Rating: 
Summary: To rain on your emotional parade...
Review: ...is something I'd like to avoid, so I'm giving this book three stars for its obvious helpfulness to so many people. But, in all honesty, I don't understand the awe around it. Bennett-Goleman does not say here anything that has not been already said by many psychologists, therapists and spiritual leaders. The ideas of mindfulness, cognitive schemas, meditation and self-reflection, etc. are not new or unheard of; in fact, they are the basis of any decent self-exploration (and psychotherapy) undertaken by sensitive individuals around the world, who want to know who they are and why they do what they do. I'm rather perplexed by the buzz around this book; but perhaps I shouldn't be. The self-help market is a bottomless hole, and there is always more money to be made by repeating the obvious, especially if it sounds palatable and reassuring. Having a famous persona endorse the book helps, too. To think of it, perhaps this an example of a new intelligence - of the self-promotional and marketing kind...Having put my critical two cents here, I'd say that reading it probably won't hurt and may help some people who are looking for a confirmation of their self-exploratory path or emotional and spiritual development. But don't expect to learn anything new.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensational
Review: A thoughtful book explaining how to combine what might be the most helpful psychotherapy, schema therapy, with awareness-enhancing mindfulness meditation. Don't miss this book, or Jeff Young's book, Reinventing Your Life, describing his therapy--schema therapy.
Rating:
Summary: Seeing ourselves as we genuinely are
Review: Alchemy is the process of transformation. It describes "the process of integrating mindfulness with emotional work." "Mindfulness means seeing things as they are, without trying to change them." (p. 6) Tara is an excellent guide. Mindfulness grows on you as you ponder through the numerous personal and therapy stories and descriptions. You really learn to appreciate and taste the contemplative, compassionate, accepting, equanimous, present-focused, light-hearted and liberating mindfulness permeating throughout the book. At the recommendation of Fr. Anthony de Mello, 10 Catholic priests, including myself, and 8 Sisters (doing a full-year's Sadhana) had the privilege of following S. N. Goenka, for intensive Vipassana or Insight Meditation retreats at Igatpuri, near Bombay, in India, in 1976. The focal point was on sharpening our awareness of breathing, thoughts, body sensations, feelings and accepting whatever IS without judging. Tara has followed Goenka and many other masters. She suggests many easy-to-follow exercises for awareness and integration. You pick up such awareness by osmosis in reading the book and practising the exercises. Dalai Lama wrote the Foreword. Though Buddhists like Goenka, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dalai Lama and many Zen and Tibetan masters have done much to popularise "mindfulness", you don't have to believe in Buddha to practise such mindfulness. About 3 decades ago, Beisser, summarized the essence of Gestalt Therapy as "The paradoxical law of change": "When you accept what IS, change occurs." That is mindfulness. Charles T. Tart, Andrew Weil and many others have all written on mindfulness without a religious context.. Tara not only conveys the spirit of mindfulness here. She explains the changes in the brain and adopts the framework of Cognitive or Schema Therapy. Applying mindfulness to our schemas--mental models, ingrained patterns of perception and response or screening filters--is a fruitful path to inner freedom. 10 maladaptive emotional habits and patterns are described: Abandonment, Deprivation, Subjugation, Mistrust, Unlovability, Exclusion, Vulnerability, Failure, Perfectionism, Entitlement. This is a very concise and illuminating study of developmental psychology. 2 pages on entitlement schema (pp. 93-95) are very relevant for the "Age of Entitlement" (cf. Robert J. Samuelson). From Part I on Emotional Alchemy, you go on to Things as They Seem, then A Mindful Therapy and end in Part IV with Spiritual Alchemy. It is such an enriching journey to awareness, insight and true freedom. Space prohibits any further elaboration. If only everyone, regardless of any religious affiliation, can follow the practice and embark on this journey, what a transformed world we'd be! [It should be interesting to integrate the scientific studies of the HearthMath System with mindfulness, to relate it not only to the brain, but to the physical heart as well. In Vipassana, we literally focus on the heart to send metta or love vibrations.]
Rating:
Summary: Useful integration of ideas
Review: Although nothing in this book is new if you've read material on mindfullness/meditation, Buddhism, and schema therapy, Bennett-Goleman pulls the three subjects together and integrates them successfully. I found myself reading the book slowly and thoughtfully, savoring each chapter. If you, like me, find yourself having the same emotional reactions over and over (for instance, your spouse or mother seem to keep pushing your buttons), this book will help you recognize your schema (automatic reactive patterns) and help you to stop reacting to them.
Rating:
Summary: The Other 90% covers more.....................
Review: and Robert K. Cooper's earlier book, Executive EQ, explains more of the data-minded side of this topic. This book is good, but Cooper's is better.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new
Review: I agree with much of what I found in this book, although nothing in it was new to me. I'm sorry to say the hype around this book is more impressive than the book itself. Anything that can manage to get the Dalai Lama's name attached to it these days seems to be an instant hit no matter what the actual content or quality. On the bright side, however, the same day I bought this book I also discovered a little gem called "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold. To my surprise and delight, I actually found more unique and refreshing thoughts in "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life."
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Book!
Review: I could not put this book down once I started reading it. I only wish I'd had this information years ago -- It would have saved much pain & anguish. The author teaches us that as we learn to understand our own "schema-driven" thoughts & actions, we can live more peaceful, productive lives. I will forever be indebted to Tara Bennett-Goleman for the years of study & dedication she put in to bring this book to fruition. If you've ever been puzzled by your own actions ( as well as those closest to you), this book will open your eyes. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, wish it had been trimmed a little
Review: I enjoyed this book and learned from it. This may be because I am very interested in cognitive psychology. This book provides a new twist in that area with a Buddhist point of view. My only complaint about this book is that (in my opinion) the material could have been presented more effectively if a third of the book was trimmed.
Rating:
Summary: A blessing
Review: I found this book to be very helpful and informative with getting down to the core of why we do what we do and our own emotional patters. It helps to understand ourselves and what we can do to change them, how to help heal ourselves. Also helpful with calming the mind and re-centering ourselves.
Very good.
Rating:
Summary: A blessing
Review: I found this book to be very helpful and informative with getting down to the core of why we do what we do and our own emotional patters. It helps to understand ourselves and what we can do to change them, how to help heal ourselves. Also helpful with calming the mind and re-centering ourselves.
Very good.
|
