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36th out of 295 books
—
397 voters
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
Stress. It is everywhere around us. Even worse, it gets inside us: sapping our energy, undermining our health, and making us more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and disease. Now, based on Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this groundbreaking book shows you how to use natural, medically proven methods to soothe and heal your body...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
July 22nd 2009
by Delta
(first published 1990)
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I read this book as part of my "get rid of psorisis in 2009" campaign. In my research, I read about a study where patients undergoing UV treatment for psorisis who listened to the body scan meditation associated with this book showed more improvement than patients who didn't. I'm not undergoing UV treatment, but I thought it couldn't hurt to see what this book has to say. Plus, I was intrigued by the title.
This is not a thin book. It is very, very long and as my library due date approached, I ha...more
This is not a thin book. It is very, very long and as my library due date approached, I ha...more
October and November were my months of self-help. I don't think I've ever read a self-help book in my life, but within four weeks I had read three.
I discovered Jon Kabat-Zinn after receiving dozens of messages of concern about my recent sleeplessness. Various types of meditation and breathing exercises were the most popular recommendations. Some suggested retreats, others classes, and others audio CDs. I figured I'd start with a guided audio CD, and if it didn't work then I'd enroll in a class...more
I discovered Jon Kabat-Zinn after receiving dozens of messages of concern about my recent sleeplessness. Various types of meditation and breathing exercises were the most popular recommendations. Some suggested retreats, others classes, and others audio CDs. I figured I'd start with a guided audio CD, and if it didn't work then I'd enroll in a class...more
Health problems? Traditional medicine has let you down? Curious about meditation and it's benefits on your health? This book may be for you. It helped me in various ways and will continue to. It outlines and guides you through the 8 week stress reduction program that Kabat-Zinn teaches at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Case studies are included on people who suffer (sometimes horribly) from a wide range of health issues. Anything from just stress, to panic attacks, to heart dise...more
Amazing book! I've read several books on mindfulness and meditation over the years, but none of them were actually practical. This book explains clearly not only the reasons why you should train yourself to practice mindfulness but also how to do it. It lays out Kabat-Zinn's 8-wk meditation immersion from his stress reduction clinic associated with UMass medical center, where physicians send their patients with the most difficult chronic medical conditions for relief that can't be had with medic...more
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Full Catastrophe Living is basically a New Age book about the magic of meditation. Kabat-Zinn is a medical practitioner who runs a clinic that consists of eight-week classes of meditation, yoga, and general hippie behavior, and he’s written a book describing this course.
Like most New Age stuff, the book is a reflection of someone discovering something useful (usually stolen from Christianity) and taking it to an extreme. In this case, what Kabat-Zinn has discovered is that we as human beings hav...more
Like most New Age stuff, the book is a reflection of someone discovering something useful (usually stolen from Christianity) and taking it to an extreme. In this case, what Kabat-Zinn has discovered is that we as human beings hav...more
Apr 03, 2010
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010-nonfiction,
2010-audio-books
Full Catastrophy Living: Using the Wisdom of your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness, by John Kabat-Zinn, narrated by John Cabot-Zins, produced by Random House Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This book is based on Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction techniques, which involve using your mind to work through the stressors in your life. He uses meditation, yoga, walking meditation, and even some western medical concepts to help people find ways of dealing with stress...more
This book is based on Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction techniques, which involve using your mind to work through the stressors in your life. He uses meditation, yoga, walking meditation, and even some western medical concepts to help people find ways of dealing with stress...more
Though there was a lot in this book that I skimmed over, there were a lot of true gems that will particularly be useful in developing a practice of mindfulness and meditation. Some of the information helped me to overcome some of the blocks I've formed and approach in a different way.
I will admit that the title initially made me wary -- not one I wanted to be reading in public, but in the intro, the author relates the story behind it:
In groping to describe that aspect of human condition that pat...more
I will admit that the title initially made me wary -- not one I wanted to be reading in public, but in the intro, the author relates the story behind it:
In groping to describe that aspect of human condition that pat...more
I read this book in preparation for an Omega Institute Conference ("Living a Fearless Life") in NYC in 2004 where I heard Kabat-Zinn, Caroline Myss, Martha Beck, and other "like-minded" people speak. Kabat-Zinn gives solid advice and a practical approach. Call it prayer, contemplation, meditation, yoga,etc., for me, the bottom line is to develop a discipline which incorporates a daily practice in support of a healthy mind, body and spirit. This book is worth the read to add to your personal arse...more
This book was the beginning of a long path toward compassion and understanding. Kabat-Zinn is a researcher at UMass Medical Center who works with and studies people with chronic pain problems and how meditation eases the effects of pain. His focus is in the individual reader and the book is essentially a sophisticated self-help guide for living "the full catastrophe," that is, life in a normal context. The subtext is Eastern philosophy as a way to cope with the challenges of daily life.
I read F...more
I read F...more
A remarkable, available for anyone, entertaining and enlightening work on mindfulness meditation (Zen). Chapter 2 describing 7 attitudinal factors (non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance and letting go) is key and indispensable to development of mindfulness meditation technique. It teaches a new way of dealing with the physical body by listening to it and working with it. It can open up a whole new outlook on life for anyone. The simple principle of mindfulness c...more
I'm assigning five stars based on the book's content and thoroughness. The real value remains to be determined after consistent practice of the program.
Most people will only be drawn to a program like this after a health crisis or other major life stressor. There is a significant daily time commitment, especially for the first 8 weeks of practice. I've had to eliminate some non-essential activities from my life to make time for this work.
The book gives you a chance to simulate the 8-week progr...more
Most people will only be drawn to a program like this after a health crisis or other major life stressor. There is a significant daily time commitment, especially for the first 8 weeks of practice. I've had to eliminate some non-essential activities from my life to make time for this work.
The book gives you a chance to simulate the 8-week progr...more
I enjoyed reading this book. I have been able to implement some parts of it into my life. A book that I enjoyed even more is called, "Get Well & Stay Well" by authors Steve Amoils, M.D. & Sandi Amoils, M.D. I recently turned 40 and am trying to find ways to take better care of my body and mind. Get Well & Stay Well outlines an approach to improved health that looks at the patient as a whole person, not just a collection of symptoms. It’s a holistic approach that helps patients not ju...more
Howard's son-in-law!
I had the good fortune to take an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) workshop at my university this fall. We used this edition of Kabat-Zinn's classic along with meditation cd-ROMs that combined body scans, light yoga, and seated meditation. I'll limit this review to Kabat-Zinn's book, but wholeheartedly recommend that anyone interested simply do an internet search on MBSR workshops to find the closest one to their home.
As noted, Full Catastrophe Living was a central text in ou...more
As noted, Full Catastrophe Living was a central text in ou...more
I loved this book.
I'm about half-way through the program - the book gives you the necessary information about how to do the majority of the full 8-week Stress Reduction Clinic course that people attend at the Massachusetts Medical Center, without having to go to the clinic/be referred by a doctor because you have tried every medical technique for your pain or stress.
What the program entails is a mix of yoga, seated mediation, and a lying body-scan. The book leads you through them all (and you...more
I'm about half-way through the program - the book gives you the necessary information about how to do the majority of the full 8-week Stress Reduction Clinic course that people attend at the Massachusetts Medical Center, without having to go to the clinic/be referred by a doctor because you have tried every medical technique for your pain or stress.
What the program entails is a mix of yoga, seated mediation, and a lying body-scan. The book leads you through them all (and you...more
A really insightful book with very practical advice and things to put into action immediately. Any reader would benefit from the book. It can be a bit laborious to get through it as the content can be a bit dry. Depending on your objectives you may not want to read straight through. I think there are two things you may want from the book - a) wanting to learn how to put mindfulness into practice and start a routine, or b) learning more about the relationships in the body between stres and sickne...more
This book should not be read for entertainment or escape. It is a "how to" book for anyone who wants to learn mindfulness meditation for any reason. Mindfulness meditation improves the quality of your life no matter why you decide to learrn and practice it. The first ten chapters deal with the practice of several types of meditation including just breathing, sitting meditation,the body scan, yoga meditation, and walking meditation. After you try each, the tenth chapter tells you the usual course...more
The book essentially describes the background and practice of a stress clinic he runs in Boston, in which he requires patients to do 45 minutes of meditation or yoga six days a week for the 8 weeks of the program (with weekly group meetings).
The program he describes sounds very useful! This "mindfulness meditation" sounds like a great way to practice centering and calming yourself so that you can better deal with stressful situations. The book contains instructions on how to do the meditations/y...more
The program he describes sounds very useful! This "mindfulness meditation" sounds like a great way to practice centering and calming yourself so that you can better deal with stressful situations. The book contains instructions on how to do the meditations/y...more
Oct 18, 2007
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in mindfulness, meditation, stress reduction
This is the book that got me started on a mindfulness meditation practice.
Of course, at around the same time I was reading it, I took a MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) class and was working with a mindfulness psychotherapist, so it’s hard to review the book on its own; the class was essential for me as just reading the book might not have spurred me on. Meditation is very difficult, especially at the beginning, at least it was/is for me. And, even though Kabat-Zinn says it's not at al...more
Of course, at around the same time I was reading it, I took a MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) class and was working with a mindfulness psychotherapist, so it’s hard to review the book on its own; the class was essential for me as just reading the book might not have spurred me on. Meditation is very difficult, especially at the beginning, at least it was/is for me. And, even though Kabat-Zinn says it's not at al...more
This book is a VERY thick and a densely written 44e-page volume, excluding indexes, etc. It has everything you want to know about the popular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program inaugurated by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn that was featured in many leading news publication. I must admit that after I went half way through it, I sort of flew through it because it would simply take too much time to go through it with detailed attention. Highly recommended to anyone and everyone who is serious abo...more
Eh-yeah, I'm not one for a lot of woo-woo, including anything about meditation, so I was skeptical, but this book was recommended to me, so I gave it a shot. It didn't completely turn me off, so I'm calling that a win. There was plenty of interesting information, anecdotes, and god forbid, some actual research about the usefulness of paying attention to your own body and mind.
The author did a great job of presenting his view in such a way as to not shut down a skeptical reader.
The author did a great job of presenting his view in such a way as to not shut down a skeptical reader.
This book was recommended to me by a friend who heard me yammering about yoga and psychology (and cetera) after my India trip two years ago...and I am finally getting around to it! I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that instead of the schmaltzy bullshit with the accompanying subway ad, such as one might expect from the burgeoning self-help industry, this is a serious book. Zinn is an *actual* doctor, writing about methods and results garnered from his practice. His straightforward, mysticism-...more
smart, excellent review of the ways in which mindfulness better your life, can reduce stress and pain. I found it a little long and repetitive for a 15th edition, but that might also be because i've gotten most of the good stuff through his other writings/audiobooks/other authors.
i would recommend this a wonderful place to start for people who aren't sure what mindfulness is really about. i didn't like how often he used the word "meditation", for true mindfulness isn't meditation at all, but a...more
i would recommend this a wonderful place to start for people who aren't sure what mindfulness is really about. i didn't like how often he used the word "meditation", for true mindfulness isn't meditation at all, but a...more
This was a long, textbook-like read, but highly worthwhile. I wanted to understand meditation and the true benefits forever, and this was the first book to lay it out in ways that I could understand, and communicate the benefits in useful, not flowery new-agey, ways. Since I've read this, I have been successful in implementing a meditation routine, and I know why I'm doing it. It's a great book.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book probably saved my life. It was given to me by a friend all those years ago when I was battling cancer and was my introduction to Mindfullness Meditation. I learned that one can be happy in the moment, no matter what the circumstances. And life is best lived one moment at a time. I believe this must be how my parents-in-law survived their time in the Naze concentration camps.
Feb 27, 2013
sylas
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to sylas by:
Bonnie Letinich
Shelves:
death-and-dying,
grad-school
This book wasn't as life changing as I had hoped it might be. Sure, there are some good ideas here and I hope to try out the 8 week mindfulness course (on my own) - but I felt that this could have been shorter while covering the same information. Also, even though the author stated several times that it wasn't his intention to do so, I frequently got the impression that he feels that people who suffer with pain and chronic illness self-perpetuate their suffering; that there's some higher evoluti...more
I am not at all a fan of the writing here--author took 5 to 10 times more space to say something than was needed to be complete, nevermind economical. Not just that, but the many many chapters he spent talking about stressers read like he co-opted ideas he'd heard elsewhere--very superficial and occasionally offensive, to underline the point about his own misinformed opinion (people with anxiety are "greedy", really?). The main ideas about meditation and mindfulness are still potentially useful,...more
J'aime beaucoup Jon Kabat-Zinn et je recommende vivement d'écouter ses conférences. Ce livre est bien mais pas grand-chose de plus que ce que je savais déjà via Youtube à se mettre sous la dent. Si vous vous voulez acheter quelque chose, visez plutôt les exercices de médit et le bodyscan, une bonne vieille technique de relaxation qui a fait ses preuves.
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Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the founding director of its renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)...more
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Mar 06, 2012 02:01pm
I wanted to try a Transcendental meditation class but i find they are a bit expensive...more
Jan 17, 2013 02:00am