The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being

by Daniel J. Siegel

From the author of the internationally-acclaimed best-selling text The Developing Mind, and esteemed leader and educator in the field of mental health, comes the first book ever to integrate neuroscience research with the ancient art of mindfulness. The result is a groundbreaking approach to not simply mental health, but life in general, which shows readers how personal awareness and attunement can actually stimulate emotional circuits in the brain, leading to a host of physiological benefits, including greater well-being, resilience, emotional balance, and improved cardiac and immune function. For clinicians and laypeople alike, Siegel’s illuminating discussions of the power of the focused mind provide a wealth of ideas that can transform our lives and deepen our connections with others, and with ourselves.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Neuroscience, Science, Meditation, Spirituality

387 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., is an internationally acclaimed author, award-winning educator, and child psychiatrist. Dr. Siegel received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA with training in pediatrics and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. He is currently a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he also serves as a co-investigator at the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, and is a founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. In addition, Dr. Siegel is the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute.

Dr. Siegel has the unique ability to convey complicated scientific concepts in a concise and comprehensible way that all readers can enjoy. He has become known for his research in Interpersonal Neurobiology – an interdisciplinary view that creates a framework for the understanding of our subjective and interpersonal lives. In his most recent works, Dr. Siegel explores how mindfulness practices can aid the process of interpersonal and intrapersonal attunement, leading to personal growth and well-being.

Published author of several highly acclaimed works, Dr. Siegel’s books include the New York Times’ bestseller “Brainstorm”, along with "Mindsight," "The Developing Mind," "The Mindful Brain," "The Mindful Therapist," in addition to co-authoring "Parenting From the Inside Out," with Mary Hartzell and "The Whole-Brain Child," with Tina Bryson. He is also the Founding Editor of the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, which includes "Healing Trauma," "The Power of Emotion," and "Trauma and the Body." Dr. Siegel currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife.

For more information on Dr. Siegel's work, please visit DrDanSiegel.com.

Reviews

[Judy Frabotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is one of the most important books I've ever read. It's a bit dense and heavy going, but the information is really fantastic. It has refocused me on mindfulness is a way that the "mind shapes the brain." Taking spirituality out of the realm of religion and into the world of ordinary mental health and brain science is a helpful exercise that should benefit not only regular meditators, but also those who are thinking about how to live a more meaningful and satisfying life. It almost could be called, "The Brain: an Owners Manual." Since life consists only of our moment by moment experiences as filtered through the brain, it makes sense to understand how to get the most out of it, I think.

[Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book for the 2nd time and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. If you have any interest in the practice and benefits of mindful meditation, this is a great introduction to the topic.

I used this as a text in a summer mindfulness course I taught and the students really enjoyed it as well. I have both the hard copy and the audiobook. Unless you are a hard core scientist and have a deep interest in neurology and the brain, I would recommend the audiobook (less than 5 hours) as I think it is more accessible. Seigel has a great way of presenting his material. He also adds two actual mindfulness exercises which I actually use in my personal practice and also with my students and clients.

The power of this book comes from Seigel's ability to balance the science of mindfulness with the practice of mindfulness. He summarizes the 9 core outcomes from mindful meditation in an amazing clear way that always gets me excited about the possibilities. For those interested, the 9 outcomes (which are also the outcomes of secure parent/child relationships) are body regulation, attuned communication, emotional balance, response flexibility, insight, empathy, fear modulation, intuition, and morality. Seigel gives examples to help the reader see the bigger picture and the powerful possibilities that are linked with consistent mindfulness practice.

There are several research studies which show that after 8 weeks of consistent mindfulness practice, real benefits can be seen in the lives of those who do it (reductions in chronic pain, decreased depression and anxiety, improved mood and well-being, improved emotional regulation). I have always tried to practice mindfulness, but have typically been hit or miss in my practice. So earlier this year, I committed to do 56 days of practice in a row to see if I could do it for 8 weeks straight. I am happy to say that I did it! I have definitely felt a difference in my ability to be more mindful of the moment and be connected with the present. And my kids will continually remind me to do it which is great as I am trying to get them to do it too (a lot of new research aimed at school-aged children is showing improved academic performance, less school absences and suspensions). So if you have ever wondered what mindfulness is - this is a great place to start. If you want more information and a resource where you can have access to to free guided meditations, go to marc.ucla.edu I hope you check it out!!

[Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book discusses mindfulness and meditation from a neurological perspective, how the brain behaves and is shaped during contemplative practices. Certain parts of the brain actually grow over time as one engages in these practices. The book starts out with an explanation of the brain, then a story of the author's own personal experiments with mindfulness practices, then proceeds to bring these together in a cohesive explanation of what happens in the brain during such practices.

There are several parts of the brain, two hemispheres, the limbic system, and the prefrontal regions, with a part in the center that integrates and moderates them all. There is evidence that meditation strengthens this integrative ability, bringing more balance to its function and more equanimity in our lives. Meditation also activates the interpersonal parts of the brain, which shows that we are literally forming a relationship with ourselves. This creates self-empathy, and may even heal childhood wounds such as insecure attachment styles. Meditation also activates "mirror neurons" or something similar, which are normally only active when we're trying to immitate something, which shows that meditation enhances compassion.

I guess you could say I learned a lot about the brain and how mindfulness effects it, but I still feel pretty confused about it all. Perhaps one reason is that this research is still in its infancy, so a lot of this seemed like speculation. But it's also because this author did a lousy job at making it accessible. He often got bogged down in "neurospeak," leaving the reader behind. He also had a very bad habit, maybe even an obsession with, inventing acronyms. These acronyms encapsulated more concepts than single words, but the single concepts would have been perfectly sufficient, and far less confusing. In the hands of a more talented writer, this book could easily be half as long and twice as engaging, but it's sufficient as an overview of all the exciting mindfulness research currently being done in neurology.

[Oleksandr Golovatyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the book "Mindsight" Daniel Siegel immediately fell in love with this author's books and decided to read his other book - about meditation "Attentive brain: A scientific view of meditation." The book is interesting, but not for general reading, as it contains many scientific terms. It was hard to read it. I often had to use footnotes and google a lot of incomprehensible words. But in general the author very interestingly laid out the material and scientifically through neurobiology explains the work of the brain during meditation. (Enslish)
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После книги "Майндсайт" Дэниела Сигела сразу полюбил этого автора и решил прочитать его другую книгу - о медитации "Внимательный мозг: Научный взгляд на медитацию". Книга интересная, но не для общего чтения, так, как содержит много научных термионов. Было тяжело ее читать. Пришлось часто пользоваться сносками и гуглить много непонятных слов. Но в общем автор очень интересно изложил материал и научно через нейробиологию объясняет работу мозга при медитации. (Русский)

[Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually I listened to the audio book, which was incredibly well read and felt like Siegel chatting with me over tea about brilliant ideas. Made me want to meditate every day.

[Peter House · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mindful Brain tackles the interesting questions around what happens with our brains when we meditate or practice other reflective techniques.

I found the book to alternate between fascinating observations and laborious detail. Overall, I generally liked the book and left it with new tools in my meditative kit.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling information from this scientist about the effects of mindfulness on the brain as an organ. Some of the practice related stuff is beyond my experience so far so I intend to revisit this text after I study more and practice more.

[Sonia Agosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una ricerca sul rapporto positivo tra Mindfulness e sviluppo di capacità cognitive (attenzione, presenza mentale, apertura al nuovo, autoregolazione emotiva, metacognizione, empatia). Il testo è spesso molto dettagliato e con un lessico non sempre scorrevole per i non addetti al campo della neuroscienze; in ogni caso è illuminante perché offre una valida base scientifica per vivere la vita con un approccio mindful.

[Chevy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened as an audiobook. I really like Dan Siegel and have listened to a couple of his books already. I enjoy his voice. I liked this book in the beginning and really enjoyed the meditation section. I found the acronyms hard to take in and the last section really fizzled out for me. The wrap up with Albert Einstein and our humanity pleased me very much. I may try this book again in print and see if I do better with it.

[Colleen]

Wonderfully informative on the area where neurology & psychology overlaps with meditation and minfulness, but sometimes all of his acronyms drove me crazy!

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an easy read for laymen, so if you're not in a neuro-doctoral program or residency, you might be hard pressed to get to the end. I had read one of Mr. Siegel's other books which was not as scientific and technical. With that said, here are the highlights for me. Being mindful is a way of becoming your own best friend.

Mindful awareness is paying attention. This can improve healing, immune response, and overall life. There's tons of acronyms like MAP, COAL, SOCK, which refer to traits one needs to be mindful. Curiosity, openness, acceptance, and love = COAL. There are chapters on brain basics with diagrams and more. You've got your Left/Right dichotomy. Left for linguistics, linearity, logic, literal thinking. Right for non-verbal, holistic, visuospatial, autobiographical memory, emotion. Creativity is from integration of both.

The author immersed himself in a week of silence and other mindful retreats and I found those very interesting. When he gives examples, it's easier to comprehend and relate to the concepts at hand.

Being in the present and get rid of top-down concepts. (So many people I know are closed minded and could use a little mindful meditation!) Try to be non-reactive, regulate your emotions, etc. He sites lots of other scientists, psychologists, etc., and provides references in the back. I enjoyed the chapter on education and how the typical learning in public schools is antithetical to this way of thinking and they should adopt some of these practices to help students achieve better outcomes. Resiliency should be taught in the schools, at young ages.

In short, you can change your brain, neuroplasticity, and become more compassionate and kind. Sign up for meditation, breathworks, yoga, or tai chi and see if it makes a difference in your life.

[Hamza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Siegel è un gigante. La capacità dell'autore di connettere la neurobiologia interpersonale, la fisica dei sistemi complessi, la teoria dell'attaccamento e la pratica della mindfulness è semplicemente brillante. Concetti come la sintonizzazione intrapersonale, il meccanismo SIMA, la mindsight e la coerenza riflessiva aprono prospettive straordinarie su come la consapevolezza possa letteralmente riorganizzare la struttura del nostro cervello. È un testo illuminante per chiunque voglia comprendere il "come" e il "perché" la meditazione funzioni a livello neurale.

​Tuttavia, la traduzione italiana è un calvario. Leggere questa versione equivale a navigare in un mare di sintassi ritorta, calchi letterali dall'inglese accademico e una scelta di termini che rende inutilmente opaco ciò che in originale ha una sua precisa eleganza. Certe volte sembra quasi di leggere un manuale di ingegneria aerospaziale tradotto da un algoritmo! Concetti già complessi di loro vengono appesantiti da una resa linguistica che ostacola la comprensione anziché agevolarla, costringendo il lettore a rileggere i singoli paragrafi più volte per "decodificare" cosa Siegel intenda dire.

​In sintesi: Consigliatissimo per la profondità teorica e scientifica, ma armatevi di molta pazienza (o, se potete, leggetelo direttamente in lingua originale).

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is heavy on the neuroscience and generally reads more like a really long literature review in a scholarly article. It is an outstanding review of the scholarly work done in neuroscience to understand mindfulness meditation’s impact on the brain at the time of its writing. Of course, more is being done all the time. Interspersed throughout the literature review are long personal accounts of the author’s experiences at meditation retreats, etc, and mnemonic devices of the author’s creation to help explain goals of mindfulness practice.

I’ve read a great deal on the subject of mindfulness meditation and the scientific studies and scholarly articles themselves, but the writing style of this book was hard to get into. Too heavy for most laypeople or those generally interested in mindfulness but without a lot of study of the neuroscience and neurology. It is a great resource for anyone wanting an extensive bibliography and review of the scholarly work being done in the field at the time of publication.

[J Crossley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses the brain, the mind, and how meditation and mindfulness can change the brain for the better. Mindfulness is paying attention, and this can improve your immune response, your stress response, your physiology, and your general well-being. There are mindfulness exercises that are included. I found that this was a very educational book because it talked about the brain side of meditation. Most books about mindfulness and meditation are about how to do the process, rather than the effects that the practice has on your brain.

[Karli Sherwinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several nice insight meditations along with a neurobiological explanation of how mindfulness practice shapes the brain. He believes that the world would be a better, more compassionate place if we could help parents learn to form healthy attachment with their children, and then continue that mindful attention as we live our lives. Rather than focusing on academic achievement, we can actually learn the social emotional skills of connection, empathy, and present moment awareness to create a better future.

[Amanda]

It's difficult for me to mark a book DNF--especially when I am almost done. But, this book has been a SLOG. I picked it up because I loved Mindsight and have enjoyed many books that quote this one frequently...but too many times I've found excuses to avoid reading this book. Then, I find out The Mindful Therapist is one of my texts for this semester--I'd much rather just ditch this one and move on to that one right away.

[Reba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so-so for me. I have been using the breathing technique discussed in this book for many years to help with falling asleep at night. It is a highly successful way to turn off the thoughts that usually keep people from falling asleep. Sleep benefits were not mentioned in the book as a use for the technique. I like to read books like this to gather nuggets of wisdom to pass on to my patients and I didn’t find any new nuggets in this book.

[Laura Clawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to really respect the work of Dr. Siegel and was glad to dive into this work on meditative reflection. So much of his careful work is about paying attention to the world around us and it's incredible to read how paring down, slowing down, and caring for our selves and those around us really does lead into deeper, richer relationships. The brain and body are so beautiful and I'll never get over the gorgeousness of being a creature. Will buy this one for my shelves.

[Sheila Hirschauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Please note that I finished this book completely by audio and I feel like I personally would have done better if I had the book also as he's frequently mentioning lists. The part that I struggled with is that he'd say "he'd come back to..." such and such item and honestly, I needed to have that all laid out better. So I think it may have been higher rating if I had not done it via audio.

I did enjoy his walk through some of the steps of mindfulness.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am used to some amount of repetition in this genre: each author is liable to cite the same studies, tell the same same jokes and anecdotes, read from the same poems, etc. Siegel is able to offset this somewhat by providing a uniquely scientific perspective. But then he makes the mistake of repeating himself.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with brilliant insights and ideas. Unfortunately most of them were beyond my comprehension abilities. This however, is not the fault of the author. If I was a neurobiologist I would be in awe of the author, but I’m not and I can only trust the premises articulated will stand in the face of further empirical research

[Gary Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was just "wow". It had answers to a fathomless of unresolved ifs that wanders around a curious being. The only reason, I have reduced a star is because of its complexity and bulkiness, the book has too much irrelevant or I should say "referenced" ammunition that shouldn't have been documented. This sidetracked me a few times. However, my determination allowed me to put the seal on.

[Sterling Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is fantastic I would recommend it to all! Mindedness and meditation can seem like lower priority practices in our busy lives but the author really dives deep into a Physiological understanding of the brain and how we can heal, grow and cultivate stronger minds and live more peaceful whole lives. 5 stars!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the combination of theory and practice, how to actually close your eyes and focus on breathing.
Also, i finally realized why sometimes I'm tired, and want to sleep after being in contact with people who just had an overseas trip. it doesn't happen all the time, but it's amazing how i get this feeling of being tired that passes in couple of days :) sharing the jet lag.

[Shannon Enloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intentionally focused daily practice.
Staying mindful creates and reinforces myelin in your brain and develops the trait to live mindfully.
Training your mind forms your brain.
Practice it until it becomes automatic.

[Siiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kattava tietopaketti aivoista (neurologiasta) ja mindfulnessista. Käytännöllisemmät osiot mindfulnessin käytöstä opetustarkoituksiin ynnä muihin olivat parasta antia. Jokunen helmi jäi mieleen tästä, mutta melko raskas kirja kokonaisuutena.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this is like, the heaviest read i've ever had. The author offers a lot of information, on many levels, about the functioning of the brain and how mindfullness can improve our lives by enhancing the neuronal circuitry. I think i will pick it up again after some time.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is incredibly dense, and almost too easily consumed for all the important and applicable information in it. I'm working on mindfulness and attunement and this resource provided lots of good information toward that end.

[Arnoldo Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interesante sobre las bases neurológicas del mindfulness y su efecto en la vida de quien lo practica. Me costó un poco leerlo, pero valió la pena para entender lo que hay detrás de la disciplina.

[Veronika S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried and tired and tried to finish this book and I failed. Maybe I don't have enough basic knowledge to truly appreciate it. Got lost in all the scientific terms in the end - a shame!