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Coming to Our Senses #1C
The Healing Power of Mindfulness: A New Way of Being
Discover how mindfulness can help you with healing.
More than twenty years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn showed us the value of cultivating greater awareness in everyday life with his now-classic introduction to mindfulness, Wherever You Go, There You Are . Now, in TheHealing Power of Mindfulness , he shares a cornucopia of specificexamples as to how the cultivation of mindfulness can reshape your relationship with your own body and mind--explaining what we're learning about neuroplasticity and the brain, how meditation can affect our biology and our health, and what mindfulness can teach us about coming to terms with all sorts of life challenges, including our own mortality, so we can make the most of the moments that we have.
Originally published in 2005 as part of a larger book titled Coming to Our Senses , The Healing Power of Mindfulness features a new foreword by the author and timely updates throughout the text. If you are interested in learning more about how mindfulness as a way of being can help us to heal, physically and emotionally, look no further than this deeply personal and also "deeply optimistic book, grounded in good science and filled with practical recommendations for moving in the right direction" (Andrew Weil, MD), from one of the pioneers of the worldwide mindfulness movement.
More than twenty years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn showed us the value of cultivating greater awareness in everyday life with his now-classic introduction to mindfulness, Wherever You Go, There You Are . Now, in TheHealing Power of Mindfulness , he shares a cornucopia of specificexamples as to how the cultivation of mindfulness can reshape your relationship with your own body and mind--explaining what we're learning about neuroplasticity and the brain, how meditation can affect our biology and our health, and what mindfulness can teach us about coming to terms with all sorts of life challenges, including our own mortality, so we can make the most of the moments that we have.
Originally published in 2005 as part of a larger book titled Coming to Our Senses , The Healing Power of Mindfulness features a new foreword by the author and timely updates throughout the text. If you are interested in learning more about how mindfulness as a way of being can help us to heal, physically and emotionally, look no further than this deeply personal and also "deeply optimistic book, grounded in good science and filled with practical recommendations for moving in the right direction" (Andrew Weil, MD), from one of the pioneers of the worldwide mindfulness movement.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2018
164 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
About the author
Jon Kabat-Zinn
206 books2,082 followersJon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the founding director of its renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in various venues around the world. He received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT in 1971 in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate, Salvador Luria.
He is the author of numerous scientific papers on the clinical applications of mindfulness in medicine and health care, and of a number of books for the lay public: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness (Delta, 1991); Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (Hyperion, 1994); Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2005); and Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2007). He is also co-author, with his wife Myla, of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting (Hyperion, 1997); and with Williams, Teasdale, and Segal, of The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Guilford, 2007). Overall, his books have been translated into over 30 languages.
His major research interests have focused on mind/body interactions for healing, clinical applications of mindfulness meditation training, the effects of MBSR on the brain, on the immune system, and on healthy emotional expression while under stress; on healing (skin clearing rates) in people with psoriasis; on patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation; with prison inmates and staff; in multicultural settings; and on stress in various corporate settings and work environments. His work in the Stress Reduction Clinic was featured in Bill Moyers’ PBS Special, “Healing and the Mind” and in the book of the same title, as well as on Good Morning America, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and NPR. It has contributed to a growing movement of mindfulness into mainstream institutions such as medicine, and psychology, health care and hospitals, schools, corporations, the legal profession, prisons, and professional sports.
He has trained groups of CEOs, judges, members of the clergy, and Olympic athletes (the 1984 Olympic Men’s Rowing Team) and congressional staff in mindfulness. The Stress Reduction Clinic has served as the model for mindfulness-based clinical intervention programs at over 200 medical centers and clinics nation-wide and abroad.
Dr. Kabat-Zinn has received numerous awards over the span of his career. He is a founding fellow of the Fetzer Institute, and a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He received the Interface Foundation Career Achievement Award, and the New York Open Center’s Tenth Year Anniversary Achievement in Medicine and Health Award (1994); the Art, Science, and Soul of Healing Award from the Institute for Health and Healing, California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco (1998); the 2nd Annual Trailblazer Award for “pioneering work in the field of integrative medicine” from the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, California (2001); the Distinguished Friend Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2005), and an Inaugural Pioneer in Integrative Medicine Award from the Bravewell Philanthropic Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (2007).
He is the founding convener of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, and serves on the Board of the Mind and Life Institute, a group that organizes dialogues between the Dalai Lama and Western scientists to promote deeper understanding of different ways of knowing and probing the nature of mind, emotions, and reality. He was co-program chair of the 2005 Mind and Life Dialogue: The Clinical Appl
He is the author of numerous scientific papers on the clinical applications of mindfulness in medicine and health care, and of a number of books for the lay public: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness (Delta, 1991); Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (Hyperion, 1994); Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2005); and Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2007). He is also co-author, with his wife Myla, of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting (Hyperion, 1997); and with Williams, Teasdale, and Segal, of The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Guilford, 2007). Overall, his books have been translated into over 30 languages.
His major research interests have focused on mind/body interactions for healing, clinical applications of mindfulness meditation training, the effects of MBSR on the brain, on the immune system, and on healthy emotional expression while under stress; on healing (skin clearing rates) in people with psoriasis; on patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation; with prison inmates and staff; in multicultural settings; and on stress in various corporate settings and work environments. His work in the Stress Reduction Clinic was featured in Bill Moyers’ PBS Special, “Healing and the Mind” and in the book of the same title, as well as on Good Morning America, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and NPR. It has contributed to a growing movement of mindfulness into mainstream institutions such as medicine, and psychology, health care and hospitals, schools, corporations, the legal profession, prisons, and professional sports.
He has trained groups of CEOs, judges, members of the clergy, and Olympic athletes (the 1984 Olympic Men’s Rowing Team) and congressional staff in mindfulness. The Stress Reduction Clinic has served as the model for mindfulness-based clinical intervention programs at over 200 medical centers and clinics nation-wide and abroad.
Dr. Kabat-Zinn has received numerous awards over the span of his career. He is a founding fellow of the Fetzer Institute, and a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He received the Interface Foundation Career Achievement Award, and the New York Open Center’s Tenth Year Anniversary Achievement in Medicine and Health Award (1994); the Art, Science, and Soul of Healing Award from the Institute for Health and Healing, California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco (1998); the 2nd Annual Trailblazer Award for “pioneering work in the field of integrative medicine” from the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, California (2001); the Distinguished Friend Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2005), and an Inaugural Pioneer in Integrative Medicine Award from the Bravewell Philanthropic Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (2007).
He is the founding convener of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, and serves on the Board of the Mind and Life Institute, a group that organizes dialogues between the Dalai Lama and Western scientists to promote deeper understanding of different ways of knowing and probing the nature of mind, emotions, and reality. He was co-program chair of the 2005 Mind and Life Dialogue: The Clinical Appl
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 23, 2018
From the publisher: "Coming to Our Senses is being repackaged into 4 smaller books, each focusing on a different aspect of mindfulness, and each with a new foreword written by the author. In the third of these books, The Healing Power of Mindfulness (which was originally published as Part V and Part VI of Coming to Our Senses), Kabat-Zinn focuses on the ways mindfulness can change the body and rewire the mind--explaining what we're learning about neuroplasticity and the brain, how meditation can affect the immune system, and what mindfulness can teach us about facing impermanence and, eventually, the end of our own lives. By "coming to our senses"--both literally and metaphorically--we can become more compassionate, more embodied, more aware human beings, and in the process, contribute to the healing of the body politic as well as our own lives in ways both little and big."
From the author: "When unattended, our thinking runs our lives without our even knowing it. Attended in awareness, we have a chance not only to know ourselves better, and see what is on our minds, but also to hold our thoughts differently, so they no longer rule our lives."
I have been meditating daily for more than a year and 'attempted' it off and on for many more years, always wondering 'if I was doing it right' at that point. Now I know there is no such thing 'as doing it right.' The important thing is to be present in the moment, to be aware of your thoughts and letting them go. It's interesting to learn the actual physical changes that the brain experiences during meditation which can lead to your physical well-being and healing.
I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. I will always jump at the chance to read anything by this author so I am very grateful for the opportunity.
From the author: "When unattended, our thinking runs our lives without our even knowing it. Attended in awareness, we have a chance not only to know ourselves better, and see what is on our minds, but also to hold our thoughts differently, so they no longer rule our lives."
I have been meditating daily for more than a year and 'attempted' it off and on for many more years, always wondering 'if I was doing it right' at that point. Now I know there is no such thing 'as doing it right.' The important thing is to be present in the moment, to be aware of your thoughts and letting them go. It's interesting to learn the actual physical changes that the brain experiences during meditation which can lead to your physical well-being and healing.
I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. I will always jump at the chance to read anything by this author so I am very grateful for the opportunity.
July 17, 2019
“The Healing Power of Mindfulness: A New Way of Being” is Book 3 in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s elegantly repackaged 2005's “Coming to Our Senses” classic.
Jon is the Godfather of mindfulness and this helpful text, with a new forward by the author, focuses on the ways mindfulness can change the body and rewire the mind. We learn about brain plasticity, how meditation boosts the immune system, and what mindfulness can teach us about impermanence in our world and in our lives.
By "coming to our senses" — literally and figuratively — we become kinder and more aware, better able to contribute to healing of the body politic and to our own lives. 5/5
Pub Date 06 Nov 2018
Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#TheHealingPowerOfMindfulness #NetGalley
Jon is the Godfather of mindfulness and this helpful text, with a new forward by the author, focuses on the ways mindfulness can change the body and rewire the mind. We learn about brain plasticity, how meditation boosts the immune system, and what mindfulness can teach us about impermanence in our world and in our lives.
By "coming to our senses" — literally and figuratively — we become kinder and more aware, better able to contribute to healing of the body politic and to our own lives. 5/5
Pub Date 06 Nov 2018
Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#TheHealingPowerOfMindfulness #NetGalley
October 28, 2018
The Healing Power of Mindfulness was originally published as parts V and VI of Jon Kabot-Zinn’s 2005 classic book Coming to Our Senses. This volume is updated and with a new foreword by the author. In it, Kabot-Zinn relates the powerful connection between mindfulness and healing which he describes as coming to terms with things as they are, not clouded by emotions or narratives that might inhibit our awareness of the present moment. This healing through mindfulness practice promotes a number of positive physical and emotional outcomes.
Although the book was very interesting and inspiring, it wasn’t what I expected. I thought there might be practical instructions on using mindfulness to heal emotionally and physically, but this is not a how-to book. The basics of mindfulness meditation are covered in other volumes in the set as well as in print, online, and virtual resources listed at the close of the book. Instead, The Healing Power of Mindfulness discusses the ways mindfulness meditation promotes positive outcomes. It provides the answer to why one should commit to a practice of mindfulness.
My favorite chapters are those that are concrete and/or based firmly in Kabot-Zinn’s personal experience. Relating to physical healing, I enjoyed reading about Christopher Reeve’s remarkable resilience after the horse-riding accident that paralyzed him. Though his doctors believed he would show no improvement, he persisted until he felt the wiggle of a single finger. Even when he didn’t experience the outcomes he’d hoped for, he always felt that doctors could learn from the process and help others with spinal injuries. Poignantly, the author relates his experience with his father’s Alzheimer’s and how that inspired him even more to be present in the moment. One study showed that patients with psoriasis who engaged in guided meditations during phototherapy, needed much less time to remove skin eruptions than did patients in the control condition.
The book also deals with emotional or spiritual healing. One chapter, for example discusses neuroplasticity and how mindfulness can actually change the processes in our brains to promote habits of being (or non-being) associated with positive emotions. A mindfulness practice can reduce stress. It can even help prepare us for death, our ultimate and inevitable fate.
Mindfulness also applie beyond the realm of the individual. Kabot-Zinn discusses how organizations (which he calls orthogonal institutions) can promote a spirit of mindfulness. Using dialogue instead of discussion embraces the ideal of mindfulness and can heal relationships and conflicts between people, groups, and even countries. After attending a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshop, a judge who instructed jurors before a trial to listen with mindfulness. If only that would happen more!
Though the text was taken from a book published in 2005, it doesn’t feel dated at all. Kabot-Zinn has updated references. When discussing the Super Bowl and the Patriots, he reflected on the team’s more recent successes. The same chapter lauds Colin Kaepernick’s efforts to bring awareness and justice to black victims of police violence.
The book is very dense in some places, and I felt like I had to read some sections multiple times (and maybe need to read again). At times, Kabot-Zinn used very complex (and long) sentences that added to the feeling. Although the book stands on its own, I think it would be more comprehensible after reading the other books in the series. For example, the body scan was mentioned several times, and though I am familiar with it from other sources, the practice itself was described in an earlier volume. If you didn’t know the premise, those sections would be inexplicable.
I am not consistent meditating or practicing mindfulness, but this book certainly has inspired me to recommit to a mindfulness practice!
Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchett Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Although the book was very interesting and inspiring, it wasn’t what I expected. I thought there might be practical instructions on using mindfulness to heal emotionally and physically, but this is not a how-to book. The basics of mindfulness meditation are covered in other volumes in the set as well as in print, online, and virtual resources listed at the close of the book. Instead, The Healing Power of Mindfulness discusses the ways mindfulness meditation promotes positive outcomes. It provides the answer to why one should commit to a practice of mindfulness.
My favorite chapters are those that are concrete and/or based firmly in Kabot-Zinn’s personal experience. Relating to physical healing, I enjoyed reading about Christopher Reeve’s remarkable resilience after the horse-riding accident that paralyzed him. Though his doctors believed he would show no improvement, he persisted until he felt the wiggle of a single finger. Even when he didn’t experience the outcomes he’d hoped for, he always felt that doctors could learn from the process and help others with spinal injuries. Poignantly, the author relates his experience with his father’s Alzheimer’s and how that inspired him even more to be present in the moment. One study showed that patients with psoriasis who engaged in guided meditations during phototherapy, needed much less time to remove skin eruptions than did patients in the control condition.
The book also deals with emotional or spiritual healing. One chapter, for example discusses neuroplasticity and how mindfulness can actually change the processes in our brains to promote habits of being (or non-being) associated with positive emotions. A mindfulness practice can reduce stress. It can even help prepare us for death, our ultimate and inevitable fate.
Mindfulness also applie beyond the realm of the individual. Kabot-Zinn discusses how organizations (which he calls orthogonal institutions) can promote a spirit of mindfulness. Using dialogue instead of discussion embraces the ideal of mindfulness and can heal relationships and conflicts between people, groups, and even countries. After attending a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshop, a judge who instructed jurors before a trial to listen with mindfulness. If only that would happen more!
Though the text was taken from a book published in 2005, it doesn’t feel dated at all. Kabot-Zinn has updated references. When discussing the Super Bowl and the Patriots, he reflected on the team’s more recent successes. The same chapter lauds Colin Kaepernick’s efforts to bring awareness and justice to black victims of police violence.
The book is very dense in some places, and I felt like I had to read some sections multiple times (and maybe need to read again). At times, Kabot-Zinn used very complex (and long) sentences that added to the feeling. Although the book stands on its own, I think it would be more comprehensible after reading the other books in the series. For example, the body scan was mentioned several times, and though I am familiar with it from other sources, the practice itself was described in an earlier volume. If you didn’t know the premise, those sections would be inexplicable.
I am not consistent meditating or practicing mindfulness, but this book certainly has inspired me to recommit to a mindfulness practice!
Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchett Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Find Me Online~
...aka darzy...
Flickr
Goodreads
May 5, 2021
Learned that the most important and beautiful experience is that happening underneath my nose. Game changing stuff this book teaches!
October 8, 2018
This book really opens up perspective and discussion about the true meaning of mindfulness and the power and positive effects it can do to the human mind. The information presented in this book was very informative and useful and I'm sure anyone can benefit from this book in their own way. An exemplary read with useful information that can benefit anyone.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest reveiw . This book will be an excellent consideration for our self-help collection in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest reveiw . This book will be an excellent consideration for our self-help collection in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
August 15, 2018
*Book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.
I picked up this book because I've recently been trying out mindfulness meditation to help with my anxiety and depression issues. It's been kinda working so I decided to read this book to see if I couldn't get more structure in my meditations and get some guidance. While there is some of that in here, the majority of the book is Kabat-Zinn's history with mindfulness in a professional medical setting. From helping patients undergoing treatment for psoriasis to working with psychologists to incorporate the meditation in their treatments. It was still a highly informative book and had several chapters on what I was looking for. The biggest flaw, however, is the number of paragraph long sentences. Several times I would read a sentence that went on for way too long only to have to re-read it because I couldn't figure out what Kabat-Zinn was trying to say. Maybe it would make sense in an audiobook, but reading it left my brain feeling frustrated. I never did figure out one or two of them, and I had context from the book. Overall, the book is okay and definitely informative. Kabat-Zinn just needs to tone down some of the wording. 3.5 hoots!
I picked up this book because I've recently been trying out mindfulness meditation to help with my anxiety and depression issues. It's been kinda working so I decided to read this book to see if I couldn't get more structure in my meditations and get some guidance. While there is some of that in here, the majority of the book is Kabat-Zinn's history with mindfulness in a professional medical setting. From helping patients undergoing treatment for psoriasis to working with psychologists to incorporate the meditation in their treatments. It was still a highly informative book and had several chapters on what I was looking for. The biggest flaw, however, is the number of paragraph long sentences. Several times I would read a sentence that went on for way too long only to have to re-read it because I couldn't figure out what Kabat-Zinn was trying to say. Maybe it would make sense in an audiobook, but reading it left my brain feeling frustrated. I never did figure out one or two of them, and I had context from the book. Overall, the book is okay and definitely informative. Kabat-Zinn just needs to tone down some of the wording. 3.5 hoots!
July 13, 2021
As with all of Jon’s other books, this is a very interesting read about mindfulness and meditation and the benefits to be derived therefrom. As I’ve been meditating now for several months and have read several books on the subject, including the Yoga Sutra, the more I read, the more I am able to connect the dots and further my knowledge on this subject. Most important, the more I practice, the better books like this become. This book focuses on using mindfulness for healing, which is personal to me given the nerve damage in my feet and how it has impacted my life over the past six months. Jon provides some great stories and examples in this books for the reader to learn from as well.
April 2, 2020
Sebbene siano sempre interessati i libri di Kabat-zinn, questo l'ho trovato un po'inferiore rispetto ai due precedenti della collana.
Ho trovato il libro fortemente disomogeneo, una prima parte, molto interessante che approfondisce il tema della guarigione, una seconda parte invece che d'un tratto smette di trattare quel tema e approfondisce temi già espressi nei volumi precedenti risultando a volte ripetitiva.
Ho trovato il libro fortemente disomogeneo, una prima parte, molto interessante che approfondisce il tema della guarigione, una seconda parte invece che d'un tratto smette di trattare quel tema e approfondisce temi già espressi nei volumi precedenti risultando a volte ripetitiva.
July 10, 2018
This is the third book in a series on meditation and mindfulness. I enjoyed it and think it would be great for anyone new to mindfulness. This book shows you how using mindfulness can help you heal many areas of your life. I highly recommend it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
March 14, 2023
It took a lot for me to finish this book. I was excited about it initially, but the authors style feels overly complicated. His sentences go on and on and on and on and on. Additionally, I don’t know that I really learned help mindfulness has the power to heal… at least from this book. The author rambles all around the subject, but I didn’t walk away with concrete information that was useful.
December 4, 2018
I am a fan of the author's work and find his past works have all been very helpful to me in creating my own mindfulness and meditation practice. I was gifted this ARC by the publisher and appreciate the opportunity to review this book. My opinion is my own. This is part of a series that I have been reading by the author.
From the publisher: "Coming to Our Senses is being repackaged into 4 smaller books, each focusing on a different aspect of mindfulness, and each with a new foreword written by the author. In the third of these books, The Healing Power of Mindfulness (which was originally published as Part V and Part VI of Coming to Our Senses), Kabat-Zinn focuses on the ways mindfulness can change the body and rewire the mind--explaining what we're learning about neuroplasticity and the brain, how meditation can affect the immune system, and what mindfulness can teach us about facing impermanence and, eventually, the end of our own lives. "
I found this profoundly definitive to my personal practice of mindfulness. The author speaks to how we can focus our personal effort on changing our mind and body. If you have a personal practice you will find this immensely helpful as you learn how to move forward with your practice.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of his work described here in essay form and I found it heartwarming . The author is the leading expert on mindfulness and has helped me personally for years with his teachings. Therefor it was uniquely moving to read about his process. This is a approachable body of work that any layperson to the author or to mindfulness can master.
From the publisher: "Coming to Our Senses is being repackaged into 4 smaller books, each focusing on a different aspect of mindfulness, and each with a new foreword written by the author. In the third of these books, The Healing Power of Mindfulness (which was originally published as Part V and Part VI of Coming to Our Senses), Kabat-Zinn focuses on the ways mindfulness can change the body and rewire the mind--explaining what we're learning about neuroplasticity and the brain, how meditation can affect the immune system, and what mindfulness can teach us about facing impermanence and, eventually, the end of our own lives. "
I found this profoundly definitive to my personal practice of mindfulness. The author speaks to how we can focus our personal effort on changing our mind and body. If you have a personal practice you will find this immensely helpful as you learn how to move forward with your practice.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of his work described here in essay form and I found it heartwarming . The author is the leading expert on mindfulness and has helped me personally for years with his teachings. Therefor it was uniquely moving to read about his process. This is a approachable body of work that any layperson to the author or to mindfulness can master.
April 23, 2024
I didn’t think this book would be what it was when I bought it. Maybe meditation isn’t for me but it just seems so impersonal. Like being detached and forgoing your personality (which is influenced by your perception and fabrication of the outside world) is to arrive at your own door? It reminded me of that book w the horse on the cover everyone fawned over that essentially just said don’t be attached to anything good or bad once it’s gone. Like what?!! Experiences shape us!! The fun of living is feeling!!! Maybe it would be easier to understand in simpler terms and I just missed the point. His writing is soooo lengthy each sentence is at least 25 words. I had to re read sentences to even remember what the point was multiple times. You may be wondering why I gave it three stars at this point
I give it three stars because he’s really intelligent and his story is interesting. His work in the medical field is also really cool, and very important IMO. There were not many day to day tips other than to detach from situations and yourself but I did extract a few good principles to live by from this. I would re read if and when I ever get into meditation; which this book made me want to, but not for the purpose of finding myself more so for the proven medical benefits. Idk
I give it three stars because he’s really intelligent and his story is interesting. His work in the medical field is also really cool, and very important IMO. There were not many day to day tips other than to detach from situations and yourself but I did extract a few good principles to live by from this. I would re read if and when I ever get into meditation; which this book made me want to, but not for the purpose of finding myself more so for the proven medical benefits. Idk
November 12, 2018
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This is part of a multi book series on Mindfulness. I read the first book in the series and gave in 4 stars as well. I really want to read the second book, so I’ll be buying that one soon.
This third book in the series has an emphasis on healing, (which by his definition means to come to terms with things the way that they are), and the relationship with the mind and body. It’s not a “quick” read for me in that I had to reread passages a couple times sometimes in order to understand what I just read. Kabat-Zinn writes densely and it’s a lot to wade through, at least for my mind. I’m a novice at mindfulness and meditation and definitely not from a science background.
The most readable sections for me are when the author tells anecdotes, such as the story of his father and the 8 years his father lived with dementia.
This third book in the series has an emphasis on healing, (which by his definition means to come to terms with things the way that they are), and the relationship with the mind and body. It’s not a “quick” read for me in that I had to reread passages a couple times sometimes in order to understand what I just read. Kabat-Zinn writes densely and it’s a lot to wade through, at least for my mind. I’m a novice at mindfulness and meditation and definitely not from a science background.
The most readable sections for me are when the author tells anecdotes, such as the story of his father and the 8 years his father lived with dementia.
July 17, 2022
I took an eight week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It was so eye opening at how little I “lived” in my body, and actually made living life much more emotional and overwhelming for the first bit.
Well, actually it still is more emotional and overwhelming, sometimes emotionally overwhelming, than life was before because I am actually experiencing things, rather than disconnecting.
I read this book to reinvigorate my mindfulness practice. It has helped me be better at understanding my body and emotional cues and take the necessary precautions to protect my energy.
It also has helped me deal with my chronic illness!
I think this book is a great introduction to the idea behind secular mindfulness and if it piques your interest to do the 8 week course, I recommend it.
Well, actually it still is more emotional and overwhelming, sometimes emotionally overwhelming, than life was before because I am actually experiencing things, rather than disconnecting.
I read this book to reinvigorate my mindfulness practice. It has helped me be better at understanding my body and emotional cues and take the necessary precautions to protect my energy.
It also has helped me deal with my chronic illness!
I think this book is a great introduction to the idea behind secular mindfulness and if it piques your interest to do the 8 week course, I recommend it.
July 12, 2024
This 3rd volume of the Coming to Our Senses series is so far my favorite one.
Like the other ones, this book is very mixed in styles. The first half focuses on the 'healing' aspect by presenting some real-life cases, even some statistics, almost completely foregoing the mindfulness part. It then switches seamlessly into a combination of autobiography and 'hard-core' mindfulness / meditation advices.
Like the other ones, this book is very mixed in styles. The first half focuses on the 'healing' aspect by presenting some real-life cases, even some statistics, almost completely foregoing the mindfulness part. It then switches seamlessly into a combination of autobiography and 'hard-core' mindfulness / meditation advices.
June 19, 2019
The first half of this book provides an approachable link between neuroscience and mindfulness, but the second half did not seem to flow as well as the rest of this series. Anecdotes, case studies, and metaphors are interspersed with the tenets of equanimity, non-attachment, and impermanence, but not as cohesively as the rest of this volume.
February 14, 2021
I once took a creative writing class and in one assignment we had to write a 100-word sentence. It feels a little like JKZ has given himself this challenge on every page!
It can be wordy, but the content is so worth the mental energy to grasp it. Part 2 especially gets into the “practical” practice of mindfulness. Great book!
It can be wordy, but the content is so worth the mental energy to grasp it. Part 2 especially gets into the “practical” practice of mindfulness. Great book!
February 13, 2022
Funny, clicking on “I’ve finished this book” doesn’t seem right because I will never be finished learning these concepts. I am going to listen again. Kabat-Zinn does a very nice job of reading it and I think I would have missed a lot of nuance reading it with my eyes.
October 20, 2022
"Come la mindfulness riesca a «rimodellare» la relazione con il nostro corpo e la nostra mente". In realtà sappiamo bene come l'umore influenzi il corpo, qui si fa un passo (piccolo? medio?) in più. Interessante lettura (come tutti i libri di Kabat-Zinn).
September 17, 2019
...ché se deve essere il mio spazio, allora sia gioco secondo le regole del senza regole, senza briciole di pane che ti riportino a casa, senza fili rossi di cui sciogliere nodi.
July 21, 2020
Great read full of examples of how to employ mindfulness in everyday life. Enjoyed.
* I Received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
* I Received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
June 7, 2024
I've read several of his books. Enjoyed them very much.
July 20, 2024
Zbiór felietonów i historii o uwazności, medytacji i filozofii. Powoli i porcjami można i warto.
June 11, 2025
The topic is dry. I’m continuing to read them but it’s not the most exciting book
June 14, 2019
3.5 stars. Interesting read.
November 4, 2018
This is a really solid, well written collection of essays written by one of the foremost Western authorities on the topic, and now updated and repackaged for the present day.
There is something in here for many people I think: the skeptics wanting to engage with scientific studies of meditation, those new to meditation who want to deepen or stretch their practice, and longtime meditators looking for fellowship with one of their own.
I particularly resonated with his account of Christopher Reeves’ approach to his rehabilitation and progress made with it. And laughed so much at his retelling of his teacher Soen Sa Nim’s ways. “You Crazy!” And that’s a good note to end on.
There is something in here for many people I think: the skeptics wanting to engage with scientific studies of meditation, those new to meditation who want to deepen or stretch their practice, and longtime meditators looking for fellowship with one of their own.
I particularly resonated with his account of Christopher Reeves’ approach to his rehabilitation and progress made with it. And laughed so much at his retelling of his teacher Soen Sa Nim’s ways. “You Crazy!” And that’s a good note to end on.
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