From Publisher's Weekly
Dec. 18, 2000 (review and interview excerpt)
"Bennett-Goleman, a psychotherapist and longtime student of Buddhist meditation, draws on decades of experience to elucidate how Buddhist practices of non-judgmental awareness or mindfulness and the cultivation of compassion can unclasp the grip of the most addictive and deeply entrenched emotional patterns. What sets Bennett-Goleman's work apart from other contributions to the emerging field of Buddhist-oriented psychotherapy is her particular expertise in "schema therapy", which applies the consciousness of thought patterns that characterize cognitive therapy to the deep-seated emotional habits that are formed in childhood. She is not given to neat formulations, yet her stories have the persuasiveness of experience, of transformation drop by drop.
PW: "Why do you think that growing numbers of people are buying books and going to workshops to learn about this new kind of psychotherapy?
TB-G: "I think people want to feel empowered through their own inner resources, not to exclude the importance of support from others. Learning that there are tools of awareness that can free the mind is incredibly liberating for people. Mindfulness shows you that awareness itself can be transforming it's not necessary to think of mindfulness as this spiritual, esoteric thing. It helps you deepen the natural qualities of your mind so that you become more compassionate and clear."
