Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction / Edition 1

by Thomas Bien Ph.D., Beverly Bien M.Ed.

Overview

"This wise book provides practical exercises that will help us to develop conscious awareness and inner understanding, and the ways and means to free us from unsatisfying habits, addictions, and unconscious behavior patterns. I recommend it highly." —Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within

"Anyone interested in finding a kind, spiritual guide to recovery that focuses on flexibility rather than the 'one true way' will benefit from this enjoyable and helpful book." —Maia Szalavitz, coauthor with Joseph Volpicelli, M.D., of Recovery Options: The Complete Guide

In Mindful Recovery, you'll discover a fresh and effective method for healing from addiction that can help you handle important challenges, from managing anxiety and resisting cravings to dealing with emotional and physical imbalance.

Drawing on both ancient spiritual wisdom and the authors' extensive clinical psychological work with their patients over many years, Mindful Recovery shows you how to use the simple Buddhist practice of mindfulness to be aware of—and enjoy—life in the present moment without the need to enhance or avoid experience with addictive behaviors. Mindful Recovery guides you step by step through ten powerful "doorways" to mindful recovery, giving you specific strategies that can help you cultivate a sense of calm awareness and balance in your life.

Filled with personal stories of recovery, practical exercises, instructions for meditation, and more, Mindful Recovery accompanies you on a journey of exploration and healing that will help you find the strength and the tools to change, leading you to a fresh new experience of everyday living.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471442615
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/01/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	298,023
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

THOMAS BIEN, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and public speaker with experience running workshops, lectures, and seminars on addiction and spirituality. BEVERLY BIEN, M.Ed., is the executive director of La Vida Felicidad, an agency that provides services to people with disabilities; she co-leads the workshops, lectures, and seminars on addiction and spirituality with Thomas Bien. She holds a master's degree in counseling psychology. Visit the authors' Web site at mindfulpsychology.com.

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Table of Contents

Foreword by G. Alan Marlett, Ph.D.

Acknowledgments.

Part One: Mindful Recovery.

Introduction: Getting to Here and Now.

The Process of Change.

Part Two: The Ten Doorways to Mindful Recovery.

Doorway One: Seeing the Magic of the Ordinary.

Practice: Be Aware of Your Breathing.

Practice: Reclaim the Magic.

Practice: Establish Moments of Mindfulness.

Practice: Stop Making Hope an Obstacle.

Practice: Recognize Enough.

Doorway Two: Telling Life Stories.

Practice: Write Your Own Obituary.

Practice: Claim Your Freedom.

Practice: Weigh the Pros and Cons of Sin/Redemption.

Practice: Contact the Hero Within

Doorway Three: Journaling.

Practice: Learn to Write without Censoring.

Practice: See Mistakes as Part of Living.

Practice: Identify the Chapters of Your Life.

Practice: Write Your Own Unique Life Line.

Doorway Four: Meditating.

Practice: Establish a Meditation Practice.

Practice: Experience the Breath as Happening of Itself.

Practice: Learn Not to Struggle.

Doorway Five: Recreation and Nature.

Practice: See Yourself and the World as Not Two.

Practice: Use Television Mindfully.

Practice: Shop for True Necessities.

Doorway Six: Loving.

Practice: See It from Their Perspective.

Practice: See Each Other at Meals.

Practice: Listen Deeply.

Practice: Enjoy Mindful Touching.

Doorway Seven: Dreaming.

Doorway Eight: Working.

Practice: Meditate on Work as Blessing and Curse.

Practice: Find Alternative Ways to Restore Yourself after Work.

Practice: Transform Your Thinking.

Doorway Nine: Transforming Negative Emotions.

Practice: The Five Remembrances.

Practice: The Four Noble Truths.

Doorway Ten: Living Moment by Moment.

Practice: Imagine Nothing.

Recommended Reading.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The practice of mindfulness is the Buddha's main ingredient in his recipe for lasting peace, happiness and enlightened living. It is only through experiencing this with ourselves that we can heal what ails us, transform ourselves and our relationships, and find true purpose and fulfillment. This wise book provides practical exercises that will help us to develop conscious awareness and inner understanding, and the ways and means to free us from unsatisfying habits, addictions, and unconscious behavior patterns. I recommend it highly." --Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling AWAKENING THE BUDDHA WITHIN

"Mindful Recovery combines two hitherto unrelated worlds -- that of modern cognitive therapy and Buddhist reflection. The connection makes incredible sense, since Buddhism is not a religion in the traditional sense so much as it is a method for directing one's thoughts and experiences. By centering oneself in one's here-and-now, lived experience, addicts can avoid the infantilism, the regrets, the efforts to seek unrewarding rewards that are the basis for self-destructive behaviors. By reading about and applying these techniques, individuals can work on the internal urges that accompany their addictive problems." --Stanton Peele, Ph.D., author of THE TRUTH ABOUT ADDICTION AND RECOVERY and THE MEANING OF ADDICTION

"Anyone interested in finding a kind, spiritual guide to recovery that focuses on flexibility rather than the 'one true way' will benefit from this enjoyable and helpful book." --Maia Szalavitz, coauthor with Joseph Volpicelli M.D. of RECOVERY OPTIONS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Editorial Reviews

These very different books share the premise that spirituality rather than pharmacology or will power underlies successful recovery from addiction. Both expand on the idea of spirituality beyond the doctrinal and ritualistic form to a wider range of thought. Mindful Recovery flows out of a Buddhist perspective that substitutes the authors' "ten doorways" for the more rigorous 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Based on research and professional experience, the book argues for "mindfulness," a quality of openness to life's experiences, as a lifestyle for the recovering addict. Presented here are both specific techniques and "practices" (e.g., journaling and meditation) for attaining mindfulness and composite life stories that illustrate various themes. Thomas Bien, a clinical psychologist and lecturer, and Beverly Bien, director of an agency that provides services to the disabled, have written a soothing and sensible self-help book that could be useful to open-minded individuals facing addiction issues. Based on interviews, research reviews, and visits to programs and conferences, The Soul of Recovery is rooted in the Alcoholics Anonymous philosophy, though Ringwald's perspective is more expansive. The author, a reporter for Newsday and director of the Faith and Society Project at the SAGE Colleges in Albany, NY, covers the theoretical relationship between addiction and spirituality; treatment programs (e.g., Hazelden) and specific modalities for women and minorities; the science of addiction and research on effective treatament; and policy implications for recent political initiatives advocating "faith-based" social programs. The result is an impressive, straightforward synthesis of diverse and controversial issues. Both books provide viable alternatives to the "broken brain" thesis of biological psychology/psychiatry. Ringwald's presentation is more analytical, comprehensive, and research based, making it better suited to public and professional libraries. The Biens' book would make a sound addition to specialized collections on alternative approaches to addiction. Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

* "...a soothing and sensible self-help book that could be useful to open-minded individuals facing addiction issues." (Library Journal, July 2002)

From the Publisher