Full Catastrophe Living

Full Catastrophe Living

This book details the lessons of ten years of clinical experience with over 4,000 humanoids who took an eight-week course called The Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

The Big Ideas!

  • Meditation is one of the most effective means of reducing stress.
  • In addition to its many spiritual and emotional benefits, meditation also has a positive impact on physical health.
  • A person can significantly improve life satisfaction by simply switching from the usual “doing” mode to a more peaceful “being” mode.
  • Mindfulness is another term for “being.” When somebody is mindful, he or she is living in the moment.
  • There is no one perfect way to meditate. Different techniques work for different people.
  • To recognize the extraordinary that is always present in the seemingly ordinary aspects of life, one must embrace “beginner’s mind,” a state of being in which one sees everything as if for the first time.
  • Books and classes can only teach a person so much about mindfulness. In the end, one must learn about mindfulness by practicing it.

Neutrino’s Nutshell

In Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn explores the ways in which mindfulness can ease both emotional and physical pain including headaches, high blood pressure, back pain, and heart disease. Although the book is mainly targeted at those dealing with major issues (hence the inclusion of “Full Catastrophe” in the title) it can be used as a guide for anybody interested in the practice of mindfulness.

This book is perfect for the skeptic, as Kabat-Zinn backs all of his theories up with extensive scientific research. As the founder of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stress Reduction Program, he has seen time and time again the magnificent impact mindfulness can have on a person’s life. He seamlessly weaves anecdotes from the Stress Reduction Program to provide context for his meditation advice. The participants in this program went through some terrifying experiences before learning meditation techniques. The implication throughout the book is that if Stress Reduction Program participants could make it through, the reader should be able to as well.

To ease the transition into meditation and mindfulness, Kabat-Zinn provides plenty of helpful hints and suggestions. He lays out the foundation of mindfulness which includes non-judging, patience, beginner’s mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, and finally letting go. He teaches readers a variety of meditation techniques, such as the full body scan, in which the reader lies still and focuses his or her complete attention on one body part at a time. This technique and others such as breathing, sitting meditations, yoga, and walking meditations are designed to bring the reader into the hear and now, thus making mindfulness more accessible to the beginner.

In the end, Kabat-Zinn acknowledges that he can not do anything for readers; they are the experts on their own lives and will need to make changes for themselves. Kabat-Zinn’s hope, however, is that his advice will allow them to do just that.

Quotables

It is impossible to become like someone else. Your only hope is to become more fully yourself. That is the reason for practicing meditation in the first place…in practicing mindfulness, you are practicing responsibility for being yourself.”

“[Mindfulness is] a systematic approach to developing new kinds of control and wisdom in our lives, based on our inner capacities for relaxation, paying attention, awareness, and insight.”

IMEO (In My Eudaimonian Opinion)

Although somewhat longer and wordier than Kabat-Zinn’s other popular meditation book Wherever You Go, There You Are, Full Catastrophe Living is every bit as valuable. The book is primarily intended for people dealing with painful chronic health issues, but the lessons are broad enough to apply to just about any reader.

Successfully getting through this book may be a tough proposition for somebody with a limited attention span. For this reason, anyone in search of a quick and easy read is going to want to avoid Full Catastrophe Living and instead opt for Wherever You Go, There You Are. However, the reader with a true interest in mindfulness will find the advice in this book to be life-changing. Those who struggle with reading difficult books may want to work their way through Full Catastrophe Living bit by bit, letting the messages of one section sink in before starting in on the next. This will enhance comprehension while allowing readers to get the most out of the book.

All in all, Full Catastrophe Living is an interesting and enriching read. It has already changed the lives of millions of readers in the twenty years since it was first published and surely will continue doing so for years to come.

Take Action, Humanoid!

  1. Learn to have faith in yourself. While Kabat-Zinn and other experts can serve as excellent guides, only you know what is best for your body.
  2. Take baby steps when beginning meditation. You do not have to be an expert from the get-go. Instead, try taking a few minutes each day to practice being fully aware of your surroundings. As you become familiar with meditation, feel free to add new techniques and spend more time practicing mindfulness.
  3. Avoid judging the experience. Just let it happen. If you impose judgments on the nature of your mindfulness practice or how you think that practice should be, you will end up being locked into a pattern of labeling and categorization, both of which make it impossible to take anything of value away from time spent meditating.

The Deets

Full Catastrophe Living
Author: Jon Kabat-Zinn
Publication Date: 1990

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