Mindfulness and Psychotherapy by Christopher K. Germer (Editor), Ronald D. Siegel (Editor), Paul R. Fulton (Editor)

Product Details

Synopsis

Responding to growing interest among psychotherapists of all theoretical orientations, this practical book provides a comprehensive introduction to mindfulness and its clinical applications. The authors, who have been practicing both mindfulness and psychotherapy for decades, present a range of clear-cut procedures for implementing mindfulness techniques and teaching them to patients experiencing depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and other problems. Also addressed are ways that mindfulness practices can increase acceptance and empathy in the therapeutic relationship. The book reviews the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and presents compelling empirical findings. User-friendly features include illustrative case examples, practice exercises, and resource listings.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Susan Richardson, MA, PsyD (Private Practice)
Description:This is a book for therapists who wish to incorporate mindfulness and/or Buddhist principles into their work.
Purpose:The editors write that the book is about awareness, meta-awareness, and how these impact therapists and can affect emotional healing in psychotherapy patients. The goals of the book are met easily in this very readable book that offers psychotherapists another perspective to augment their clinical skills.
Audience:The book is written primarily for therapists by psychologists. Therapists with no previous knowledge of Buddhist theory will find it accessible, and it is ideal for the novice. The editors are clinicians who have a combined 75 years of experience in their field.
Features:Their aim is to provide a basic understanding of Buddhist principles expanded into psychotherapy. Following the introductory chapters, the editors have selected more specific topics in mental health, e.g. depression, anxiety, and describe the application of mindfulness in the treatment of these patients. It is a good clinical resource, inasmuch as it can be consulted on a case by case basis. Additionally, the book serves as a good primer on Buddhist theory and mindfulness in general, with terrific appendixes that illuminate resources and basic Buddhist ideology.
Assessment:Mindfulness is compared to other current theories and psychological interventions at many points. Acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectic behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are all contrasted with the mindfulness approach. It is a well researched book thatprovides good tools for the clinician who is not overly wed to more traditional Western theory.

Biography

Christopher K. Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, specializing in mindfulness-based treatment of anxiety and panic. He has been integrating meditation and mindfulness principles into psychotherapy since 1978 and has taken many trips to India to explore the varieties of meditation and yoga. Currently the Director of Continuing Education for the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, he is a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School.

Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, a member of the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and a longtime student of mindfulness meditation. His personal recovery from disabling back pain led him to develop a mind-body program for treating chronic back pain, incorporating mindfulness techniques. He teaches nationally about mind-body treatment and maintains a private practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Dr. Siegel is coauthor of Back Sense: A Revolutionary Approach to Halting the Cycle of Chronic Back Pain.

Paul R. Fulton, EdD, is the Director of Mental Health for Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts, a clinical psychologist in private practice, and a forensic psychologist. He received lay ordination as a Zen Buddhist in 1972, and has been a student of psychology and meditation for 35 years. He was the clinical director of a large state psychiatric facility, and later the program director for a private psychiatric hospital. Dr. Fulton is on the board of directors of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and is President of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.