What Happens in Mindfulness Inner Awakening and Embodied Cognition

Well known for applying mindfulness to the treatment of depression, pioneering researcher John Teasdale now explores the broader changes that people can experience through contemplative practices. What goes on in our minds when we are mindful? What does it mean to talk of mindfulness as a way of being? From a scientific perspective, how do core elements of contemplative traditions have their beneficial effects? Teasdale describes two types of knowing that human beings have evolved--conceptual and holisticintuitive--and shows how mindfulness can achieve a healthier balance between them. He masterfully describes the mechanisms by which this shift in consciousness not only can reduce emotional suffering, but also can lead to greater joy and compassion and a transformed sense of self.

Foreword, Jon Kabat-Zinn Introduction I. Foundations 1. The Quest for Happiness 2. A World of Ideas 3. A World of Relatedness 4. Whole-Making II. Mindfulness 5. Mindfulness: The Central Underlying Process 6. Mindfulness: The How 7. Mindfulness: The What 8. Transforming Emotional Suffering 9. Mindfulness: The Why III. Inner Awakening 10. The Awakening Mind 11. Lessons from Flow 12. A Hidden Treasure 13. Understanding the Awakening Mind 14. Paths to Awakening References Index

John Teasdale, PhD, held a Special Scientific Appointment with the United Kingdom Medical Research Councils Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, England. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. Dr. Teasdale collaborated with Mark Williams and Zindel Segal in developing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to prevent relapse and recurrence in major depression; together, they coauthored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (for mental health professionals), as well as the self-help guides The Mindful Way Workbook and (with Jon Kabat-Zinn) The Mindful Way through Depression. He has also published numerous highly cited articles in refereed journals. Since retiring, Dr. Teasdale has taught mindfulness and insight meditation internationally. He continues to explore and seek to understand the wider implications of mindfulness and meditation for enhancing our way of being.