This book provides a timely synthesis and discussion of recent developments in mindfulness research and practice within mental health and addiction domains. The book also discusses other Buddhist-derived interventions – such as loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation – that are gaining momentum in clinical settings. It will be an essential text for researchers and mental health practitioners wishing to keep up-to-date with developments in mindfulness clinical research, as well as any professionals wishing to equip themselves with the necessary theoretical and practical tools to effectively utilize mindfulness in mental health and addiction settings.
This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online.
Christian persons today might seek spiritual development and ponder the benefit of mindfulness exercises but also maintain concerns if they perceive such exercises to originate from other religious traditions. Such persons may not be aware of a long tradition of meditation practice in Christianity that promotes personal growth. This spiritual tradition receives a careful formulation by Christian monastic authors in the twelfth century. One such teaching on meditation is found in the treatise De consideratione written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) to Pope Eugene III (d. 1153). In textual passages where St. Bernard exhibits a clear concern for the mental health of the Pope (due to numerous ongoing ecclesial, political, and military problems), St. Bernard reminds Eugene III of his original monastic vocation and the meditation exercises associated with that vocation. The advice that St. Bernard gives to Eugene III can be received today in a way that provides a structure for Christian meditation practice which is relevant for personal development, spiritual direction, and civil psychotherapy that integrates a client's spirituality into the course of treatment. St. Bernard thus might be interpreted as a teacher of a kind of Christian mindfulness that can benefit both a person's mental health as well as a person's relationship with God. Meditation as Spiritual Therapy examines the historical context of Bernard's work, his purpose for writing it, as well as the numerous Christian sources he drew upon to formulate his teaching. Bernard's teaching on the course of meditation itself is explored in depth and in dialogue with his other treatises, letters, and sermons. Lastly, a contemporary summary of Bernard's teaching is provided with reflections concerning the relationship of this teaching to contemporary spiritual direction and spiritually integrated civil psychotherapy.
Mental health has been a growing concern in society but recently has further come to light due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on societal well-being. With mental health issues such as depression on the rise, professionals need to implement new techniques that are effective in reducing psychological problems and enhancing psychological well-being. The integration of meditation and mindfulness techniques presents new methods for providing psychological intervention to alleviate psychological distress. Clinical Applications of Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Mental Health presents mindfulness-based interventions in clinical and non-clinical conditions. This book disseminates evidence-based practices in the area of meditation and mindfulness to mental health professionals for the advancement of the mental health discipline and the benefit of students and trainees. Covering topics including mindful parenting, mediation, trauma-informed work, and psychological trauma recovery, this book is essential for mental health practitioners, therapists, psychologists, counselors, meditation specialists, professionals, students, researchers, and academicians.
Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement (MBWE) integrates Mindfulness and Wellbeing to realize human flourishing and the attainment of happiness. This 9-session program, conducted over 8 weeks, enhances wellbeing, happiness and quality of life through self-understanding and self-awareness. The first part of the book is devoted to presenting mindfulness, wellbeing, the happiness paradigm and the curriculum of the Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement (MBWE) program. It presents the foundations of mindfulness-based programs, and how mindfulness intersects with wellbeing. The authors argue, with the support of evidence, that mindfulness is well placed to promote human flourishing rather than limiting its relevance to stress reduction and preventing depression relapse. Several chapters are devoted to presenting the MBWE program comprehensively with weekly agendas, homework, handouts, facilitation guides and practice scripts. The second part of the book presents the evidence base of mindfulness, cultural adaptations for different populations, the therapeutic effectiveness of group learning inherent in Mindfulness-Based Programs and the often-untold history of mindfulness. The authors present the often-neglected Asian roots of Mindfulness and justify how secular Mindfulness, as taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is influenced by multiple wisdom traditions as opposed to it being a solely Buddhist practice. This book serves as a hands-on resource for trained mindfulness teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counsellors, social workers, practitioners, educators, coaches, and consultants. It is also suitable for anyone who is interested in the appreciation of mindfulness and human flourishing.
This book focuses on the role of ethics in the application of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) in clinical practice. The book offers an overview of the role of ethics in the cultivation of mindfulness and explores the way in which ethics have been embedded in the curriculum of MBIs and MBPs. Chapters review current training processes and examines the issues around incorporating ethics into MBIs and MBPs detailed for non-secular audiences, including training clinicians, developing program curriculum, and dealing with specific client populations. Chapters also examine new, second-generation MBIs and MBPs, the result of the call for more advanced mindfulness-based practices . The book addresses the increasing popularity of mindfulness in therapeutic interventions, but stresses that it remains a new treatment methodology and in order to achieve best practice status, mindfulness interventions must offer a clear understanding of their potential and limits. Topics featured in this book include: • Transparency in mindfulness programs.• Teaching ethics and mindfulness to physicians and healthcare professionals. • The Mindfulness-Based Symptom Management (MBSM) program and its use in treating mental health issues.• The efficacy and ethical considerations of teaching mindfulness in businesses. • The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Program. • The application of mindfulness in the military context. Practitioner’s Guide to Mindfulness and Ethics is a must-have resource for clinical psychologists and affiliated medical, and mental health professionals, including specialists in complementary and alternative medicine and psychiatry. Social workers considering or already using mindfulness in practice will also find it highly useful.
The Way of the Mindful Warrior provides a fresh, authentic, and structured path to using mindfulness to embrace living in awareness and reconnecting with our innermost nature of peace, wisdom, and compassion. Mindfulness is a 2,500-year-old Buddhist meditation practice that involves focusing awareness on the present moment, the only place where an individual can truly embrace and experience life. In recent decades, mindfulness has gained popularity amongst scientists, healthcare practitioners, and the public more generally. An abundance of popular books has subsequently emerged providing different interpretations of how to practice mindfulness and apply it in daily-living contexts. However, most current approaches to mindfulness have removed it from its traditional spiritual context or overlook important scientific insights from research into this ancient contemplative technique. The Way of Mindful Warrior addresses this oversight and integrates the traditional Buddhist teachings on mindfulness with emerging insights from the scientific study of mindfulness, wellbeing and the human mind. This book is timely and presents a fresh, easily digestible, and structured path to using mindfulness not only as a tool for coping with the stresses and strains of contemporary living, but also as a means to cultivating unconditional wellbeing and for flourishing as a human being.
This book shows how psychological and social interventions can help people with psychosis. It brings together both theoretical chapters that contribute to the reconceptualization of psychosis and clinical cases illustrating how contemporary psychotherapeutic intervention models can be applied in the treatment of this mental health condition, with reflections, strategies and practical guidelines demonstrating how these models can inform professional practice in mental healthcare. Chapters brought together in this volume aim to reflect a paradigm shift in psychosis care. They present person-centered models that lead to a way of seeing, understanding and treating psychosis that is very different from the traditional biomedical model. Current authors and approaches are revolutionizing an outdated model trapped in purely pharmacological actions and tautological explanations of a biological nature, where symptom control is the basic and fundamental form of approach, and in which psychotherapeutic actions take second place as subsidiary to the former. Approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Acceptance and Recovery Therapy by Levels, Open Dialogue, Compassion-Centered Therapy or the Hearing Voices movement, to name but a few of those presented in this book, represent a journey of self-knowledge and learning for those recovering from psychosis, and have an intense transformative potential for the therapeutic team. The fundamental principle that guides this book is to share models belonging to psychology that aim at personal development while respecting the needs, values and goals of each person, and that can be adopted by any professional or student of clinical psychology, psychiatry, nursing, social work or any other discipline searching for more humanistic approaches to treat psychosis.
Invitation to Holistic Health: A Guide to Living a Balanced Life provides solid principles and proven measures to promote optimal health and well-being using a holistic approach. Divided into three parts: Strengthening Your Inner Resources, Developing Health Lifestyle Practices, and Taking Charge of Challenges to the Mind, Body, and Spirit, this easy-to-read guide it provides how-to information when dealing with a variety of health-related issues that includes, but is not limited to, nutrition, exercise, herbal remedies, and homeopathic remedies. The Second Edition as been completely revised and includes current research on the effectiveness and safety of herbs and other complementary and alternative medicine therapies. The chapter on Menopause has been updated to reflect current thinking about the safe use of estrogen replacement, soy products, and other approaches to manage symptoms and new suggested readings and resources have been provided for further exploration into topics. -- Provided by publisher.
The authors in this book ask us to consider whether the perception of beauty has been defined by our genetics and culture over the years - has it grown and changed? Do certain neural connections define our emotional reactions to beauty? Does beauty follow any rules or laws? Can the aspiration toward beauty be detrimental? Can we divorce ourselves from dictates and sink into a mindful connection with our internal beauty? Can we move from the superficial where "beauty is only skin deep" to an intense appreciation of beauty in all of its variations. The Perception of Beauty will lead to a deeper understanding and contemplation of nature, art, and the world around us.
