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82 reviews for:
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
Jon Kabat-Zinn
4.08 AVERAGE
82 reviews for:
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
Jon Kabat-Zinn
4.08 AVERAGE
Incredibly helpful in my pain management and general mindfulness journey. Read this so slowly and it is so long... 650 pages? Is this a test of my mindfulness? Could have used half as many patient examples - that might cut 100 pages. Also seemed repetitive.
This is a lovely beginners guide to mindfulness. As far as mindfulness-books-written-by-a-white-person go, and boy howdy are there quite a few!
Less fat-shaming than a Tara Brach book which is good news.
Less fat-shaming than a Tara Brach book which is good news.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is a lovely beginners guide to mindfulness. As far as mindfulness-books-written-by-a-white-person go, and boy howdy are there quite a few!
Less fat-shaming than a Tara Brach book which is good news.
Less fat-shaming than a Tara Brach book which is good news.
When it comes to the field of mindfulness, you could say Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the pioneers in evolving it into a field backed up by evidence, research, and compassion. Simply put, he has and is a great mind with a talent for words. I can’t remember the last time I read a book where I had to look up so many words in the dictionary. His sentences also tend to be poetic but in a scientific way if you get what I mean.
But this was a LONG book. I’ve only just finished it after 5 months of on/off reading. This is of course of no fault of the genius that wrote the book… but on my little bird brain that found it just a LOT of information at times.
Professor Dr. Kabat-Zinn talks about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), the principles that lie behind it, the evidence that proves it, and the real life experiences of people who have lived it. He also touches on the methods involved because this book was meant to accompany his MBSR CD Training Course. I read it for the knowledge, but to seriously practice it requires hours and hours of commitment, discipline, and patience. I will say that it probably most definitely will pay off for those who choose to walk the path of mindfulness therapy, but I did not follow the steps involved.
Instead, it was a great read on how mindfulness impacts more than just our superficial “living”. It truly goes deep into our brains neuro chemistry and hormonal control and has consequences on our actions. Even the act of cutting a potato could be training to change our lives. I especially appreciate how in the end, he brings in our interconnectedness with the reality of living - food, water, the television, pollution, our role in all of these things which make Earth a better place for everyone.
This review is a little scattered because that’s what happens when you read a book over 5 months. All in all a great book for those looking to read more into the science of mindfulness.
But this was a LONG book. I’ve only just finished it after 5 months of on/off reading. This is of course of no fault of the genius that wrote the book… but on my little bird brain that found it just a LOT of information at times.
Professor Dr. Kabat-Zinn talks about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), the principles that lie behind it, the evidence that proves it, and the real life experiences of people who have lived it. He also touches on the methods involved because this book was meant to accompany his MBSR CD Training Course. I read it for the knowledge, but to seriously practice it requires hours and hours of commitment, discipline, and patience. I will say that it probably most definitely will pay off for those who choose to walk the path of mindfulness therapy, but I did not follow the steps involved.
Instead, it was a great read on how mindfulness impacts more than just our superficial “living”. It truly goes deep into our brains neuro chemistry and hormonal control and has consequences on our actions. Even the act of cutting a potato could be training to change our lives. I especially appreciate how in the end, he brings in our interconnectedness with the reality of living - food, water, the television, pollution, our role in all of these things which make Earth a better place for everyone.
This review is a little scattered because that’s what happens when you read a book over 5 months. All in all a great book for those looking to read more into the science of mindfulness.
Hello, dear reader of this review! If even a small part of you is considering reading this book, my recommendation for you is YES! yes Y-E-S yesss YES. Even better if you can sign up for a local 8-week MBSR course to attend, and best still if you can commit to practicing mindfulness for 45 minutes each day. The benefits for you (and indirectly for those in your family, workplace, communities and world) will last a lifetime.
My takeaway from this book is that a consistent mindfulness practice will make you more adaptable and able to see things, including stress and pain, from a different perspective.
I feel like I already knew everything he was talking about and he was saying it less eloquently than Dr. Andrew Weil. I also had serious problems with that nonsense he was spouting about headaches and medicine. Unlike Dr. Weil, this guy appears to be anti-medicine of all sorts and recommends "being aware" of your headache and "letting your mind figure out what is causing it." WTF??? Has this man never had a migraine? I dare him to breathe through that shit. And this flat-out stupidity about anxiety drugs? Some. People. Need. Them. I certainly did after reading this sanctimonious crap. I'm of the belief that you shouldn't suffer if you don't have to. Why have our lifespans improved over the hundreds of years? It's not because of Jesus; it's because of modern medicine and medications.
I think Dr. Weil takes a MUCH more level-headed approach to this subject. Stress reduction, meditation, exercise, etc. SHOULD be used - definitely! - but only in CONJUNCTION with traditional medicine. All the mindfulness in the world isn't going to make a schizophrenic suddenly act within the normal realm of societal behavior.
He also wants you to dedicate 45 minutes a day (yes, 45) to sitting and feeling your breath - not even meditating, just breathing. Not only do I seriously not have the time but I do that while trying to fall asleep…which I recommend as preferable to reading this book. One and a half stars.
I think Dr. Weil takes a MUCH more level-headed approach to this subject. Stress reduction, meditation, exercise, etc. SHOULD be used - definitely! - but only in CONJUNCTION with traditional medicine. All the mindfulness in the world isn't going to make a schizophrenic suddenly act within the normal realm of societal behavior.
He also wants you to dedicate 45 minutes a day (yes, 45) to sitting and feeling your breath - not even meditating, just breathing. Not only do I seriously not have the time but I do that while trying to fall asleep…which I recommend as preferable to reading this book. One and a half stars.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
A very deep and reflective text that has brought my own mindfulness practice so far over the past few months of reading this. It’s the type of book you have to read slowly, so plan to spend at least 8 weeks reading it! It’s one of those try and read type of self help books.
I loved that it incorporated a good blend of case studies and research studies to back up its findings - though in the second half there were some less substantiated claims.
Overall this book has aged well - though I wish there were more YouTube video links to the various practices that are mentioned.
The last half of the book dragged the most, rattling off the benefits of mindfulness in many different areas. For this reason, I give it 4*
I loved that it incorporated a good blend of case studies and research studies to back up its findings - though in the second half there were some less substantiated claims.
Overall this book has aged well - though I wish there were more YouTube video links to the various practices that are mentioned.
The last half of the book dragged the most, rattling off the benefits of mindfulness in many different areas. For this reason, I give it 4*