Mindfulness for Health: A practical guide to relieving pain, reducing stress and restoring wellbeing

(Paperback)

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Description

Pain, suffering and stress can be intolerable - but it doesn't have to be this way.

MINDFULNESS FOR HEALTH reveals a series of simple practices that you can incorporate into your daily life to relieve chronic pain and the suffering and stress of illness. Clinical trials show that mindfulness is at least as effective as the most commonly prescribed painkillers such as Tramadol and codeine. A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience demonstrated that it is more effective than morphine. Mindfulness can also significantly reduce the anxiety, depression, irritability, exhaustion and insomnia that can arise from chronic pain and illness.

This new book shares the secrets of the Mindfulness-based approaches to pain and illness therapy, developed by Vidyamala Burch at the Breathworks centre in Manchester and which has its roots in the groundbreaking work of pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn from the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre in the US. The Breathworks Centre and its affiliates around the world have helped thousands of people cope with pain, illness and stress. Its pioneering approach is praised by Professor Mark Williams of Oxford University, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Professor Lance McCracken of King's College London.

The eight-week programme at the heart of this book takes just 10-20 minutes per day. It is particularly effective for the biggest causes of pain - back problems, arthritis, migraine and diabetes but works equally well for cancer (and its associated chemotherapy), heart disease, fibromyalgia, celiac disease, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS, labour pain and even tinnitus. You will be surprised by how quickly your suffering melts away, leaving you able to live life to the full again.

Reviews

A beautiful and compassionate book, Mindfulness for Health will put you back in touch with the extraordinary person you already are * Professor Mark Williams, University of Oxford *
This book provides an extremely effective and elegant mind-body approach to healing . . . Highly recommended * Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Coming to Our Senses *
In a world of much suffering, this book is a gift of wisdom and practical help * Professor Paul Gilbert, PhD, OBE, author of The Compassionate Mind and Mindful Compassion, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK *
If you have chronic pain or another persistent health problem, if you struggle, feel stuck or feel alone, read and follow this book. It will encourage, guide and liberate you * Lance M. McCracken, PhD, Professor of Behavioural Medicine, Kings College London *
An excellent resource for people in the community who live with pain and long-term health conditions, and also for those health-care professionals who support them * Peter Moore, co-author of the Pain Toolkit *
Through simple exercises, well explained and prepared . . . they guide the reader through the principles and practice of mindfulness applied to pain, and towards self-understanding, gentle control and connectedness * Dr Amanda C de C Williams, Reader in Clinical Health Psychology, University College London *
Vidyamala and Danny have written an inspiring book . . . It is alive with heart-warming stories and practical and engaging ways of managing your distress and finding more joy, peace, wisdom and compassion for yourself and others - from day one of this excellent programme. It is a guidebook for thriving and not just surviving each day * Timothea Goddard, MBSR teacher, Psychotherapist Openground, Australia *
Mindfulness for Health offers those who struggle with the painful loss of health much support to become more alive and compassionate and not trapped by pain and ill health. This truly resourceful book will help people grow their own sense of self . . . and lessen their suffering * Dr Frances Cole, GP, Pain Rehabilitation Specialist and CBT therapist, Leeds Community Trust, Spinal Pain Management Service, UK *
Thoughtful and practical . . . This will be an important resource for the mindfulness community * Dr Elizabeth Foley, Senior MBCT Facilitator & Researcher, Sydney, Australia *
Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman . . . show how the benefits of mindfulness can bring a different kind of healing so that the mind-body can be calmed, focused, refreshed and renewed * Liz Lobb, Professor of Palliative Care, Sydney, Australia *
Mindfulness offers a distinctly compassionate and authentic way to reconcile our experiences of pain . . . I would really encourage you to give yourself eight weeks with this book. You will be rewarded with a profound change * Dr Margaret Macky, FAFOEM, Occupational Medicine Specialist, New Zealand *
Meeting pain with the "tender gravity of kindness" is courageous and transformative. Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman "walk the talk"; they invite people suffering pain to reclaim their lives through this accessible, personal, wise and eminently commonsensical guide * Willem Kuyken, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Exeter *

Author Bio

Dr Danny Penman is an award-winning journalist and author. He has worked for the BBC and The Independent newspaper. He is a feature and comment writer for the London Daily Mail. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism. He is co-author of the bestselling Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world (Piatkus).

Vidyamala Burch is founder and co-Director of Breathworks, an organisation offering mindfulness-based and compassion-based approaches to living well with chronic pain, illness and stress. In 2008 she published Living Well with Pain and Illness: the mindful way to ease your suffering (Piatkus) which is based on the Breathworks programme. She has also produced led meditation CDs and booklets available through Breathworks.