Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2016 13:29:26 GMT -5
We have referenced this book at several places of this site, but realized we hadn't given it its own spotlight, which it surely deserves. The book Full Catastrophe Living might be considered our core textbook or primer for the mindfulness practice we learned and use from our MBSR training here at the Wilmington VA. We recommend this highly as the place to start if you're serious about learning what all the fuss is over mindfulness these days.
When the book was first published it was an outcome of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's work at the University of Massachussetts where he created a program for basically,'hopeless cases', people with intractable conditions, diseases, chronic conditions such as pain, PTSD, depression, etc. He originally asked the university for patients who had exhausted all traditional methods (meds, various therapies etc) and put them through an eight week course now called MBSR(Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). From that time, research of thousands of people has shown decisively that Mindfulness meditation (and all that goes with it as taught in MBSR/MBCT) are very effective,and in often dramatic fashion. In the last five years alone the number and quality of programs scientifically studying mindfulness and wellness-happiness has grown exponentially.
Fast forward 30 years from Dr Zinn's first MBSR research and now you see references to Mindfulness in many places. Of course, the scholars themselves quickly point out that this research is in its infancy. Studies of mindfulness, contemplative science and wellness-happiness models have branched in many directions as well. Again and again, the science is validating what the Ancients said hundreds of years ago about the value of quiet stillness meditation.
In short, if you have not yet taken the MBSR 8 week course, or any variant of it (MBCT, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy), and want to understand what the commotion is about, definitely read this book.
We have links to other references here on the Mindful Veterans Connection forum and add links here on a regular basis as we become aware of them.
To learn more about (or order on Amazon) this book, be sure to get the revised edition (2013). The Delware public library system definitely has the older versions of this book, but not sure about 2013 revised edition.
Here's a link to learn more about the 2013 edition on Amazon.com:
Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Paperback.– September 24, 2013.
To see other references to Jon Kabat Zinn's work on this website, just search "Jon Kabat Zinn" using the search tab(at top of every page).
Here is Amazon's Blurb about this book:
The landmark work on mindfulness, meditation, and healing, now revised and updated after twenty-five years
Stress. It can sap our energy, undermine our health if we let it, even shorten our lives. It makes us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, disconnection and disease. Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this classic, groundbreaking work—which gave rise to a whole new field in medicine and psychology—shows you how to use medically proven mind-body approaches derived from meditation and yoga to counteract stress, establish greater balance of body and mind, and stimulate well-being and healing. By engaging in these mindfulness practices and integrating them into your life from moment to moment and from day to day, you can learn to manage chronic pain, promote optimal healing, reduce anxiety and feelings of panic, and improve the overall quality of your life, relationships, and social networks. This second edition features results from recent studies on the science of mindfulness, a new Introduction, up-to-date statistics, and an extensive updated reading list. Full Catastrophe Living is a book for the young and the old, the well and the ill, and anyone trying to live a healthier and saner life in our fast-paced world.
When the book was first published it was an outcome of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's work at the University of Massachussetts where he created a program for basically,'hopeless cases', people with intractable conditions, diseases, chronic conditions such as pain, PTSD, depression, etc. He originally asked the university for patients who had exhausted all traditional methods (meds, various therapies etc) and put them through an eight week course now called MBSR(Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). From that time, research of thousands of people has shown decisively that Mindfulness meditation (and all that goes with it as taught in MBSR/MBCT) are very effective,and in often dramatic fashion. In the last five years alone the number and quality of programs scientifically studying mindfulness and wellness-happiness has grown exponentially.
Fast forward 30 years from Dr Zinn's first MBSR research and now you see references to Mindfulness in many places. Of course, the scholars themselves quickly point out that this research is in its infancy. Studies of mindfulness, contemplative science and wellness-happiness models have branched in many directions as well. Again and again, the science is validating what the Ancients said hundreds of years ago about the value of quiet stillness meditation.
In short, if you have not yet taken the MBSR 8 week course, or any variant of it (MBCT, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy), and want to understand what the commotion is about, definitely read this book.
We have links to other references here on the Mindful Veterans Connection forum and add links here on a regular basis as we become aware of them.
To learn more about (or order on Amazon) this book, be sure to get the revised edition (2013). The Delware public library system definitely has the older versions of this book, but not sure about 2013 revised edition.
Here's a link to learn more about the 2013 edition on Amazon.com:
Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Paperback.– September 24, 2013.
To see other references to Jon Kabat Zinn's work on this website, just search "Jon Kabat Zinn" using the search tab(at top of every page).
Here is Amazon's Blurb about this book:
The landmark work on mindfulness, meditation, and healing, now revised and updated after twenty-five years
Stress. It can sap our energy, undermine our health if we let it, even shorten our lives. It makes us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, disconnection and disease. Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this classic, groundbreaking work—which gave rise to a whole new field in medicine and psychology—shows you how to use medically proven mind-body approaches derived from meditation and yoga to counteract stress, establish greater balance of body and mind, and stimulate well-being and healing. By engaging in these mindfulness practices and integrating them into your life from moment to moment and from day to day, you can learn to manage chronic pain, promote optimal healing, reduce anxiety and feelings of panic, and improve the overall quality of your life, relationships, and social networks. This second edition features results from recent studies on the science of mindfulness, a new Introduction, up-to-date statistics, and an extensive updated reading list. Full Catastrophe Living is a book for the young and the old, the well and the ill, and anyone trying to live a healthier and saner life in our fast-paced world.