HomeGiftsBooksThe Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness |
|
|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 108 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
318 of 328 found the following review helpful:
 If you ever get depressed or get caught up in negative thinking, , you need to read this! Jan 10, 2008
By KV Trout
This is truly an excellent method of working to accept and overcome the problems of depression.
I have read some of the classic books on depression and cognitive therapy such as David Burns' "Feeling Good", and this is a much more comprehensive approach, based on the principles of cognitive therapy but with the addition of mindfulness.
This approach is also good for people who aren't really clinically depressed but who get caught up in negative thinking patterns and low self esteem: "Why me?" "I'm a loser", "I'll never get ahead", etc...
The book has a great cd with it to teach you exactly how to practice the mindfulness exercises. I hesitate to use the term meditation because people tend to start thinking things like "I can't meditate", "It's too hard", etc... By the time you read the book, you will understand that meditation is not hard at all, it's just a matter of doing it, and it can be done in as little as 3-5 minutes and still be worthwhile. It's not a matter of "contemplating your navel" but rather just learning to BE in the present moment, to watch one's thoughts arise and fall away, to slow down, to look at what is happening in one's body and in one's mind. Nothing at all difficult about it. You can do it. And you will find it worthwhile if you do it for a few weeks.
I highly recommend this book to people suffering from depression.
Another very good book for certain types of depression and anxiety that I highly recommend is "Emotional Blackmail" by Susan Forward, which helped me a great deal.
One more book I will recommend not so much specifically for depression but because it teaches the value and technique of "mindfulness", is Jon Kabat-Zinn's "Wherever You Go, There You Are".
The last thing I will say is that just reading any of these books is not enough! You MUST do the exercises and put mindfulness into practice! You will be glad you did!
346 of 362 found the following review helpful:
The Mindful Way through Depression Sep 03, 2007
By Gary G. Miles
"slow reader"
I highly recommend this book. I have suffered from depressed for a long time, and I am always looking for new ways to cope with my depression. I found this book to be most helpful in describing useful techniques to deal with my depression. The book is written in very layman language and is easily understandable. To my knowledge the four professionals who wrote this book collaborated their ideas, and came up with a scheme that was relatively easy to follow. I take anti-depressant medications that enable me to get up to "base line", but after that, if I do not have some way of facing every day problems, I find myself in the dump of depression again.
This book helps me to stay up, and not slip back too far into depression. Medications are very helpful, but by themselves, they can not keep one at base line (or what some people call "normal.") Once we reach base line, we depressed persons, need help in staying at that level. The teachings of this book definitely has helped me in this endeavor.
I do not say this book totally cured me of depression (I don't think anything ever will.) However, the information in the book has been a big help to me, and I can cope with depression much better than I did before I read the book.
172 of 179 found the following review helpful:
Groundbreaking approach Oct 09, 2007
By David Fahrland
"Bald Eagle"
This is a ground-breaking method in the treatment of depression by combining C.B.T. with Buddhist mindfulness practice. The descriptions and exercises for meditating have helped me to overcome my resistance(s) to practice. I also have discovered "moving meditation" that can be done with walking, swimming, whatever to reach a result that is even more enlightening than classic sitting meditation practice.
I also realize from my past deep depressions that any practice seems hard because it is extremely difficult to overcome "inertia" and cut through the cognitive "fog" symptoms that accompany the disease. Hopefully, the moving meditation practice and some simple cognitive practices described here could be effective even under the duress of a full blown relapse.
This book is also very well written and clearly readable.
50 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Breakthrough book on depression Sep 09, 2008
By Ann L.
I feel very grateful to the authors of this book, having suffered from recurring bouts of depression over the past dozen years or so. For help, I tried several books on cognitive therapy and saw a few therapists who focused on this approach. But, each time, after initial improvement, I ended up in a mental boxing ring fighting with the same old repetitive, negative thoughts. I would try to substitute negative thoughts with more realistic ones, as cognitive therapy encourages, but I soon realized this process would go on endlessly, without any real change. As someone wrote in an earlier review, it was exhausting. It never seemed possible to me that depression could be dealt with at the level of thinking since habitually negative thinking is the main problem in depression!
In "The Mindful Way through Depression," the authors really take the reader to a different level in handling negative, ruminative thoughts and their accompanying difficult feelings. I love the underlying theme of the book: that it's not the content of our thoughts that's important, but rather the present-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and surroundings. Emphasis is also placed on deeply accepting all of these sensations -- not running from them in fear or aversion, but approaching them with gentle awareness and curiosity and allowing them to be there. There's a huge freedom in this, but it takes perseverance.
One point to note: I think it was wise of the authors to state at the book's outset that a person suffering from fairly severe depression should wait until he or she is on the mend before attempting to use the book. Personally, I think trying to do some of the exercises would be very difficult during a deep depression.
Finally, while the book is completely non-secular and beneficial to anyone, it will probably be particularly appreciated by people already interested in areas such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation, and "Westernized" Buddhism.
35 of 35 found the following review helpful:
The only one that actually helped Sep 20, 2009
By Ronald Britt
I have suffered depression for years. I have been to five "shrinks", been placed on three different medications (not at the same time, of course) to treat the depression and all to no effect. I have read other books on depression but this one is the only one that is actually making a noticeable and positive change in my life. Simply put, the approach works. It takes effort (which is extremely difficult if depression is severe) and practice, but the benefit is very well worth it. I read the reviewer who gave the book a 1 star rating, I can't know whether they actually read the entire book or simply a part of it, or perhaps even completely misunderstood it but from the short note they left I believe it must be the former. It is not, as that reviewer claims, evolution that makes one depressed and is thus "hard wired" (to use their terminology). Rather it is our thoughts and how we react to them. More, it is how we get caught in a downward spiral with old-habit thought patterns when something goes wrong or even if we feel a bit blue that can send us into depression. Recognizing these thoughts and habits and taking a completely different approach to them is key, and how to do that is clearly outlined in this book. As I stated, I have suffered from depression for years and only now do I see hope. Medication did not work for me. The "shrinks" did not work for me. This approach has. I'm only stating my own experiences here, not giving medical advice. The only advice I give here is this: If you suffer from depression, it is worth it to at least try the approach in this book. It's made a difference for me where nothing else has.
See all 108 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
The
Importance Of Lighting In Interior Design
by Jessica Ackerman
Everyone knows how important
paint color, furniture choices and artwork are to
interior design. One aspect of design that is often
overlooked, however, is lighting. Lighting not only
affects the brightness of the room, but it can also
change the way a paint color looks, cast shadows in ways
that make the room seem smaller and have an impact on
the presentation of art work.
There is no light like
natural light. If you are buying, building or
remodeling, opt for as much natural light as possible.
Oversized windows and skylights are two ways to get the
most natural light. Of course, not everyone is in the
position to be able to do that, so you'll have to work
with what you have.
How much natural light do
you get in your room? If the room in question faces
north, you won't get as much natural sunlight as you
would in a southern facing room. Rooms that face south
get bright, natural light throughout the day. Rooms that
face east will only have good natural light in the
morning hours and western facing rooms will have the
most light during the afternoon.
Once you are familiar
with how much natural light is in each room, you'll be
able to make informed choices about what additional
lighting may be necessary. Keep in mind that rooms with
little or no natural light will need artificial lighting
- even during the day - in order to look their best.
Here are some types of lighting to consider.
1. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is
perfect when you want to showcase a piece of art or a
special piece of furniture or other item. Since light
draws the eye, it will bring attention to the features
in your room that you wish to highlight.
2. Hanging Light Features
Chandeliers and smaller
hanging lamps can be beautiful as well as functional. A
trip to the local home improvement store will quickly
show you how overwhelming the choices can be. You'll
want to select lighting that blends in with your
existing dÃÂécor. For example, a crystal chandelier in a
country themed dining room probably isn't the best
option. If you don't choose carefully, your lighting may
stick out like a sore thumb and become more of an
eyesore than a lovely accent.
3. Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting is a
good choice for a room that needs extra light throughout
the day. Because the lighting won't interfere with the
existing decor, it can work in almost any room. It
provides abundant light without taking up a lot of space
or interfering with other aspects of the room.
4. Lamps
Using lamps are a way to
add not only additional lighting, but also punches of
color. If possible, see how much light the lamp gives
off before leaving the store. Many lamps serve as
decoration more than as a light source and give off very
little light. If you love the lamp, but it doesn't give
off quite enough light, consider changing the shade
which will usually solve the problem.
When decorating your
home, remember how important lighting is, and give it
the same thought and attention you give to the other
details of decorating your home.
About the Author
Jessica Ackerman is the
featured author at Wall DÃÂécor and Home Accents. Shop today
for great deals on
metal wall sculpture ,
home
accents and more unique wall dÃÂécor products.
|
|
| | |
|
|
