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How to Train a Happy Mind: A Skeptic's Path to Enlightenment
TRAIN YOUR MIND TOWARD LASTING CONNECTION AND JOY
Eager to share the life-enhancing benefits he found in Buddhism, skeptic Scott Snibbe presents this 8-step programme that allows anyone to build positive mental habits. Inspired by the ancient Buddhist path to enlightenment yet firmly grounded in modern science, How to Train a Happy Mind is the first mainstream book to show how you can achieve happiness using analytical meditation. Working in much the same way as cognitive behavioural therapy, analytical meditation goes beyond the calm-inducing practice of mindfulness to actively train the brain through easy-to-follow narrative visualizations.
Breaking the path down into concise steps and written in a relatable tone with plenty of references to popular culture, this is the ideal book if you recognize your mind as both the source of your problems and the source of your solutions.
Eager to share the life-enhancing benefits he found in Buddhism, skeptic Scott Snibbe presents this 8-step programme that allows anyone to build positive mental habits. Inspired by the ancient Buddhist path to enlightenment yet firmly grounded in modern science, How to Train a Happy Mind is the first mainstream book to show how you can achieve happiness using analytical meditation. Working in much the same way as cognitive behavioural therapy, analytical meditation goes beyond the calm-inducing practice of mindfulness to actively train the brain through easy-to-follow narrative visualizations.
Breaking the path down into concise steps and written in a relatable tone with plenty of references to popular culture, this is the ideal book if you recognize your mind as both the source of your problems and the source of your solutions.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 12, 2024
121 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snibbe
2 books7 followersScott Snibbe is a twenty-five-year student of Tibetan Buddhism whose teachers include Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He leads meditation classes and retreats worldwide infused with science, humor, and the realities of the modern world. Snibbe is the host of the popular How to Train a Happy Mind podcast, and a new media artist whose installations have been incorporated into museums, public spaces, and performances. He has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers including Björk, Philip Glass, Beck, and James Cameron, and his work can be found in the collections of New York MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and other institutions.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2024
As soon as I hear words like karma and reincarnation, the skeptic in me has always given Buddhist teachings a hard pass. I enjoy moving along the higher elevations of the paths to Enlightment through reading a variety of books, and have blazed a few trails of my own through contemplation that have rewarded me with an overall mindset of a peaceful, loving witness.
“How to Train a Happy Mind; A Skeptics Path to Enlightenment” has opened me to a whole new level of understanding the workings of my mind and the nature of consciousness. While much here is already part of my experience, there so many, for me, new interwoven concepts of essential Buddhist thought that I am finally beginning to appreciate the depth and value of this wisdom tradition.
Scott’s writing is clear, concise, warm and accessible. Each new concept builds brilliantly on the one before, and I found myself underlining nuggets of universal wisdom on nearly every page. It is a joyous read.
I am about to go nomadic and travel the world. This book is coming with me.
“How to Train a Happy Mind; A Skeptics Path to Enlightenment” has opened me to a whole new level of understanding the workings of my mind and the nature of consciousness. While much here is already part of my experience, there so many, for me, new interwoven concepts of essential Buddhist thought that I am finally beginning to appreciate the depth and value of this wisdom tradition.
Scott’s writing is clear, concise, warm and accessible. Each new concept builds brilliantly on the one before, and I found myself underlining nuggets of universal wisdom on nearly every page. It is a joyous read.
I am about to go nomadic and travel the world. This book is coming with me.
September 18, 2024
I absolutely love this book. It is so accessible. It was exactly what I was looking for as a skeptic who enjoys meditation and was looking for something more substantial to dig into related to that practice. I love how this book never asks me to accept anything supernatural while still presenting TONS of practical exercises to help try on the concepts.
My one little critic would be that there are some corny moments that stretch a little far to try to rope in some science. But that just adds to the delightfully nerdy voice of the book.
My one little critic would be that there are some corny moments that stretch a little far to try to rope in some science. But that just adds to the delightfully nerdy voice of the book.
November 4, 2024
I recommend How to Train a Happy Mind to anyone who is excited about making positive change in the world and ready to grow spiritually to truly be that positive change. This is a book with actionable steps to seeing, thinking and feeling and can help you see the yourself the way you actually are. In this way, HTTHM has radically changed my perspective on the world and I have started to see a big positive change in my relationships with my friends and people I meet.
One of the parts that I connected to the most was the chapter when Scott writes how everyone is on their own hero's journey and we are all on different stages of it. It's helped me see myself in a more positive lens and soften the really critical voice in my head.
The other part I really enjoyed was when Scott says there is a quiet peace in between passing thoughts where this is just pure contentment. I've struggled with our culture that encourages us to always keep busy, but after reading, I have really taken "don't just do something, sit there," to heart. It's helped calm down my racing thoughts and my anxiety and be more at peace with myself when I am alone.
Thank you Scott for putting this wonderful peace together and helping people like me have an inner place of peace to turn whenever life becomes confusing and difficult.
One of the parts that I connected to the most was the chapter when Scott writes how everyone is on their own hero's journey and we are all on different stages of it. It's helped me see myself in a more positive lens and soften the really critical voice in my head.
The other part I really enjoyed was when Scott says there is a quiet peace in between passing thoughts where this is just pure contentment. I've struggled with our culture that encourages us to always keep busy, but after reading, I have really taken "don't just do something, sit there," to heart. It's helped calm down my racing thoughts and my anxiety and be more at peace with myself when I am alone.
Thank you Scott for putting this wonderful peace together and helping people like me have an inner place of peace to turn whenever life becomes confusing and difficult.
January 4, 2025
Informative, entertaining, great for beginners to meditation/buddhism
April 4, 2024
I bought this book at March 28th 2024,
Scott told bout steps how to meditate according Buddhism teaching
From anxious, attachment , anger , delusion are the suffering of human face it daily life
This book teaches us how to meditate and train our mind to be happy and dare to face the root of human suffering
thank you for this book which is helping me to deal with CHANGE
Scott told bout steps how to meditate according Buddhism teaching
From anxious, attachment , anger , delusion are the suffering of human face it daily life
This book teaches us how to meditate and train our mind to be happy and dare to face the root of human suffering
thank you for this book which is helping me to deal with CHANGE
July 5, 2025
🌿 A gentle guide to inner joy and lasting connection... 🌿
There are books that change how you think—and then there are books that change how you feel. How to Train a Happy Mind does both.
Written by a skeptic turned seeker, Scott Snibbe’s journey is not about blind belief or spiritual jargon—it’s honest, relatable, and incredibly grounded. He doesn’t ask you to leave logic at the door. Instead, he welcomes you, as you are, into a space where your mind can become your greatest friend instead of your worst enemy.
The book introduces analytical meditation—a practice that’s more than just closing your eyes and breathing. It’s about thinking deeply, kindly, and wisely, with the warmth of ancient wisdom behind it, each chapter gently walks you through 8 steps that can slowly shift the way you see yourself, others, and the world.
What touched me the most was how simple yet profound this book is. Author uses his life's moments , several references to help you understand that happiness isn’t something you chase—it’s something you train your mind to see.
Whether you’re someone battling overthinking, feeling emotionally disconnected, or just searching for meaning in your modern life—this book feels like a good friend sitting beside you, telling you, “You’ve got this. Let’s begin again.”
It’s not just a book.
It’s a shift.
A practice.
A path toward a lighter, kinder, more connected version of you.
I highly appreciated and recommend this book to you to read this wonderful effective book.
There are books that change how you think—and then there are books that change how you feel. How to Train a Happy Mind does both.
Written by a skeptic turned seeker, Scott Snibbe’s journey is not about blind belief or spiritual jargon—it’s honest, relatable, and incredibly grounded. He doesn’t ask you to leave logic at the door. Instead, he welcomes you, as you are, into a space where your mind can become your greatest friend instead of your worst enemy.
The book introduces analytical meditation—a practice that’s more than just closing your eyes and breathing. It’s about thinking deeply, kindly, and wisely, with the warmth of ancient wisdom behind it, each chapter gently walks you through 8 steps that can slowly shift the way you see yourself, others, and the world.
What touched me the most was how simple yet profound this book is. Author uses his life's moments , several references to help you understand that happiness isn’t something you chase—it’s something you train your mind to see.
Whether you’re someone battling overthinking, feeling emotionally disconnected, or just searching for meaning in your modern life—this book feels like a good friend sitting beside you, telling you, “You’ve got this. Let’s begin again.”
It’s not just a book.
It’s a shift.
A practice.
A path toward a lighter, kinder, more connected version of you.
I highly appreciated and recommend this book to you to read this wonderful effective book.
April 24, 2025
this book was so so insightful about how to move on from mindfulness to meditation where you actually CHANGE the way you think. i loved that scott snibbe touched on aspects such as a simple mindfulness meditation before getting into the intellectual stuff like the previous life, universalising, compassion, love, impermanence, irritability, finding where the “self” truly is, however, i did feel that the book was quite masculine in the topics it focused on, maybe this is just my experience as a woman but i kind of wished there were more areas focusing on feelings of inadequacy, depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, wrestling with trauma, etc… rather than pre-dominantly focusing on things like anger, escapism through addictions, etc… this might just be my take though!
also, this book made me cry a lot!
also, this book made me cry a lot!
July 17, 2025
How To Train A Happy Mind by Scott Snibbe is a beautiful reminder to live life in the best and most wholesome manner possible. An 8 step process to live to the fullest is inspired by teachings and practices mentioned in Buddhism.
Scott Snibbe's teachings work best for the skeptic minds of today. They help to absorb and apply what's relevant in their true form. There are brilliant examples throughout which add value to the interpretation and application of the teachings mentioned. Snibbe has made it easy to follow and benefit, from the daily practices.
This book is so refreshing and gripping, it's simple narration reinforces ways to live, laugh and love life as it comes. It isn't just a book for spiritual growth, it's a guidebook to untangle life on the way.
Scott Snibbe's teachings work best for the skeptic minds of today. They help to absorb and apply what's relevant in their true form. There are brilliant examples throughout which add value to the interpretation and application of the teachings mentioned. Snibbe has made it easy to follow and benefit, from the daily practices.
This book is so refreshing and gripping, it's simple narration reinforces ways to live, laugh and love life as it comes. It isn't just a book for spiritual growth, it's a guidebook to untangle life on the way.
August 17, 2024
Click bait for supposed “Skeptics”. It’s a droning fluff piece on Buddhism with vague mentions of “neuroplasciticy” to fool lay readers into a false sense of any reality anchoring.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews