Abblett - The five hurdles to happiness and the mindful path to overcoming them

This book could not arrive at a better time. Now that mindfulness has gone mainstream, practitioners often wonder, What next? This does not mean that mindfulness is limited in any wayit is as spacious as loving awareness itselfbut mindfulness can be integrated into our lives in new and interesting ways to realize its full potential. One such way is by bringing mindfulness to the hindrances, an ancient taxonomy of mostly unconscious habits that diminish our happiness and wellbeing.

In this book, Mitch Abblett unpacks each of the five hindrances in a unique, experience-near manner, especially showing how they manifest in our daily lives and what we can do about them. Dr. Abblett shares candid accounts of his own life, removing the distance between himself and the reader, and he brings to bear a wealth of experience as a psychologist working with individuals and families. He also shares ancient and modern tales of wisdom, historical insights from the Buddha, cutting-edge science, and practical exercises to illuminate the hindrances. It is clear that the author has been working with the hindrances for some time, and the fruit of his efforts, contained here, is an integrated, psychologically sophisticated reinterpretation of this important topic.

The maturity of Dr. Abbletts efforts can be seen in the threads of wisdom and compassion woven throughout this book. To begin, the hindrances are really patterns of relating to our experience, and these patterns emerge out of an unlimited field of interacting factors and forces, both personal and impersonal. Thats wisdomthe insight of interdependence. And because the hindrances are multi-determined, they are not our fault, but they are our responsibility. We cannot change the past, but what we do with the hindrances during the 1440 minutes contained in a day can significantly impact our overall life experience.

Another thread of wisdom and compassion is that the hindrancesthe five Ws: wanting, wrestling, wilting, worrying, and waveringare hardwired into our psychological makeup through evolution and there is no way to eliminate them. This insight is an important tonic for zealous self-improvement practitioners. It does not imply, however, that our efforts are for naught. The issue is not whether we can be free ourselves from the crippling effects of the hindrances, but how we do it. In this book, the wisdom of changing our relationship to the hindrances is key, and the primary guidance given in this book is loving awareness of the hindrances themselvesmindfulness.

Recognizing our hindrances requires courage. For example, the process is not just saying, Oh, Im wrestling with anger! Thats a good start, but a fuller, more liberating approach is to recognize the impact of anger on our lives and those of others, to understand the origins of the anger, and to meet the pain of anger in a new way. In other words, working with the hindrances is a real engagement with real life. Fortunately, this is a process of awakening rather than elimination.

As this book beautifully describes, the process of loosening the grip of the hindrances is subtle and paradoxical. One example is the notion of progress. Actually, to make progress, we need to abandon the idea of progress. Although this may sound disappointing, it can also be a relief. Progress is a refinement of intention, moving from striving to feel betterwhich might just strengthen the hindrance of restlessnessto holding ourselves and the hindrances in tender awareness. As Jack Kornfield noted, The point of spiritual practice isnt to perfect yourself, but to perfect your love.

Of course, the practice of working with hindrances wouldnt have existed for two and a half millennia if it didnt actually make us feel better. Practicing in the manner described in this book will definitely make you feel better. It is possible that when we begin to practice, more difficult emotions will emerge. Rest assured, however, that as the fire begins to burn the smoke will clear. This book throws new light on how to work safely and effectively with the hindrances. There is no time like the present, so lets begin!

Christopher K. Germer, PhD

Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion