resources

FREE MEDITATION APPS

WEBSITES FOR MEDITATIONS/PRACTICES, CLASSES, FREE DROP-INS

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL ONLINE RESOURCES

University of California at San Diego Center for Mindfulness

https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/fmph/research/mindfulness/pages/default.aspx

The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness (UCSD CFM) offers multi-faceted programs of clinical care, education, research, and outreach intended to further the practice and integration of mindfulness and compassion into the lives of individuals throughout the healthcare and educational system including patients, students, teachers, and businesspeople.

PODCASTS

Into the Magic Shop Hosted by Dr. Jim Doty

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-magic-shop/id1590238166

Dr. Jim Doty explores the mysteries of the brain and the secrets of the heart. He will interview authors and experts in diverse fields including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality and religion.

He will also engage his listeners by answering their questions and also at times interview listeners who are willing to share their own stories of challenge and hardship.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from the below Reading Suggestions.

Bibliography and Reading Suggestions

Chamine, Shirzad. (2012) Positive Intelligence Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours. 1st ed, Greenleaf Book Group Press.

https://amzn.to/3YGTWiR

Shirzad Chamine reveals how to achieve one's true potential for both professional success and personal fulfillment. His groundbreaking research exposes ten well-disguised mental Saboteurs. Nearly 95 percent of the executives in his Stanford lectures conclude that these Saboteurs cause "significant harm" to achieving their full potential. With Positive Intelligence, you can learn the secret to defeating these internal foes.

Jha, Amisha. (2021). Peak Mind. HarperOne.

https://amzn.to/3P1PdVJ

Are you here right now? Is your focus on this page? Or is it roaming elsewhere, to the past or future, to a worry, to your to-do list, or to your phone?

Whether you’re simply browsing, talking to friends, or trying to stay focused in an important meeting, you can’t seem to manage to hang on to your attention. No matter how hard you try, you’re somewhere else. The consequence is that you miss out on 50 percent of your life—including the most important moments.

The good news: There’s nothing wrong with you—your brain isn’t broken. The human brain was built to be distractible.

The even better news: You can train your brain to pay attention more effectively.

Neff, K. (2015). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow.

https://amzn.to/3P1PdVJ

Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind offers expert advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more contented, fulfilled life.

More and more, psychologists are turning away from an emphasis on self-esteem and moving toward self-compassion in the treatment of their patients—and Dr. Neff’s extraordinary book offers exercises and action plans for dealing with every emotionally debilitating struggle, be it parenting, weight loss, or any of the numerous trials of everyday living.

Neff, K., & Germer, C. (2018). The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook. The Guilford Press.

https://amzn.to/45sZ2SF

Are you kinder to others than you are to yourself? More than a thousand research studies show the benefits of being a supportive friend to yourself, especially in times of need.

This science-based workbook offers a step-by-step approach to breaking free of harsh self-judgments and impossible standards in order to cultivate emotional well-being. In a convenient large-size format, the book is based on the authors' groundbreaking eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program, which has helped tens of thousands of people worldwide. It is packed with guided meditations (with audio downloads); informal practices to do anytime, anywhere; exercises; and vivid stories of people using the techniques to address relationship stress, weight and body image issues, health concerns, anxiety, and other common problems.

The seeds of self-compassion already lie within you--learn how you can uncover this powerful inner resource and transform your life.

Hanson, R. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Random House USA.

https://amzn.to/3soPLMo

Hardwiring Happiness lays out a simple method that uses the hidden power of everyday experiences to build new neural structures full of happiness, love, confidence, and peace. You’ll learn to see through the lies your brain tells you.

Dr. Hanson’s four steps build strengths into your brain to make contentment and a powerful sense of resilience the new normal. In just minutes a day, you can transform your brain into a refuge and power center of calm and happiness.

Hanson, R. and Hanson, F. (2018). Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness. Harmony.

https://amzn.to/45dWI1o

With his trademark blend of neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Rick Hanson shows you how to develop twelve vital inner strengths hardwired into your own nervous system. Then no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to feel less stressed, pursue opportunities with confidence, and stay calm and centered in the face of adversity.

This practical guide is full of concrete suggestions, experiential practices, personal examples, and insights into the brain. It includes effective ways to interact with others and to repair and deepen important relationships.

Warm, encouraging, and down-to-earth, Dr. Hanson’s step-by-step approach is grounded in the science of positive neuroplasticity. He explains how to overcome the brain’s negativity bias, release painful thoughts and feelings, and replace them with self-compassion, self-worth, joy, and inner peace.

Siegel, D. J. (2018), Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence. TarcherPerigee.

https://amzn.to/3YGUs0h

An in-depth look at the science that underlies meditation's effectiveness, this book teaches readers how to harness the power of the principle "Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows."

Siegel reveals how developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can literally help you grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in your life.

Simon, T. (2016). The Self-Acceptance Project. Sounds True.

https://amzn.to/3qutPzd

Even after years of spiritual practice, self-improvement, or therapy, many of us still have trouble with one essential challenge: self-acceptance.

How do we stop from constantly judging ourselves as inadequate, finding fault with our bodies, or being plagued by our inner critics?

The Self-Acceptance Project was created to help us find a solution. In this collection of essays, contemporary luminaries in spirituality, psychology, and creativity offer insights and teachings for truly embracing who we are no matter what our circumstances.

Sofer, O. J. (2018). Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication. Shambhala.

https://amzn.to/44ep4r1

We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best?

Are we able to truly hear others and speak our mind in a clear and kind way, without needing to get defensive or go on the attack?

In this groundbreaking synthesis of mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer offers simple yet powerful practices to develop healthy, effective, and satisfying ways of communicating.

Taylor, J. B (2021). Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life. Hay House Inc.

https://amzn.to/44cKlBG

In this groundbreaking new book, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor presents these four distinct modules of cells as four characters that make up who we are: Character 1, Left Thinking; Character 2, Left Emotion; Character 3, Right Emotion; and Character 4, Right Thinking.

Dr. Taylor shows us how to get acquainted with our own Four Characters, observe how they show up in our daily life, and learn to identify and relate to them in others as well.

Treleaven, D. (2018). Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness : Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing. New York, W.W Norton & Company.

https://amzn.to/3OZdOus

Drawing on a decade of research and clinical experience, psychotherapist and educator David Treleaven shows that mindfulness meditation―practiced without an awareness of trauma―can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress.

Through grounded scholarship and wide-ranging case examples, Treleaven illustrates the ways mindfulness can help―or hinder―trauma recovery.

Turow, R. (2022). The Self-Talk Workout: Six Science-Backed Strategies to Dissolve Self-Criticism and Transform the Voice in Your Head. Shambhala.

https://amzn.to/3E32t6a

After over twenty years of working with individuals, groups, and classes on self-criticism and related challenges, psychologist and mindfulness teacher Dr. Rachel Goldsmith Turow offers the “self-talk workout”—six doable exercises that can help you replace self-criticism with self-kindness and self-encouragement.

Wolf, C., & Serpa, J. (2015). A Clinician's Guide to Teaching Mindfulness. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

https://www.newharbinger.com/9781626251397/a-clinicians-guide-to-teaching-mindfulness/

Mindfulness-based interventions have exploded in popularity due to their success in treating everything from everyday stress to more serious mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This breakthrough book provides professionals with a comprehensive, session-by-session guide to teaching mindfulness, complete with the scripts and training materials needed to teach introductory mindfulness in a wide variety of settings, despite theoretical background.

Worline, M., & Dutton, J. (2017). Awakening Compassion at Work. Berret-Koehler Publishers Inc.

https://amzn.to/47FFmwj

Marshaling evidence from two decades of field research, scholars and consultants Monica Worline and Jane Dutton show that alleviating such suffering confers measurable competitive advantages in areas like innovation, collaboration, service quality, and talent attraction and retention.

They outline four steps for meeting suffering with compassion and show how to build a capacity for compassion into the structures and practices of an organization.

Regier, N. (2023) Compassionate Accountability: How Leaders Build Connections and Get Results. Berret-Koehler Publishers Inc.

https://www.amazon.com/Compassionate-Accountability-Leaders-Connection-Results-ebook/dp/B0BTKB1PQN

Finding harmony between compassion and accountability is the ultimate catalyst for improved results and a thriving workplace.

The solution is recognizing that compassion and accountability are not opposites. In fact, accountability is an element of compassion. Compassionate Accountability is the process of building connection while getting results. This book shows how this foundational mindset, philosophy, and way of living can lead to a thriving organizational culture

Gilmartin, K. (2002) Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and their Families Revised Edition 2021. E.S. Press.

https://amzn.to/3QFE66f

Teaching law enforcement professionals to survive and live through a police career cannot be limited to just teaching operational tactical survival skills.

Teaching officers the skills of emotional survival are just as important. Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families is the perfect guide to aid officers and their families in maintaining and improving their quality of life both personally and professionally.

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