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The Mindful Path To Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself From Destructive Thoughts And Emotions (2009)

by Christopher K. Germer(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1593859759 (ISBN13: 9781593859756)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

The Guilford Press

review 1: Absolutely phenomenal read - on the list of books that I would love to reread again and again. Chronic dissatisfaction, negative self image, anxiety and depression are such wide spread and thoroughly ingrained part of the western culture - consumerist market-driven culture where each and every one of us can fall into a trap of comparing ourselves to and trying to measure up to a non-existent ideal. In a time where our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter have been long satisfied, businesses and marketers have successfully mastered the skill of creating manufactured needs by perpetuating photoshopped and air-brushed images of what a perfect person and a perfect life should look like. Where does that leave us - unique, imperfect, flawed human beings with messy unpredict... moreable lives that are all comparing ourselves to one another and to what we see in advertisements and on TV and constantly feeling like we come up short? Body image issues, low self esteem, career and life dissatisfaction and a feeling of failure are symptoms of this flawed structure and are pervasive and common ailments of today's society. In light of all these messages and the pressure that we put on ourselves to be perfect in order to deserve happiness, this book is a breath of fresh air. The content and the message are very soothing and healing. I would label this an anti-"self-help" book. Self-help is multi-million dollar industry in a world where we are convinced that we are flawed and need to be fixed. This book is simply a guide on a journey of befriending and accepting yourself and your life as you already are, flaws and all. Not trying to fix or heal, but simply observing and loving and giving yourself compassion just because and especially because you are suffering. Rather than trying to avoid pain and unpleasant feelings, the author simply communicates the Buddhist belief of sitting comfortably in the midst of uncomfortable feelings. It is our relationship with pain that is the problem and that creates suffering, and simple strategies of observing and accepting are far most effective strategies than trying to resist or fight it. "What we resist, persists." I thought the message of this book to be a very unique and soothing one in the midst of ones that we are constantly fed and feed ourselves on day-to-day basis. Simple reminders of self-love and self-acceptance are crucial steps in cultivating an attitude of peace, contentment, a positive relationship with oneself and others.
review 2: A great book to read or just to flip through; it is easy to read and well organized. It has practical meditation guidance for harnessing self-compassion and loving kindness in a daily life. It is a psychology book, not a spiritual book; although there are many references to Buddhism and a few other religious traditions. I found this as a helpful follow up to Kristin Neff's book Self-Compassion. Throughout the book the author guides reader to find the healthy range of emotional balance through self-awareness, self-compassion and meditation. He points out the signs of common mis-understandings and mis-applications of mindful and compassionate meditations. The guidance is general, yet there are helpful guidances on how to apply it to daily life based on different personality types and circumstances. I see that a lot of thought, experience and wisdom went into writing this book. I really appreciated the author showing what self-compassion is and it isn't. "The challenges in our lives are too diverse to respond to self-compassion alone, but, in combination with other tools at our disposal, self-compassion can make life a whole lot easier." less

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