J. Mark G. Williams - The mindful way through depression: freeing yourself from chronic unhappiness

Praise for

The Mindful Way through Depression

Using mindfulness training to prevent and treat depression is a novel strategy in the West, though it is a traditional application of Eastern meditation practice. Whether you struggle with depression or simply want to understand your mind and emotions better, you will find this book accessible and useful. Depression is epidemic in our society, and I would love to see this sensible treatment approach gain ground.

Andrew Weil, MD, author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Healthy Aging

A revolutionary treatment approach. For depression sufferers, this book is a truly useful guide to achieving emotional balance. For mental health professionals, it should be mandatory reading. I recommend this book and companion audio program most highly.

Daniel Goleman, PhD, author of Emotional Intelligence

An invaluable resource not only for those who suffer from depression, but for anyone familiar with the downward spiral of negative thinking and self-doubt. The authors of this book explore the reasons for depression and give us guidance and support, along with useful tools to find a way through it.

Sharon Salzberg, author of The Force of Kindness

If I could select one group of individuals for people to really pay attention to when grappling with chronic unhappiness, I could not think of a better group than these authors. Not only are they consummate scientists, but they are each personally immersed in the moment-to-moment mindfulness that they teach. This book brings together the contemplative practices of both science and insight meditation in an effective fashion that is understandable to the ordinary personno esoteric practice or mental health background is necessary. Read it and see for yourself!

Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Washington

THE GUILFORD PRESS

New York London

EPUB ISBN: 9781462508013; Enhanced EPUB ISBN: 9781462503391

2007 The Guilford Press

A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.

72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012

www.guilford.com

All rights reserved

The information in this volume is not intended as a substitute for consultation with healthcare professionals. Each individuals health concerns should be evaluated by a qualified professional.

Except as noted, no part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

LIMITED PHOTOCOPY LICENSE

The Publisher grants to individual purchasers of this book nonassignable permission to reproduce the Pleasant Events Calendar and the Unpleasant Events Calendar. This license is limited to you, the individual purchaser, for personal use.

The names, characteristics, and details of individuals described and quoted in this book have been changed to protect their privacy.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The mindful way through depression: freeing yourself from chronic
unhappiness / by Mark Williams... [et al.].

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59385-128-6 (pbk. & CD : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-59385-128-6 (pbk. & CD: alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-59385-449-2 (hardcover & CD: alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-59385-449-8 (hardcover & CD: alk. paper)

1. Depression, Mental. 2. Happiness. 3. Attention.

I. Williams, J. Mark G.

BF575.H27M56 2007

362.25dc22

2007005090

This book would not have been possible without the considerable help and support of many to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude. We are deeply grateful to those who read, and reread, the many earlier drafts of the book for their help in clarifying the ideas we wished to express and for their suggestions on how best to express them: Jackie Teasdale, Trish Bartley, Ferris Urbanowski, Melanie Fennell, Phyllis Williams, and Lisa Morrison. We have valued greatly the professionalism and skills of all those at The Guilford Press who contributed to the production of the book, especially Barbara Watkins, Chris Benton, Kitty Moore, Anna Brackett, and Seymour Weingarten, and of those who contributed to the production of the audio program, especially Dave Doherty at Soundscape Studio and Phyllis Williams. We gratefully acknowledge the help and support of our funders: the Wellcome Trust, the U.K. Medical Research Council, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Clarke Division), and the National Institute of Mental Health.

It is a pleasure to thank all those fellow teachers and colleagues who have supported and guided with their wisdom and knowledge the continuing development of our teaching of mindfulness, especially Christina Feldman, Ferris Urbanowski, and Antonia Sumbundu.

Each of us owe a tremendous debt to our families, and especially to our wives, Phyllis, Jackie, Lisa, and Myla, for their love and unstinting support over the many ups and downs of bringing this project to fruition.

We also wish to thank the participants in our classes, who, through their courage, patience, and willingness to share their discoveries, have allowed us to make their experience available to others through this book.

Finally, we are glad to have this chance to say that working together on this book and audio program has been a delight for each of us. In each others company, in reading each others words, in exploring each others wisdom, we have discovered and valued again and again a deep resonance and a sense of an unfolding adventure shared.

***

The following publishers and/or authors have generously given permission to reprint their original work:

The American Psychiatric Association, for the diagnostic criteria for major depressive episode, from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

Philip C. Kendall and Steven D. Hollon, for the Automatic Thoughts of People Currently Depressed, from Cognitive Self-Statements in Depression: Development of an Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire in Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4, 383395 (1980).

Marie sberg, for the Exhaustion Funnel (unpublished work).

J. M. Dent and Sons, a division of The Orion Publishing Group, for The Bright Field by R. S. Thomas, from Collected Poems 19451990 (London: Phoenix, 1995).

Random House, Inc., for Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell (New York: Modern Library, 1984).

Threshold Productions and Coleman Barks (translator), for The Guest House from The Essential Rumi (San Francisco: Harper, 1997).

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, for Love after Love by Derek Walcott, from Collected Poems 19481984 (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1986).