Authors
Dr Danny Penman is a qualified meditation teacher and award-winning writer and journalist. He currently writes features for the UK Daily Mail, having previously worked for the BBC, New Scientist and the Independent newspaper. He is co-author of the international bestseller Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. He has received journalism awards from the RSPCA and the Humane Society of the United States. In 2014, he won the British Medical Association’s Best Book (Popular Medicine) Award for Mindfulness for Health: A Practical Guide to Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress and Restoring Wellbeing (co- written with Vidyamala Burch). His books have been translated into more than 25 languages.
Professor Mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He co-developed MBCT, is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, and is co-author of the international best-seller The Mindful Way Through Depression. He is one of the premier researchers in the field of mindfulness worldwide, and has been a pioneer in its development and dissemination.
Vidyamala Burch is the founder of Breathworks, an internationally respected mindfulness organisation with trainers in 15 countries. She developed Mindfulness-Based Pain Management – a proven way of relieving chronic pain and enhancing the body’s self-repair systems. She is author of Living Well with Pain and Illness: Using mindfulness to free yourself from suffering. Breathworks grew out of Vidyamala’s personal experience of using mindfulness and meditation to manage her own chronic pain.
Dear Messers Williams and Penman,
Your book helped me immeasurably during a very difficult time. I was nearly seventy when I discovered Mindfulness and Mediation and they have changed my life. I keep telling myself not to to regret discovering it earlier!
Thank you.
Hello from Russia!
Thank you for your wonderful book that saved my life! All my life I suffered from low spirited…to be honest a light version of depression for years. I also had pains inside my body like weak “electric discharge”. I was on the verge of despair when I found your book. After 8-week program all my pains disappeared. I also read “Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy” and other books. I have been practicing meditation (about 40-60 minutes per day) for 1,5 years and I haven’t felt pains in my body since I started practicing meditation. I am happy, mindful and peaceful person now. Thank you!
Fantastic book. I run a Living with Chronic Pain group and know my clients will love this kind, compassionate and informative book. Absolutely brilliant
Hello from Germany,
I am a stressmanagement teacher and mindfulness meditations are a part of my trainings. I have been practicing for some years now but your book has given me a much deeper insight than I have had so far and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’.
Birgit
Dear Dr. Williams and Dr. Penman,
This is Jane from China. I have been working as a lecturer and clinical counsellor at a Beijing Uni .
Recently I did a project with Netease Open Course (which is the largest online open course in China) on the theme of Anti-Depression. I occasionally found your interview on itunes, and I followed all the audios and your lectures on you-tube.
I personally had learnt a lot from your work. And the project I did was to introduce those good materials related to treatment of depression to Chinese ppl through Netease Open Course , thus I recommended your resources, including your Oxford Mindfulness Centre, your podcasts and your book (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression in chinese version). Hope more and more people could benifit from your studies.
Here is the Netease link: http://v.163.com/special/openclass/youthpedia03.html Its all in Chinese, the part about you is at late middle part of the website, right above the fMRI video.
I’d prefer you know my appreciation, and to let you know your work is impacting people far on the planet :).
Best Regards,
Jane
Good morning,
I write you from France. I want to thank you deeply for your book (the french title for it is “Méditer pour ne plus stresser” with a CD and instructions read by Christophe André).
I’ve read several books on mindfulness but none of it has ever touched me like yours. We can feel youy empathy and your will to help through every word.
I totally think that your book can change people’s life, and I feel very grateful to have found it on my way.
Will anyone of you come to France and give a conference?
with all my gratitude,
Nacéra
Dear Mr Williams and Mr Penman,
My name is Mary Mellow. First of all, I want to express my deep gratitude to you. I’ve read your book and it is simply outstanding and inspiring! It really helped me through difficult times and I want to share with you the “result”of my practice of mindfulness that I shaped into an autobiographical one woman comedy show “So Good To Be Home!” It is about my transformation that was miraculously boosted when I was suddenly diagnosed with a huge tumor in my belly. After about 20 doctors with 20 different diagnosis (what a casting!) I eventually found a suitable one and had to undergo an operation that ended up being more than just physical. This situation worked as a catalyst that opened my eyes. I started to see more clearly games of the mind and our automatic dream-like way of life. I faced my deepest fears, most painful memories… and my parents:) But in the end this experience helped me understand my real self and my real home.
If you get interested, here’s a trailer for the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2v7l8M-Lmg
Thank you for everything!
Yours sincerely,
Mary
From the bottom of my heart, thank you x
I bought the iPad enhanced edition with the audio tracks for the meditations and this combination of text plus audio is a brilliant way to learn the meditations. Mark has a particularly good voice for this. It is gentle but clear.
I am near the end of the book and have established my daily meditation routine and seeing daily opportunities for meditation in all kinds of daily activity. A mindfulness shower is one of my favouites.
I have recommended the book to my adult children and friends. My own mind is quieter and I am better at preventing random thought from ‘hijacking my mind’.
The book and web site are also useful portals to the rich eco system of ‘Mindfulness’ on the web.
My thanks to you both for this life enhancing book.
James Mc
Hi Danny do you follow the cD on every day of the six days or only the first?
Dear Violaine,
There will indeed be a French language edition of our book. I’m not sure when it will be published (probably early- to mid-2013). The publisher is Odile Jacob and their website is http://www.odilejacob.fr/ I’m not sure what the final title will be but I’m sure it will be very similar to the UK or US editions. Our names will be on it, which should make it easier to track down.
Thanks for getting in contact.
Danny
Dear Mr Williams, dear Mr Penman,
I have found your book life-changing and would like to thank you very much for helping me to get my head out of the water after a difficult time.
Being French, I have mentioned your book to several family members and friends who would all be very interested in reading a French language version of it. Has one been produced, or is it likely to be in the near future ?
Once again “merci beaucoup”,
Violaine Reversat
Hi Glenda,
They’re both the same. ‘Mindfulness: A Practical Guide….’ is the UK edition distributed through Commonwealth countries and the EU. ‘Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan…’ is the North American edition distributed through the US and Canada.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.
Danny
Hello
Just wondering why there are two books –
Mindfulness – An Eight-Week Plan …
Mindfulness – A Practical Guide …
and are they different or the same?
Thanks
Glenda
Best book on mindfulness I’ve ever read (and applied). Thanks for writing it.
Thank you for being so helpful re- the Rodale download – your help in this matter is gratefully accepted thank you!
I am really enjoying the book – and benefiting from it already – the CD would really be wonderful addition.
There are many “light bulb”moments in t he book – THank you!
I have just read your book and would like to let you know how useful I have found it to be. I have been using Jon Kabat-Zinn’s guided meditations since February and your book has enhanced my practice and provided further insights. In 1999 I became seriously depressed and this resulted in hospitalisation and a course of ECT which helped at the time. Since then I have avoided medication and read as much as I can to prevent relapse.
I would be very interested in any talks, events and retreats that may be happening.
Thank-you