What Really Helps: Using Mindfulness and Compassionate Presence to Help, Support, and Encourage Others

by Karen Kissel Wegela

Most of us, at one time or another, would like to help a friend, family member, or acquaintance through a challenging time. But do we really know how to give meaningful support and guidance? And why do our best efforts at helping others often come up short? Here is a practical guide that will be of special interest to helping professionals—and anyone who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of people they care about.

To be truly helpful to others, Karen Wegela explains, we must begin by focusing on ourselves. We must develop greater awareness, steadiness of mind, fearlessness, and self-compassion. Only then we can extend these qualities to the people we’d like to help. Drawing on her experiences as a psychotherapist and on her longtime study of Buddhist meditation, Wegela emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness, or learning to become fully present in our moment-to-moment experience. Through mindfulness we develop a fearless, compassionate presence in our daily lives—and we become better listeners, take wiser actions, and give more valuable, effective guidance to the people we’d like to help.

Genres: Psychology, Buddhism, Spirituality

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 1996

Reviews

[Miriam Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endless practical tools and kind tone

This is a key text for helpers of all kinds. Wegela has a lot of experience and anecdotes from clients in ordinary and clinical realms. Accessible and profound.

[Anabelle Bernard Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book. lot of mindfulness basics for those with little experience. will read again for sure.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful for anyone who wants to be more in tune with others needs, whether they are a healthcare provider or not. The book delves into learning more about yourself and your emotions. In doing this one is more capable of helping others