Not only did I like the tape, it was so inspiring. The shipping was within alloted times.

Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.

As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.

I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.

Some observations that I would make though are as follows.

1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.

These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.

So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.

Warmly,

Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis

I have used Mindfulness techniques with many clients in my private practice, but in the last couple of years have begun working with mentally ill inmates in a maximum security prison. These inmates are often depressed and feel out of control. I was looking for a way to help them understand their feelings and regain a sense of control over their circumstances. They have responded very positively and are applying the principles to their lives. We recently started a meditation time where they meditate at the same time of day even though they are in separate cells and not able to directly communicate with each other. This has been a powerful, positive experience for them. The book has been a hit with a very tough audience.

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.

I was actually led to seek out information on meditation as a treatment for depression through a book called Surviving America's Depression Epidemic by psychologist Bruce E. Levine. That book takes a highly insightful approach to investigating the sociological and personal genesis for depression and I credit it for saving me from succumbing to this condition. Afterwards, I bought "The Mindful Way through Depression" to supplement Levine's more brief explanation of meditation as a therapeutic modality.

Three psychologists - J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale and Zindel V. Segal began investigating why it was that people who became depressed once would experience constant relapse even after treatment. They eventually were led to the work being done by Jon Kabat-Zinn who had been researching the benefits of meditation at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The approach they eventually created is called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (or MBCT), which begins with the understanding of human psychology branching out of the Buddhist contemplative traditions of ancient India. This understanding of reality is then applied to findings of Western cognitive-behavioral therapy. Despite its Buddhist influences, the practice is completely secular. There is no mention of Buddhist concepts such as anatta, dharma or nirvana but the essence of the contemplative traditions is still present. The meditations in the book and on the CD are focused on experiencing the present moment as it unfolds here and now. This is what is meant by mindfulness.

Some of the reviews on this page mention "curing" depression. Yet, like Dr. Levine, the authors of this book redefine depression - not as some inherent chemical or genetic fault that needs to be eradicated with psychotropic drugs - but as a habitual reaction towards our unpleasant feelings. Taking a poignant insight from Buddhist philosophy, the authors realized that much of our suffering is due to an aversion towards our own unpleasant feelings. (Note: Depression is NOT unpleasant emotions themselves. Negative feelings - sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, etc. - are benign in and of themselves. It is a pattern of reactions towards these feelings that is the depression.)

Feelings - both the pleasant and unpleasant - are important messengers which contain vital information about whowe are and the state of our lives. However, when depressed, we often become paralyzed by our unwillingness to be with our fear, sadness, anger, anxiety, etc. This initial aversion cycles into depression in a complex interplay between our emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This is why we often find ourselves sinking deeper into depression the more we try to "think" our way out or just "snap out of it." At worst, these attempts only serve to further estrange us from our emotions or cause us to start ruminating, cementing our depressed thoughts. At best, they serve only as a cosmetic and temporary solution.

I was happy to discover that MBCT addresses some of the shortcomings of traditional CBT that Levine criticizes in his book. CBT has a preoccupation with thoughts specifically - neglecting the nuanced relationship between our external circumstances, our emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Likewise, I found CBT tends to be exhausting. Who can stand to analyze their thoughts constantly, especially when they don't have an understanding of where those thoughts are coming from to begin with? The mindfulness practices in this book place thoughts in the wider context of life itself and bring us out of our own heads. The "Body Scan" that begins the CD is an excellent way of bringing one into the entirety of the body and opening to the physical, sensory experiences most of us have come to ignore.

Eventually, what these practices serve to do is awaken one to the true nature of living. Depression itself can be seen for what it is - a pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviors - that we eventually learn to transcend. If you are currently depressed, this may all sound highly dubious. I myself was skeptical at first. But, having nothing to lose, I read through the book, practiced the meditations as described and suspended judgment for the eight weeks recommended by the authors. Within the first two weeks, it started making more sense. I felt I was living more "in the moment." When depressed, our days often feel monochromatic - everything runs together in a big jumble of anxiety, numbness, inaction, etc. Weeks go by and we feel like we haven't actually LIVED through them.

Mindfulness completely transformed this familiar experience for me. My days feel longer and more varied. I started noticing tiny details like where I hold tension in the body, when I needlessly and repetitively feed anxieties with negative thoughts, and started to notice things in the world around me more. Many people construe "curing" depression with banishing all unpleasant emotions. However, this is neither possible nor desirable. These sorts of emotions will always arise. However, the aim is to learn to be open to them instead of becoming overwhelmed by them. I can't really explain exactly how different this feels, but it felt like being a child again: awakening to the newness of each and every moment, as a child experiences the world, is really the heart of mindfulness.

This book and CD would certainly do fine as a stand-alone if you are just interested in feeling better. The insights into the workings of the mind and emotion are remarkable and all supported by the latest research. The CD narrated by Kabat-Zinn is extremely helpful as well in setting up a regimented practice and commitment to yourself to get better. If, however, you are also interested in learning about depression as a cultural, sociological and historical phenomenon, I highly recommend Bruce Levine's "Surviving America's Depression Epidemic" which touches on many topics not dealt with here, including the role of schooling in teen depression, shyness or social phobia, abuse and neglect, the role of depression for artists and musicians and loss of community in modern-day society. Both are excellent books, however, that deal with different aspects of the same topic.

although i only skimmed the book today - i got too many others to read first. the book i received was brand new, discounted, came with a cd that coordinates with the chapters and the book has some good reviews by current holistic leaders.

This book is very good, anyone who has suffered depression should read it. The program, if you choose to follow the program that the book outlines, is demanding, but perfectly doable - - requiring 45 minutes per day. I think it's worth it - - have just started doing the 45 minutes of meditations myself, and hope it will help.

This is simply one of the best self help books to be produced in a decade. And it's useful for nearly any form of psychological issue that you may be struggling with. What makes this book a gem is the CD which will guide you through various meditation and relaxation exercises. As a neuroscience researcher exploring the effects of meditation on the brain (see Newberg and Waldman's forthcoming book, How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist, I am convinced that this is one of the best ways there is to substantially reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in anyone. Even if you don't read the book, listen to the CD. It will definitely change your brain, and your life.

A new approach to dealing with depression that offers hope for those who have had little success with other therapies. What is new is the idea of combining techniques that are known to work rather than relying on single approaches. Learning to live in the moment removes many of the triggers that lead to depression. The best book I have read on this topic. I bought 5 copies. I have given away all of them to people who have expressed interest in the book. All of these people have had positive reactions to the book.

I'd like to express my deep thanks to the author for this compassionate, insightful and very practical book.

I am using this book in conjunction with congnitive therapy for to recover from a 3+ year bout of depression and have found it very helpful. I cannot say it will be as insightful for everyone who reads it but for me I found it provided a very accurate description of what I was experiencing and has given me some very practical advice on how to climb out from a very painful mental state. I'd suggest that you use this book in connection with some actual therapy but can see how it would be useful as a stand-alone self help book if you're properly motivated.

This book has been the miracle of my life. After suffering Chronic Depression for 13 years, I have a clear understanding of what is happening inside my head for the first time. That in itself is uplifting!

The book explains in clear and easy to understand language the processes that lead us into, and keep us living with depression, and the knowledge gained from the book combined with the cd is like a road map out of the cycle. I found it so helpful I purchased one for a friend who is depressed. If only I had this book 13years ago when this all began!

The book is a relatively quick read--as a clinical psychologist I like to preview books that I might recommend to pts--I got thru it in a weekend. The CD is excellent. Very good value. Beneficial even if one is not depressed!

A therapist recommeded this book to me. And I couldn't be happier with it. All too often it is easier to ignore feelings, run from them, and then end up with anxiety and depression. This books helps me find a practical way of being with thoughts and feelings and learning kindness towards myself.

The book is really for someone who is open to trying something new (if you don't already do meditation practices). If you want a quick fix to depression, there is probably no such thing and this book definitely isn't that. But it gives a great way to start to really live life moment by moment.

5 stars for the book and 1 star for the CD...the intro was nice and then, silence, more and more silence....I'm not sure if this is a defective CD or some bizarre thing where it's supposed to be comforting to have the CD run in silence? Any hints about getting a new CD or others experience of the CD would be greatly apppreciated. I have to admit, I am very disappointed.

This book is a great introduction to mindfulness meditation and it's benefits, especially with depression. It provides practical exercises and case studies to help you be more compassionate with yourself and aware of your feelings, thoughts, body sensations and behaviour, and use this awareness to live more fully in the present.

Very good research has been done on the use of mindfulness meditation in the prevention of repeated episodes of depression. While the use of classes to teach this is great, try finding them for you, or your clients if you're a therapist! This book becomes a gift then to all those who can't find the classes, or don't have the time to go. My only criticism is that it's a bit wordy and slow in the first two chapters, which might lose some people (almost lost me!) After that, though it is wonderfully written, and the CD very helpful.

Many of the materials that are available for working with depressive clients are most successful with Moderate to mild depression. I have found this book helpful for those with more severe depressions. The methods don't require battling negative thoughts so much as seeing them as "noise in the background". After the depression begins to lift, the more traditional cognitive therapy methods can be used in combination with the mindfulness strategies.

This is a must read! Here is what I learned.

Celebrate the miraculous creature that you are! Your God-given gifts provide you with insight, innate tools and mystical powers to create all things not directly created by Him.

Your thoughts are mental media. Mindfulness therapy is the cognitive ear that attends to your bundle of thoughts, feelings, and body sensations oxygenating the passing black cloud.

Our streams of mental thoughts passing through our brain are not unlike the stream of light passing through pictures, accompanied by sounds of the movie we watch. The bundle of thoughts, feelings, and sensations we attended to in that experience evokes emotions and a sense of reality in our imagination. As we become drawn into the experience our story is bundled into a reality state. When the movie is over, we often ruminate about it for some time, but we realize it is entertainment and store it just below the surface in our subconscious mind. In depression, we ruminate on the bundle and fail to distinguish the script from reality. Accordingly the sensations drag us in the hopeless pit of anger and sadness. We can break that downward spiral by accepting those sensations for what they are and let them pass.

Every time we get back in touch with ourselves, the conditions become favorable for us to encounter life in the present moment. Practicing Mindfulness enables us to become a real person.

The book and accompanying CD provide step-by-step Mindfulness Therapy/instruction to gain the skills to weather the storm of depression. Buy it today. You will not be sorry.

This is a must read! Here is what I learned.

Celebrate the miraculous creature that you are! Your God-given gifts provide you with insight, innate tools and mystical powers to create all things not directly created by Him.

Your thoughts are mental media. Mindfulness therapy is the cognitive ear that attends to your bundle of thoughts, feelings, and body sensations oxygenating the passing black cloud.

Our streams of mental thoughts passing through our brain are not unlike the stream of light passing through pictures, accompanied by sounds of the movie we watch. The bundle of thoughts, feelings, and sensations we attended to in that experience evokes emotions and a sense of reality in our imagination. As we become drawn into the experience our story is bundled into a reality state. When the movie is over, we often ruminate about it for some time, but we realize it is entertainment and store it just below the surface in our subconscious mind. In depression, we ruminate on the bundle and fail to distinguish the script from reality. Accordingly the sensations drag us in the hopeless pit of anger and sadness. We can break that downward spiral by accepting those sensations for what they are and let them pass.

The book and accompanying CD provide step-by-step Mindfulness Therapy/instruction to gain the skills to weather the storm of depression. Buy it today. You will not be sorry.

Mindfulness meditation can sometimes seem to be a practice without a purpose. In addition to the possibility of putting ourselves into a peaceful state, why should we meditate? This book has an answer. It presents a model of the structure of depression (which might be a useful model for all forms of suffering). It says that depression is a self-reinforcing feedback loop of feelings, ruminations, judgments, body sensations, and behaviors. When we try to think our way out of this loop, we just end up reinforcing it. Instead of trying to think our way out, the authors suggest sidestepping the loop entirely by leaving the "doing" mode and going into the "being" mode, i.e., into a state of mindfulness. That removes the resistance, which is the source of suffering. The authors present an eight-week program of practices and meditations, including guided meditations on an included CD. They have helped me a lot.

I have taught the 8-week workshop on which this book is based, and found that participants were greatly helped by it. The book offers the same material, and it can be very helpful for the reader. A certain amount of discipline is needed to do the daily homework, but I found an interesting quote by Zindel Segal, one of the authors recently. He said that people who are more afflicted by depression have the "gift of desperation," to motivate them. In the NYC workshop participants answered the question, "How important has this program been to you?" with a 9.75 out of a perfect 10.0 rating. Of particular benefit is the teaching on mindfulness meditation. People find a calm they never knew existed, and quite quickly. The book starts with an introduction to the 'body scan' and asks that the reader do it daily for several weeks. This is not too much practice.... it is introducing a whole new and different way of relating to the body, feelings in the body, and the present experience. Later in the book the 3-Minute Breathing Space is introduced. In some ways this is the capstone of the whole book, a tool that has been called a gift by some psychologists. All in all, this is a practical, workable way through depression. Depression doesn't have to be forever. As a footnote, the methods in the workshop have been carefully researched and replicated. This method really works, and the book is a way of presenting the program in a widely-available format. (Results can be found by Googling PubMed.Gov, and entering MBCT as the search term.) My next workshop begins March 31 in New York City.
I heartily recommend this book!

Excellent help for someone who wants therapy for depression beyond the therapist. The CD is a plus.

Having taught the methods these authors recommend to groups and individuals over the past three years I know that they work. But it's not always easy and one can find oneself caught up all sorts of dead-ends. The authors are well aware of that and take pains to make their points with clarity and a deep sensitivity to the issues involved. The result is a work that is highly effective and very approachable. I can't recommend it too highly.

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!

In addition to this remarkable book, two other extraordinary books that speak eloquently to the subject of learning to live with inside and outside realities are "That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist" and "Semrad: The Heart of a Therapist" by Susan Rako, M.D. The title of the memoir is a line from Leonard Cohen's song, "Anthem:" "There is a crack, a crack in everything. THAT'S HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN !

This book has to be one of the best in dealing with depression through midfulness. It is clear and practical and one that therapists and clients can use. It is highly recommended. Though I may love books on fantasy, this book is very real and helpful.

Even though this book is has some material that appears in other of Jon Kabat-Zinn's books, specifically, Full Catastrophe Living, I liked this books focus on preventing/treating depression. I recommend it highly.

What impressed me most about this book is that lays out the philosophy of overcoming depression via mindfulness in a clear and concise way-I would just suggest getting FREE YOUR MIND by Sensei Anthony Stultz as a companion (it focuses on the actual techniques. I hope this is helpful.Free Your Mind: The Four Directions of an Awakened LifeFull Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

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.

This book is very different from most books on depression that I have read and there have been many. Most of the books try and help you worry your way through depression. This book says you need to think about other things and realize that everybody is depressed at one time or another but they don't start thinking of themselves as a depressed person. This is one of the worse things you can do. It gives you breathing exercise, to try and live in the moment instead of always feeling bad about the past or worrying about the future. Just that much has helped me. There is cd that goes along with some of the teaching exercises which is very helpful in fact I don't know of too many books that have a cd to go with it or a cd that has a book that goes with it. This book and "Magnificent Addiction" are the 2 best books I have read that help with depression and anxiety. Addictions can many many things including being addicted to depression and anxiety.

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.

This book is a real guide for whom need a help to better life, the most brilliant this book are the chapters 9 and 10 where the authors give us a self-guided meditation for take it in the bad moments, and no necessarily in the night or sunrise.

good book, and for best results, you need practice and practice, best as you can.

Best regards
Daniel

This book will help all of us who are caught up in the continual pressure to do, and who are never able to rest and be ourselves. From reading the Mindful Way through Depresssion you can learn the practical wisdom of Buddhist meditation practice and ways of bringing the wisdom and awareness you gain into the course of day to day living. The CD provides an essential guide to actual practice.If you use it you can fulfil your own innermost self and function more effectively in the "Doing" World.

I loved the book -'The mindful way throught depression'. I haven't listened to the CD yet, but the book is exeedingly readable, dipping in is a delight,and it is in tune with freeing up the mind from depressing thoughts. The title is what the book is about - spot on!
Mindfulness is a key word I often search for - there is even a book about mindfulness and money - also a good one.

This book is a somewhat more simple version of the tehnique as it is given in some other books, but it is clear and practical.

A huge masterpiece...these four are the heavy hitters of Mindfulness research.....they bring the practice to new levels. Bravo!