely new way to work with difficult emotions and thoughts. I can't recommend it highly enough!”

—Linda E. Carlson, PhD, RPsych, coauthor of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Tired of Feeling So Bad for So Long

I. Mind, Body, and Emotion

1. “Oh No, Here I Go Again”: Why Unhappiness Won’t Let Go

2. The Healing Power of Awareness: Making a Shift to Freedom

II. Moment by Moment

3. Cultivating Mindfulness: A First Taste

4. The Breath: Gateway to Awareness

5. A Different Way of Knowing: Sidestepping the Ruminating Mind

III. Transforming Unhappiness

6. Reconnecting with Our Feelings—Those We Like, Those We Don’t Like, and Those We Don’t Know We Have

7. Befriending Our Feelings

8. Seeing Thoughts as Creations of the Mind

9. Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Taking a Breathing Space

IV. Reclaiming Your Life

10. Fully Alive: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness

11. Bringing It All Together: Weaving the Mindfulness Program into Your Life

Notes

Index

Audio Downloads:

1. Introduction (3:01; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

2. Body Scan (29:35; Jon Kabat-Zinn

3. Mindful Standing Yoga (11:22; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

4. Mindfulness of the Breath (10:40; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

5. Mindfulness of the Breath and Body (9:54; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

6. Mindfulness of Sounds and Thoughts (10:40; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

7. The Breathing Space (3:56; Jon Kabat-Zinn)

8. Mindful Walking (13:32; Mark Williams)

9. Mindful Yoga—Formal Practice (38:30; Zindel Segal)

10. Working with Difficulty Meditation (25:30; Mark Williams)

11. Sitting Meditation (37:47; John Teasdale)

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About the Authors

Mark Williams, DPhil, is Professor of Clinical Psychology Emeritus 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, Second Edition. Dr. Williams continues to train mindfulness teachers internationally.

• Author's website
• All titles by Mark Williams

John 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, Second Edition. Since retiring, Dr. Teasdale has taught mindfulness and insight meditation internationally. He continues to seek a psychological understanding of the wider implications of mindfulness and meditation for enhancing our way of being, and is the author of What Happens in Mindfulness: Inner Awakening and Embodied Cognition.

• All titles by John Teasdale

Zindel Segal, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto–Scarborough. 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, Second Edition.

• Author's website
• All titles by Zindel Segal

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 and the world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Dr. Kabat-Zinn is the author of 15 books. His work and that of his colleagues around the world has contributed to the growing movement of mindfulness in mainstream society and in medicine, health care, psychology, and neuroscience. He teaches and conducts mindfulness retreats worldwide.

• Author's website
• All titles by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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Audience

Anyone who struggles with unhappiness or depression; also of interest to mental health professionals.

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Special package offer: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition, gives therapists the tools to implement the proven MBCT program with clients. The Mindful Way through Depression, Second Edition, introduces clients or general readers to MBCT strategies in a self-help format, and The Mindful Way Workbook offers them explicit support for building a mindfulness practice step by step.

Order all 3 items for $76.95, instead of $102.90 if bought separately!

order package

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

First Edition, © 2007
ISBN: 9781593851286