Bringing together philosophy and science with hands-on exercises, journaling, and charts, this practical workbook by psychologists and best-selling authors C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., and Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D., is organized to include: The tools to get you started: preliminaries, quick tips, neuroscience and efficacy research Clear instructions to guide you in the practices of yoga and mindfulness Application of the practice to anxiety, stress, depression, trauma and substance abuse An appendix created especially for the clinician answers questions about how and when to introduce the techniques, ways to adapt to your office, and special ways to address children and seniors “The Simpkins have unified three areas that have rarely, if ever, been pulled together: yoga (not just the body moves, but the deeper psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects as well), mindfulness practices and therapeutic methods…filled with exercises, tips and inspiring stories.” - Bill O’Hanlon, featured Oprah guest and author of Out of the Blue: Six Non-Medication Ways to Relieve Depression
This book attempts to bridge the considerable gaps that exist between spiritual philosophies and evidence-based medicine and between the psychotherapeutic models of the East and the West. Based on the insights of both the ancient wisdom and modern medicine, this book presents Yogic science not just as a set of physical exercises or religious rituals but as theories about the mind that have bio-psycho-social implications in relation to health and illness. Drawing on his years of monastic training and his extensive experiential, clinical and research knowledge on the utility of Yoga meditation in standardized and evidence-based medicine protocols, the author describes symptom-specific clinical applications of Yogic/meditative techniques using standardized protocols for the various psychiatric and psychosomatic conditions. In addition, he explains the value of these techniques in reducing stress and improving quality of life in healthy populations. Dr. Pradhan names the proposed integrative model of psychotherapy Yoga and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (Y-MBCT). Unlike other models, Y-MBCT uses Yoga in its entirety (all eight limbs, including meditation) rather than piecemeal. The standardized and evidence-based format of Yoga meditation described in this book will help all aspiring Yoga practitioners and will hopefully also provide the impetus for multicenter research studies on the value of this ancient wisdom.
Bringing together philosophy and neuroscience with hands-on exercises, journaling, and charts, this practical workbook by psychologists and best-selling authors C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., and Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D., is organized to include: • The tools to get you started: preliminaries, quick tips, neuroscience and efficacy research • Clear instructions to guide you in the practices of yoga and mindfulness • Application of the practice to anxiety, stress, depression, trauma and substance abuse • An appendix created especially for the clinician answers questions about how and when to introduce the techniques, ways to adapt to your practice, and special ways to address children and seniors.
Praise for Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy "From the wisdom of ancient cultures to modern neuroscience, the authors skillfully create a bridge of understanding between the practice of meditation, yoga, and psychotherapy. The Simpkins are at their best in describing how everyone can learn to integrate their own brain, body, and mind to facilitate a creative synchrony of healing and well-being." —Kathryn Rossi, PhD Coeditor, Collected Works of Milton H. Erickson: The Nature of Therapeutic Hypnosis "This reader-friendly text is directed toward therapists and healthcare workers who are considering incorporating yoga and meditation into their work. These technologies are time-honored and appear to have beneficial effects on contemporary clients and patients. Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy serves as an informative introduction to these¿practices, and explains how a therapist might integrate such practices into their work. The chapters on neuroscience research and healthy aging are unique in books of this nature, and the discussion of alleviating depression alone is worth the price of the book." —Stanley Krippner, PhDProfessor of Psychology, Saybrook UniversityCoauthor, Haunted by Combat: Understanding PTSD in War Veterans A thoughtful and pragmatic guide for integrating meditation and yoga techniques into traditional psychotherapy Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy is an inspiring "how-to" guide grounded in the neuroscientific and clinical evidence that supports the use of meditation and other yoga practices to improve clients' mental health. Drawing from the authors' decades of practice, teaching, and writing, this inspiring book is focused on applying meditation, yoga, and Zen to therapy, with discussion of: The latest neuroscience findings, showing how the brain and larger nervous system are altered by yoga methods Philosophical and psychological principles upon which yoga is based The how, when, and why for use of specific techniques with common psychological problems Fundamental stretching exercises and meditation techniques Filled with vivid case examples and writings from renowned yoga masters, Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy encourages a therapeutic process in which clients move their attention from outside concerns to inner mindfulness. With a range of techniques that embrace the diversity and uniqueness of clients, this book offers methods to creatively individualize techniques for a wide variety of presenting problems.
Many mental health clinicians--even those well acquainted with mindfulness--still view physical, body-oriented techniques as outside their scope of practice. In this accessible book, clinical psychologist, exercise physiologist, and yoga and mindfulness teacher Paul Salmon gives therapists of any orientation the tools to use mindful movement with clients. Salmon shows how simple practices like breathing, walking, and yoga-like stretches can help clients center their attention in the present moment with curiosity and self-acceptance. He summarizes research on the benefits of movement for specific mental and physical health conditions and provides vivid case examples and scripts. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download audio recordings of 29 guided practices.
The Yoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety blends two highly effective anti-anxiety strategies—cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Kundalini yoga—for an entirely new and powerful treatment. Written by the creators of yoga-cognitive behavioral therapy (Y-CBT), this book will help you address the physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety to find lasting relief for both body and mind. Millions of people suffer from anxiety—it can keep you trapped in the “worry cycle.” When you’re under stress, your thoughts are racing, and you find yourself repeating the same anxious patterns over and over again, it has a negative impact on your relationships, health, and overall well-being. So, how do you get past your anxiety to increase peace and relaxation in your life? Yoga-cognitive behavioral therapy (Y-CBT) can help. This book offers the first research-based model to combine the benefits of traditional psychological practice with the therapeutic benefits of Kundalini yoga—often referred to as the yoga of awareness. This combination will enable you to effectively address both problematic thought patterns and the physiologic outcomes of emotional distress simultaneously. With the proven-effective techniques provided in The Yoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety, you’ll find peace for your anxious mind and a state of relaxation for your body. More than just being able to manage your anxiety and stress, you’ll be ready to transform your whole life for the better.
This practical guide helps therapists from virtually any specialty or theoretical orientation choose and adapt mindfulness practices most likely to be effective with particular patients, while avoiding those that are contraindicated. The authors provide a wide range of meditations that build the core skills of focused attention, mindfulness, and compassionate acceptance. Vivid clinical examples show how to weave the practices into therapy, tailor them to each patient's needs, and overcome obstacles. Therapists also learn how developing their own mindfulness practice can enhance therapeutic relationships and personal well-being. The Appendix offers recommendations for working with specific clinical problems. Free audio downloads (narrated by the authors) and accompanying patient handouts for selected meditations from the book are available at www.sittingtogether.com. See also Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, Second Edition, edited by Christopher K. Germer, Ronald D. Siegel, and Paul R. Fulton, which reviews the research on therapeutic applications of mindfulness and delves into treatment of specific clinical problems.
The ultimate practical guide to MBSR—with more than 115,000 copies sold—is now available in a fully revised and updated second edition. Stress and pain are nearly unavoidable in our daily lives; they are part of the human condition. This stress can often leave us feeling irritable, tense, overwhelmed, and burned-out. The key to maintaining balance is responding to stress not with frustration and self-criticism, but with mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of our bodies and minds. Impossible? Actually, it's easier than it seems. In just weeks, you can learn mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a clinically proven program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living. MBSR is effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, panic, depression, chronic pain, and a wide range of medical conditions. Taught in classes and clinics worldwide, this powerful approach shows you how to focus on the present moment and permanently change the way you handle stress. As you work through A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, you'll learn how to replace stress-promoting habits with mindful ones—a skill that will last a lifetime. This groundbreaking, proven-effective program will help you relieve the symptoms of stress and identify its causes. This fully revised and updated second edition includes new audio downloads, new meditations, and extensive chapter revisions to help you manage stress and start living a healthier, happier life.
