Why am I passionate about this?

I am a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. For years I had been interested in mindfulness as a way to help my therapy clients, and had dabbled in it myself. But the practice took on new urgency for me in my mid-forties when I developed a long-term illness that led to depression. I was lost and didn’t know how to re-find my equilibrium. Every day felt like an enormous battle as I struggled to keep going, and often thought of ending my life. I’m so thankful that I found relief through mindful connection to myself, to a deeper awareness in which all of our experience unfolds, and through connection to the people I love. 


I wrote

Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace

By Seth J. Gillihan,

Book cover of Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace

What is my book about?

Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is about healing from the stress and strain of life. It offers a three-part integrated approach…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Seth J. Gillihan Why did I love this book?

I read this book when I was first learning about mindfulness, and it taught me how incredibly manageable the immediate present moment is. Like most people, I so easily can mistake thoughts about a problem for a real problem that requires my attention. In reality the problems we imagine either a) don’t actually happen or b) if they do happen, are things we can handle. I found Tolle’s words of instruction so direct and precise as he helped me see that the peace I longed for is waiting for me exactly where I am.

By Eckhart Tolle,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked The Power of Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**CHOSEN BY OPRAH AS ONE OF HER 'BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH'**

The international bestselling spiritual book, now with a new look for its 20th anniversary. Eckhart Tolle demonstrates how to live a healthier, happier, mindful life by living in the present moment.

************

'I keep Eckhart's book at my bedside. I think it's essential spiritual teaching. It's one of the most valuable books I've ever read.' Oprah Winfrey

To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart…


Book cover of Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Seth J. Gillihan Why did I love this book?

This little volume had been sitting on my bookshelf for several years before I noticed it one day. Nearly every page blew my mind. Chögyam Trungpa writes with startling clarity and insight about the nature of the mind. He captures the beauty—infused with sadness—that we find when we inhabit the simplicity of the present. This is a book that I’ve returned to again and again; with each reading I discover the revelation of a new layer of understanding. 

By Chögyam Trungpa, Carolyn Rose Gimian (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shambhala as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic guide to enlightened living that first presented the Buddhist path of the warrior to a Western audience

There is a basic human wisdom that can help solve the world’s problems. It doesn’t belong to any one culture or region or religious tradition—though it can be found in many of them throughout history. It’s what Chögyam Trungpa called the sacred path of the warrior. The sacred warrior conquers the world not through violence or aggression, but through gentleness, courage, and self-knowledge. The warrior discovers the basic goodness of human life and radiates that goodness out into the world for…


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Book cover of A Particular Man

A Particular Man By Lesley Glaister,

This book is a literary historical novel. It is set in Britain immediately after World War II, when people – gay, straight, young, and old - are struggling to get back on track with their lives, including their love lives. Because of the turmoil of the times, the number of…

Book cover of The Wisdom of No Escape: and the Path of Loving-Kindness

Seth J. Gillihan Why did I love this book?

This book will also draw you to read it more than once, as it did for me. Pema Chödrön continues the tradition of Trungpa, author of Shambhala, as he was her teacher. From the first sentence of the book, Chödrön reveals the mistake we habitually make as we invest our energy in trying to get comfortable. Each time I return to this book, I discover that it helps me to hold whatever difficulty I’m having a bit more lightly, and to find more humor in my everyday trials and habitual pettiness. This book shows us that on the other side of our attachment to comfort, life is just so much livelier.  

By Pema Chödrön,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wisdom of No Escape as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Massmarket edition of this spiritual guide to making the most of life, through bad times as well as good, from bestselling author Pema Choedroen. This accessible book has been on the US bestseller lists consistently for four years now.

In The Wisdom of No Escape, bestselling author Pema Choedroen shows us the profound value of our situation of 'no exit' from the ups and downs of life.

This book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestations - about making friends with ourselves and our world and embracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that…


Book cover of Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Seth J. Gillihan Why did I love this book?

This book was my first introduction to the mind-altering experience of nondual awareness. I had had fleeting glimpses of nonduality during meditation without having a frame or a name for it. With characteristic humor and acumen, Sam Harris explains both the benefits of dropping the illusion of separateness and the specific technique for entering into the vast field of open awareness. Prepare to have your mind blown—and transformed. 

By Sam Harris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Waking Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'An extraordinary book . . . It will shake up your most fundamental beliefs about everyday experience, and it just might change your life.' Paul Bloom
___

For the millions of people who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris's new book is a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.

Throughout the book, Harris argues that there are important truths to be found in the experience of contemplatives such as Jesus, Buddha and other saints and sages of history-and, therefore, that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow.…


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Book cover of Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old?: Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age

Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old? By Joy Loverde,

Everything you need to know to plan for your own safe, financially secure, healthy, and happy old age.

For those who have no support system in place, the thought of aging without help can be a frightening, isolating prospect. Whether you have friends and family ready and able to help…

Book cover of Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

Seth J. Gillihan Why did I love this book?

Mindfulness is often seen as a philosophy and practice that originated solely in eastern religious traditions. Indeed, in my conservative Christian upbringing I was taught that it was wrong to meditate, and that meditation could open one up to demon possession (!). But as Martin Laird’s excellent guide shows, there is a rich history of mindful meditation within Christian monasticism. Laird offers a piercingly clear description of the experience of nondual awareness. His writing reveals not only what the experience is like, but the specifics of how to enter in. 

By Martin Laird,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Into the Silent Land as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An instant classic of contemporary spirituality, bringing together an engaging introduction to the Christian contemplative tradition for people inside or on the margins of the churches who feel drawn to the world of silent prayer.

Martin Laird shows how silence and meditation can offer a remedy to many contemporary dilemmas and emotional struggles. Writing with great clarity, depth and authority, Laird examines the meditative methods and traditions found within contemplative prayer. He also explores the role of breath and awareness in the spiritual life, which, while usually associated with Buddhism, is also an ancient concern of Christian thinkers.

Into the…


Explore my book 😀

Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace

By Seth J. Gillihan,

Book cover of Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace

What is my book about?

Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is about healing from the stress and strain of life. It offers a three-part integrated approach for tending to our whole selves: training the mind, changing our habits, and being in the here and now. Specific examples from my life and from my work as a therapist demonstrate how mindful cognitive behavioral therapy goes beyond simply reducing symptoms of distress. Discover how this mind-body-spirit approach can transform every area of your life, from your work to your sleep to your relationships, and can lead to lasting peace.

Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Book cover of Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Book cover of The Wisdom of No Escape: and the Path of Loving-Kindness

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Return to Hope Creek By Alyssa J. Montgomery,

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