Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Your Inner Critic

by Mark Coleman, Tara Brach (Foreword by)

Overview

The inner critic is the voice inside our heads reminding us that we are never “good enough.” It’s behind the insidious thoughts that can make us second-guess our every action and doubt our own value. The inner critic might feel overpowering, but it can be managed effectively. Meditation teacher and therapist Mark Coleman helps readers understand and free themselves from the inner critic using the tools of mindfulness and compassion. Each chapter offers constructive insights into what creates, drives, and disarms the critic; real people’s journeys to inspire and guide readers; and simple practices anyone can use to live a free, happy, and flourishing life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608684304
Publisher:	New World Library
Publication date:	11/15/2016
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	508,594
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Mark Coleman is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, an executive coach, and the founder of the Mindfulness Institute, which brings mindfulness training to organizations worldwide.

Read an Excerpt

Make Peace With Your Mind

How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic

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By Mark Coleman

New World Library

Copyright © 2016 Mark Coleman
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60868-431-1

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CHAPTER 1

CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

Neuroplasticity and the Power of Choice

It's not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it's what you whisper to yourself that has the most power.

— Robert T. Kiyosaki

When I first woke up to the fact that you can change your mind, I was blown away. And I don't just mean change your mind about a decision, but make a radical shift in how you think and feel. You can actually give your own mind a makeover.

I remember reading my journals from my late teens a while ago, and they read like a monologue of despair. I felt strangely sad and caring toward that teenager who was so lost in the negative swirls of his own mind. He did not know that change was possible; he felt lost in his negativity and cynicism. He was unaware that his pain would be the beginning of a search for answers, for tools and techniques that could lead him out of this pit of woe.

Luckily for him — for me — I stumbled on the pragmatic practice of mindfulness meditation. It seemed to offer a way out. Not an easy or quick path, but nevertheless a way through the dangerous jungle of my inner world.

Mindfulness practice, though it has been around for thousands of years, has at its root a principle that has only recently been discovered by neuroscience — neuroplasticity, or the capacity of the brain to change and grow depending on what it pays attention to and how its attention is focused. This is the good news of human development: Our brain is not a fixed machine. On the contrary, it is dynamic, responsive, and capable of shifting, growing, and developing healthy habits that support happiness.

I didn't know back in those tormented teen years that I had a choice. That the programming I had inherited and learned was just that — programming. I hadn't yet realized that I could rewrite the code. That fact that I could hack my own brain turned out to be nothing short of a miracle.

What gives us that ability is mindfulness — the self-awareness that helps us understand the inner workings of our own minds, our programming. Mindfulness returns to us the power of choice, particularly when it comes to our mental habits and choices.

It was the practice of mindfulness that made me aware of the tyrannical self-judgments that were making my life miserable. I could see with a newfound perspective how hard I was on myself. I saw what impossibly high standards I had set for my life.

I also saw how this habit of faultfinding didn't just apply to me. I held everyone else under the same negative microscope. So, naturally, I was quite obnoxious to be around as a young man! I was idealistic, but with my mental sword I would slay everyone who didn't live up to my impossibly high standards and expectations. It was no fun, for me or for them. (I'm still apologizing to my family for putting them through that.)

So how did I change these patterns? For one thing, I realized that, due to their sheer number, the judgments flying my way were not about to stop anytime soon. Anyone who has tried meditating will know it is impossible to stem the tide of thoughts. But I saw that I didn't need to give them the attention they were demanding. And I certainly didn't need to believe them. I needed to heed the advice from a bumper sticker I often see in San Francisco today: "Don't believe everything you think."

I also realized that we can choose to focus our awareness on any number of things at a given moment. I realized that I didn't need to keep feeding the judgments with my attention. That I could turn my gaze elsewhere at my own bidding — to my body, or breath, or the beautiful blue sky, or the sounds of birds, or even traffic — and it felt liberating.

Neuroscience tells us that what we pay attention to can change the structure of the brain. Neuroscientist Donald Hebb's discovery in 1948 that neurons that fire together wire together has become a foundational scientific principle that allows for inner transformation. If I continue to give negative thoughts attention, then of course they grow in importance. If I stop giving them the time of day, then they have less room to take root and grow.

And if I focus not on what is wrong, but on what is good, positive, or possible, then my experience, affected by what I pay attention to, changes. Next time you are in a public place — a café, train station, or street — spend five minutes looking at everyone's faults and notice what you feel. It will probably not be a sense of joy and expansion. Then for the next five minutes try looking at everyone's goodness, strengths, and positive attributes. Doing that, you'll probably feel more connected, more positive, maybe even appreciative — I personally would much rather reside in that state.

So this is precisely what I decided to do. Thanks to the gift of awareness that was developing through mindfulness practice, I was able to give less attention to the tirades of my inner critic and the gloom it created. Instead I began to turn my awareness to what was working well, to what I was doing that was kind, effective, and successful. I started noticing what was uplifting, beautiful, and inspiring. This wasn't a denial of the negativity in the slipstream of my mind or the problems of the world. It was just a conscious decision to not be dragged into the gravitational pull of the judgments.

This isn't the only thing mindfulness allows you to do. Perhaps more important, once something is seen clearly with mindful awareness, it doesn't have the impact it did before. So as I began to recognize my judging thoughts clearly, it was as if I were seeing them in relief or projected onto a screen, and I could hold them at more of a distance and be less affected by them.

The other groundbreaking shift occurred when I took up the meditation of loving-kindness, which is a method of cultivating friendliness and unconditional care. This practice asks you to regard yourself with kindness, as you would a loved one, and offer loving words and genuine wishes of kindness to yourself. Through this technique, I learned to turn toward myself with love — which seemed a radical act for me at the time.

If you are reading this book, the idea of being kind to yourself is probably not a very familiar one. You may have already figured out that doing such a thing is not in the repertoire of the critic, which often regards us as unworthy of such kindness. In fact, it is the opposite of what the critic does, and this is why lovingkindness practice is such an effective method. This practice allows you to retrain your brain, creating new neural pathways conducive to self-kindness rather than self-hatred and self-condemnation.

When I first tried this, I found it almost impossible. It was like trying to melt an iceberg in my heart. But over time, with persistence and patience, that iceberg slowly began to melt, and I began to catch occasional glimpses of the possibility of being kind to myself, even forgiving myself and accepting all my foibles.

These two wings of a bird, awareness and kindness, allowed the step-by-step work I did with the inner voices that had up to then made my life challenging and painful. I began to see that change was possible and that if I could do it, anyone could.

PRACTICE

Looking on the Bright Side

Do this practice the next time you are in a public place. For the first five minutes, look around and focus on all the things you don't like, the things you think are wrong, bad, ugly. Look at the people around you and let your mind fixate on their faults or what could be improved upon. Notice what that negative, judgmental state of mind feels like.

Then for the following five minutes, notice all the things you like in the environment. Look at everything that is positive or uplifting or beautiful. At the same time observe the people around you and simply focus on what you like or appreciate in them, or on the positive attributes they possess. Again notice how you feel.

Can you see how shifting your attention to what is uplifting, good, and positive has a direct impact on your state of mind and heart?

Now do the same thing with yourself. Spend five to ten minutes thinking about all the things you like and appreciate about yourself. Reflect on your accomplishments, gifts, and positive qualities. Call to mind the kind or generous things you have done. Appreciate your body and all it does for you. Again notice how shifting your attention to what is good changes not only your mood, but also the way you feel about yourself.

Try to practice turning toward the positive in both yourself and others throughout your day, to train your mind's bias from the negative to the positive.

CHAPTER 2

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

The Epidemic of Self-Judgment

I'm probably just as good a mother as the next repressed, obsessive-compulsive paranoiac.

— Anne Lamott

Have you noticed how many people give themselves a hard time? How friends and colleagues routinely put themselves down and happily confess all their faults and problems? It is culturally acceptable to talk about your faults and challenges, and of course to complain ad nauseam about the faults of others. As Lucy so eloquently put it in a Peanuts cartoon (speaking to Charlie Brown): "The problem with you, Charlie, is that you are you."

At the same time it is quite the norm not to talk about one's successes, strengths, and accomplishments. In some cultures, that is considered gauche and egotistical. Being raised in England, I was taught it was a faux pas to speak of your talents and gifts or celebrate your victories. It is as if you are rubbing other people's nose in the dirt by doing so. Yet it is fine to lead with one's inadequacies and problems.

In the United States the mental health statistics are alarming. One in ten Americans is on some form of antidepressant. One in five took some kind of behavioral medication in 2010. The number of suicides is equally staggering: forty thousand per year. And that's just the numbers that are reported. Though the numbers may be higher in the United States than elsewhere, many industrialized countries report similarly alarming statistics.

Based on the work I have done with people over the past fifteen years on six continents, I believe the inner critic is a significant cause of much of the depression, anxiety, and suicide prevalent today. When the critic's voices are loud, sharp, and rampant, it is hard to keep a sense of self-worth or feel there is a meaning or purpose in life.

Though the statistics are startling, there is one sad but reassuring fact among them: you are not alone. One of the biggest burdens we can carry when we are depressed, or just lost in a swamp of self-reproach, is the troubling thought that we are unusual to have such problems. We mistakenly believe that we are the only ones afflicted by nagging, negative stories about ourselves. It is bad enough to have such troubling thoughts, but the idea that you may be the only "loser" in the room who has them is doubly shaming, and harder to work with.

In workshops that I lead about the inner critic, one of the most healing outcomes is people's realization that they are not the only ones with a judging mind. Isolation and the belief that you're the odd one out, that everyone but you is having a merry old time, just compounds these mental challenges.

When I have people pair up at an inner-critic workshop and share their list of self-judgments, there is at first a sense of great apprehension and embarrassment, and a fear of the shame that may ensue. But when they actually do share their lists, a collective relief sweeps the room. The realization that we share similar self-judgments and negative mental habits brings this sense of relief. The thought that we can help each other if we share a similar burden also nurtures an important sense of camaraderie and social support.

PRACTICE

Noticing the Critic Everywhere

As you go about your life — whether at home, at work, with friends, running errands, watching television — start paying attention to how you see the critic operating in other people. We can certainly observe it when hearing politicians and pundits barking on the radio or when movie critics are demolishing the latest film.

Also notice the inner critic in conversations, in the way people jokingly put themselves down: "Oh, you know me. I'm hopeless at math. Why don't you do the numbers?" "My hair looks terrible today." "I look awful in those photos." "I made a real mess of that meeting at work yesterday." These are all common parts of social conversation.

Observe what happens when you notice this behavior. Can you relate to others when they are putting themselves or others down? Does it feel familiar or even comfortable? Do you feel a sense of camaraderie? Can you see how ubiquitous this pattern is? Does it leave you feeling less alone, now that you can see you are not the only person with a sadistic inner voice? Similarly, do you feel compassion for others when they talk about themselves so negatively?

The more you can observe in this way, the more you will relieve yourself of the burdensome feeling that you are the only one with a problem, that you alone have a voice you should be ashamed of. Instead you may begin to feel a sense of connection with others, a feeling that you too are part of the shared human struggle, trying to find a way to be at peace amid all our conditioning and mental gyrations.

CHAPTER 3

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

If They Really Knew Who I Am ...

I have written eleven books but each time I think, "Uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody and they're going to find me out."

— Maya Angelou

A very common example of the ubiquitous nature of the critic is the phenomenon of "imposter syndrome" — the feeling that you don't deserve to be where you are in life. It's estimated that 70 percent of people have imposter syndrome. How many times have you been in front of a class, or asked to give a presentation as an authority on some issue, or invited to perform in a concert, or picked for the best sports team, and felt like a fake? Or what about those times when you have gone for an interview where you are supposed to present yourself as a specialist and felt like an imposter?

Imposter syndrome commonly appears as the voice that says, "Who do you think you are?" This voice of self-doubt and deprecation haunts multitudes. It even appeared to the Buddha on the night of his enlightenment. When I first heard that, I thought, "At least I'm in good company!" For a more contemporary example of how ubiquitous this pattern is, Meryl Streep, the most Academy Award–nominated actor in history, said in an interview, "Why would anyone want to see me again in a movie? And I don't know how to act anyway, so why am I doing this?"

Sometimes that feeling of fraudulence comes when you actually get the job. Have you ever felt that if people only knew who you really are, you'd be found out, they'd be disappointed, or you'd be fired on the spot? Whether you are a janitor or CEO, you're susceptible to this feeling of being a fraud.

Toward the end of his life, Einstein admitted that he felt like "an involuntary swindler." Almost every renowned figure has had their own version. "I am not a writer. I've been fooling myself and other people," John Steinbeck wrote in his diary in 1938. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has said, "There are still days when I wake up feeling like a fraud." And, of course, if we listen to the whispers or taunts of the inner critic, we will firmly believe we ourselves are a fraud, that we don't deserve to be where we are.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Make Peace With Your Mind by Mark Coleman. Copyright © 2016 Mark Coleman. Excerpted by permission of New World Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Foreword Tara Brach xiii

Introduction: How I Discovered the Critic and Found a Way Out 1

Part 1 The Critic: The Big Picture

1 Change Is Possible: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Choice 13

Practice: Looking on the Bright Side 17

2 You Are Not Alone: The Epidemic of Self-Judgment 19

Practice: Noticing the Critic Everywhere 21

3 Imposter Syndrome: If They Really Knew Who I Am … 23

Practice: Recognizing Imposter Syndrome 25

4 Thief of Peace: The Critic as the Cause of Low Self-Esteem 27

Practice: Correcting the Inner Balance Sheet 30

5 You Ate Not Your Fault: Not Taking Your Thoughts Personally 33

Practice: Not Taking It Personally 37

6 How Did I Get Here? The Origin and Function of the Critic 39

Practice: Understanding the Origin of the Critic 43

7 In the Critic's Defense: Understanding the Critic's Point of View 45

Practice: Unearthing the Truth 50

8 From Judgment to Discernment: Mistaken Loyalty to the Critic 53

Practice: Replacing Judgment with Discernment 58

Part 2 Understanding Self-Judgment

9 It's about You, Stupid! How the Critic Attacks Your Innate Value 63

Practice: Connecting with Your Inherent Value 67

10 The Mantra of "Not Enough": Knowing When Enough Is Enough 71

Practice: Cultivating Gratitude 76

11 20/20 Hindsight: How the Critic Fuels Regret 79

Practice: Letting Go of Regrets 82

12 The Inner Boardroom: Understanding the Voices in Your Head 85

Practice: Identifying Your Inner Boardroom 89

13 The Critic's Revolving Door: What Goes Out Must Go In 91

Practice: Finding the Positive in Others 93

14 The Impact of the Critic: How Judgments Affect Us 95

Practice: Reducing the Impact of judgments 99

15 It's All Your Fault: Understanding the Critic in Relationships 101

Practice: Examining the Critic in Your Relationships 104

Part 3 How To Work Mindfully with the Critic

16 Mindfulness: The Power of Awareness 109

Practice: Cultivating Mindfulness 114

17 Hello Judgments: Realizing Judgments Are Just Thoughts 119

Practice: Recognizing Your Judging Thoughts 122

18 Teflon Mind: The Power of Nonidentification 125

Practice: Not Identifying with Your Judging Thoughts 128

19 Keep It in the Family: Recognizing the Origins of the Critic 131

Practice: Identifying the Critic's Voice 134

20 The Joke Is on You: Seeing the Funny Side of the Critic 137

Practice: Finding Humor in the Critic 140

21 Reality Check: Are Your Judgments Really True? 141

Practice: Questioning the Critic's Views 145

22 Sorry, I'm Not Interested: Living with Disinterest in the Critic 147

Practice: Cultivating Disinterest in the Critic 149

Part 4 The Power of Love

23 Befriending Yourself: You Are Not Your Enemy 153

Practice: Healing Your Inner Wounds 158

24 The Power of Vulnerability: The Hidden Strength of the Heart 161

Practice: Opening Yourself to Vulnerability 165

25 The Power of Love: Turning from Self-Hatred to Self-Kindness 167

Practice: Cultivating Self-Kindness 171

26 Transforming Pain: Moving from Self-Harm to Self-Compassion 173

Practice: Developing Self-Compassion 176

27 Giving Up Hope of a Better Past: From Self-Blame to Self-Forgiveness 179

Practice: Fostering Self-Forgiveness 183

Part 5 Beyond the Critic

28 Inclining toward Happiness: Paying Attention to the Good 189

Practice: Reassessing Your Self-Perception 193

29 Who Are You? Seeing the Good in Others 195

Practice: "Just Like Me" Meditation 198

30 Inner Peace: A Life beyond the Critic 201

Practice: Noticing the Peace between Thoughts 204

31 The Critic Toolbox: Defending Yourself against Judgments 207

Acknowledgments 221

Notes 225

Index 229

About the Author 237

Editorial Reviews

08/08/2016
Coleman (Awake in the Wild) devotes this appealing book to laying out a mental tool kit of meditation techniques designed to bring calm to the distressed mind. In his late teens, Coleman, feeling unhappy with himself and others, stumbled upon mindfulness meditation. This much-written-about practice offered him an escape from his tormented thinking, and a practice that he found to be more effective than any pill or philosophy. The book is divided into five parts, each including practical exercises to assist the reader with examining uncomfortable thoughts and behaviors. The first two parts focus on the origin of the inner critic and how it manifest itself, with the remaining three parts delving into letting go of regrets, raising self-esteem, and of course, the how-to of mindfulness meditation and its many benefits. Of the many recent books on mindfulness, some have discussed the practice as a tool in one’s life or career, but Coleman focuses squarely on the goal of achieving inner peace and practicing compassion toward oneself and others. For self-improvement enthusiasts searching for ways to calm a stressed mind, this book is sure to help. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

This book is a rare combination of practical help, emotional support, compelling personal story, scientific foundations, and spiritual insight. Mark Coleman shows us how to let go of feeling pressured, inadequate, or afraid to express ourselves fully — and instead feel strong, confident, and worthy. A beautiful, soulful, enormously useful book.”
— Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

“What I most love about Make Peace with Your Mind is the range of accessible practices it offers. From his own experience over many years, Mark Coleman has distilled powerful, creative strategies for relating with and transforming your inner critic. It’s a wonderful, delightful, and deeply touching book.”
— Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness

“Both insightful and helpful, with gifts of wisdom and many practical tools to work with your own mind and heart.”
— Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart and cofounding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California

“When I first met Mark Coleman at a retreat at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, I immediately appreciated the clarity he brought to his teachings. This book is written in the same clear voice, providing an easy-to-follow road map to understanding and defeating our inner critic.”
— Troy Aikman, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and Fox Sports broadcaster

“Mark Coleman has written a wonderful and important book. If we can make friends with ourselves we activate the place inside that has always truly wanted our well-being. Transforming the mind from inner critic to best friend is the key to a more fulfilling life. Make Peace with Your Mind is the perfect guidebook to help us do just that. An excellent offering!”
— James Baraz, coauthor of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and cofounding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California

“Mark Coleman’s Make Peace with Your Mind is a great read for all those looking to mindfulness to help them live their best life. Sometimes when life speeds up, it is best to take a few moments to slow down! The benefits of these practices are real and wide-ranging, and it is never too late to start.”
— Congressman Tim Ryan

“Most of us wait for some champion to show up in our life who supports our dreams, calms our fears, and provides a vision for our future. Mark Coleman reminds us we can be our own champion by building a healthier relationship with our judgmental mind with clear and practical steps. This book can change your life.”
— Chip Conley, New York Times–bestselling author of Emotional Equations and Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy at Airbnb

“Of the many recent books on mindfulness, some have discussed the practice as a tool in one’s life or career, but Coleman focuses squarely on the goal of achieving inner peace and practicing compassion toward oneself and others. For self-improvement enthusiasts searching for ways to calm a stressed mind, this book is sure to help.”
— Publishers Weekly

“ ‘Inner critic’ here is not just a tool for marketing a generic meditation book. Coleman takes apart the critic and assesses its origins, its pros, and its cons with curiosity and insight. He unravels it and makes it possible to see it not as a big, bad monster, but simply as human intelligence run amok.”
— Mindful magazine

“In his new book, Make Peace with Your Mind, Mark Coleman shares his own deep understanding of the often pervasive inner critic, and he offers many tools and methods for freeing ourselves from this common habit of mind. His clear style and compassionate wisdom combine to make this book a valuable support on our journey to freedom.”
— Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

“In this well-written book, Mark Coleman presents his personal reflections on how to free yourself from harsh self-criticism, based on his experience as a meditation teacher, coach, and therapist. With pragmatic exercises designed to help you better understand your own inner critic, this is a truly worthwhile read.”
— Kristin Neff, associate professor at UT Austin and author of Self-Compassion

“Mark Coleman has written a wonderfully original book, addressing the inner critic that keeps us from our most creative work. He understands that it is often buried deep, and he gives us a wide range of excavation tools, all of which are kind and helpful. Useful for anyone, I will use it especially with college students and young artists and professionals, whose external lives are full of judgments, as well as activists, who feel they can never do enough. This book is a great gift.”
— Mirabai Bush, senior fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, author of Contemplative Practices for Higher Education, and coauthor (with Ram Dass) of Compassion in Action

“A beautiful guide to liberating our minds from endless cycles of self-criticism and creating the inner peace that leads to an exemplary life.”
— Stephen Dinan, bestselling author of Sacred America, Sacred World and CEO of the Shift Network

“In clear and powerful and terms, Mark Coleman offers readers highly practical tools to cultivate lasting calm, contentment, and happiness in any life circumstance. The tools outlined in this book will help readers confront one of the most persistent sources of difficulty anyone may encounter: one’s own negative mind states. Make Peace with Your Mind is a uniquely transformational work offered to us by one of the world’s preeminent mindfulness and meditation teachers. It is a must-read for anyone interested in meaningful personal growth and fulfillment.”
— Rich Fernandez, PhD, cofounder of Wisdom Labs

“As we now know, the world inside and the world outside are not so different — and the sneakily destructive inner critic can make a mess of self, other, and the whole world. In Make Peace with Your Mind, therapist, consultant, and Buddhist teacher Mark Coleman does as good a job as I have seen of explaining, deconstructing, and working with the inner critic, until she or he becomes an ally. The book includes many useful exercises for putting its important message into practice: that you need not go on with this misery any longer.”
— Norman Fischer, Zen priest and author of What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind and Experience: Thinking, Writing, Language & Religion

“Mark Coleman, an experienced therapist and a profound practitioner and teacher of meditation, has crafted an exquisite path toward peace and freedom with one of the most troubling aspects of our humanity: our inner critic. Drawing upon ancient wisdom traditions, contemporary psychological breakthroughs, and many other sources, Mark weaves these wisdom strands together into a fully accessible practical approach, illustrated with many examples and supported with practices that can build insight and competence. A marvelous guidebook brought to life by a warm, compassionate friend.”
— James Flaherty, author of Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others andfounder of New Ventures West and Integral Leadership

“Drawing on decades of experience of freeing himself and others from the inner critic, Mark Coleman has written a beautiful, inspiring, and practical book for all who wish to find a way out from under the weight of their inner critic. Filled with wisdom and compassion, this book is a warmhearted guide for applying mindfulness and common sense to alleviate the burden of the inner critic.”
— Gil Fronsdal, guiding teacher at Insight Meditation Center and translator of The Dhammapada

“The inner critic stops all growth, diminishes our life force, and crushes our soul. With kindness and clarity, Mark Coleman gives us proven practices to tame the critic’s wild ways and access the more reliable guidance of true wisdom. Everybody’s got an inner critic, so everybody needs a wise book like this one.”
— Frank Ostaseski, author of Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach about Living Fully

“In Make Peace with Your Mind, Mark Coleman gently guides us to work with the ubiquitous demon of self-judgment. His kind and clear writing style invites us to see and skillfully relate to this familiar human habit. Through teaching, story, and guided exercises, he inspires us to develop keen and compassionate relationships to the parts of ourselves that often seek to demean or even destroy our self-worth. He offers us the possibility of not only hope but genuine healing. This book on the critic will support anyone who desires stopping the inner war and developing holistic integration with all parts of themselves.”
— Sarah Powers, author of Insight Yoga

“Make Peace with Your Mind is a beautiful book that can help free you from the limited definitions of self-loathing and pain. I have known Mark Coleman for many years, and he is humble and wise and lives with an open heart — one who truly walks his talk. Mark’s guidance is both wise and compassionate to support deep healing.”
— Bob Stahl, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook and MBSR Everyday

“Through Mark Coleman’s decades of experience in mindfulness practices, he’s unearthed tools that can help us with our inner critic — the voice that whispers to us and keeps us lost in self-doubt and old thought patterns. This book is a breath of fresh air, a path out of these cycles, and a way to help liberate us from our suffering in self-doubt.”
— Janet Stone, founder of Janet Stone Yoga

“This immensely practical book by meditation teacher and therapist Mark Coleman is a thorough and compassionate guide to working with the often relentless inner critic. Filled with stories from his own experience and the hundreds of people he has worked with over three decades, Mark brings wisdom, humor, kindness, and a vast repertoire of exercises that can change your life now!”
— Diana Winston, director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness

“Mark Coleman beautifully integrates the wisdom of reflection and the effectiveness of years of clinical practice into this insightful and accessible book. The wealth of ideas and practices shared in this illuminating work have the power to transform our individual and collective lives.
— Shauna Shapiro, PhD, professor at Santa Clara University and coauthor of Mindful Discipline and The Art and Science of Mindfulness

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