Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness [Audio Download]

Highly recommended for anyone going through periods of stress, pain or illness. The basic technique is mindfulness meditation which means being aware of what is happening in the moment aided by focusing on the breath. There are a range of very practical exercises that can be used. All it takes is discipline. By sitting, lying or standing you can become aware of your inner life and listen to what is going on over time - not judging but observing. By doing this on a regular basis without expectations you can begin to change your life and your reactions to stress, pain, anxiety or illness or indeed any circumstance. The author - Jon Kabat-Zinn - uses the techniques detailed in this book in his Stress Reduction Programme at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre. (There are CDs available).

The key words are 'breath awareness', 'body-scan', 'yoga', 'mindfulness in the present moment', 'listening within'.

What is 'mindfulness'? - It is being totally aware of everything in the present moment without energy being wasted on thoughts of the past or future or any habitual conditioning from authority figures.

The whole programme helps an individual to face the inevitable changes in life with a more open accepting attitude and so lessens habitual reactivity. Once you become mindful of how you approach life and how you react to circumstances then you can begin to change conditioned responses and by doing so realise that you can become the master of your own life whatever life throws at you.

Worth a read. Worth practising mindfulness whatever activity you are involved in. Worth sharing.

I read this book eight years ago and I found it to be so valuable that I read it again two years later. To this day, I continue to reference certain chapters from time to time and eight years after first reading it, I continue to practice the techniques I learned from the book.

Grounded in scientific research, Jon Kabat-Zinn explores the connections between mind and body to the point where there is no longer any obvious division between the two. This book offers the reader access to a new way of living that is rooted in mindfulness. The instructions offered are easy to understand. This book is primarily intended for those facing chronic or terminal illness or emotional pain, but it can really benefit a far more general audience - those who want to live their lives more fully.

I have often read reviews on Amazon that say books are life changing and I can honestly say that this is the first book I have read that I can confidently say this about.

Before reading this book I was regularly stressed, felt something was missing from my life, couldn't sleep properly and felt very down. I am now back to my old self, feeling more confident, relaxed and fearless, able to deal with whatever life throws at me. I can now live my life to the full with no regrets and a sunnier outlook.

But, I feel that it's important to say that the book itself is only as good as the 'technique' of mindfulness and that mindfulness will only work if you actually do the meditations (either using guided CDs, or on your own).

I can see why there are some negative reviews for this book as it is long and can take a while to get into, I also felt similarly when I first picked it up, but it doesn't take long to get past this. In fact, the stronger your mindfulness practice, the more useful the book becomes and then you are glad of the 500+ pages. Although some of it may seem repetitive, I really believe that it is important to see the act of mindfulness from many different perspectives and to understand how to apply it to different areas of your life.

So, in short, it's a completely life-changing concept, but will be a completely useless book unless you are willing to put in the time and commitment to making it a firm part of your life. Without this, it will just be a very long book that sits on your shelf with little meaning. I would liken it to an exercise regime, you'll only see the results if you put in the work.

It's worth noting that I have read this book as part of a MBCT course so I have been actively doing the plan outlined in the book (with daily meditations etc.) and that is why I am reviewing this particular book, but there are plenty of others on the market which are shorter and perhaps more accessible. A particularly good one is The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (includes Guided Meditation Practices CD)(also relevant for those without depression), but there are many more available.