Well known for applying mindfulness to the treatment of depression, pioneering researcher John Teasdale now explores the broader changes that people can experience through contemplative practices. What goes on in our minds when we are mindful? What does it mean to talk of mindfulness as a way of being? From a scientific perspective, how do core elements of contemplative traditions have their beneficial effects? Teasdale describes two types of knowing that human beings have evolved–conceptual and holistic–intuitive–and shows how mindfulness can achieve a healthier balance between them. He masterfully describes the mechanisms by which this shift in consciousness not only can reduce emotional suffering, but also can lead to greater joy and compassion and a transformed sense of self.

Review

“Many are familiar with mindfulness, meditation, and other contemplative practices, particularly in the relief of depression and similar negative affective states. But few understand why mindfulness works, or the actual transformative outcomes possible from this ancient tradition. Teasdale, one of the foremost cognitive scientists in the world, now unravels the mysteries of mindfulness, and in so doing lays out nothing less than a new and different way of living. This book is ‘must’ reading for clinicians, clergy, and all helping professionals who are seeking to maximize human potential.”–David H. Barlow, PhD, ABPP, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University

“A remarkable book that I will contemplate and revisit many times. Teasdale addresses mindfulness as more than a technique or an end in itself–he reaches beyond applications to mental illness and stress and toward discovering the ways we can be the flourishing, happy, and responsive human beings we have the potential to be. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of mindfulness and how it can bring about profound inner change.”–Christina Feldman, cofounder and teacher, Bodhi College

“This is a book about wisdom. There is a kindness, a wholeness, that you can sense as you make your way through these pages. Read the book from beginning to end and allow its fabric of knowledge to envelop you. You will not emerge unchanged.”–Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Foundation Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno

“As a pioneer of mindfulness treatment for recurrent depression, Teasdale has always been one of our deepest, most creative innovators. In this tour de force volume, Teasdale once again offers illuminating insights and understanding. This is a penetrating and expansive work that tackles fundamental human experiences such as joy, compassion, suffering, and meaning. Teasdale presents a compelling discussion of the shortcomings of contemporary psychotherapy and argues that mindfulness can be truly transformative by strengthening the holistic-intuitive way of knowing. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in integrating psychological research and Eastern spiritual traditions. It promises to become required reading for training in mindfulness-based psychotherapy.”–David A. Clark, PhD, Department of Psychology (Emeritus), University of New Brunswick, Canada

About the Author

John Teasdale, PhD, held a Special Scientific Appointment with the United Kingdom Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, England. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. Dr. Teasdale collaborated with Mark Williams and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression. He has also published numerous highly cited articles in refereed journals. Since retiring, Dr. Teasdale has taught mindfulness and insight meditation internationally. He continues to explore and seek to understand the wider implications of mindfulness and meditation for enhancing our way of being.