Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice

Bringing together leading scholars, scientists, and clinicians, this compelling volume explores how therapists can cultivate wisdom and compassion in themselves and their clients. Chapters describe how combining insights from ancient contemplative practices and modern research can enhance the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, couple conflict, and parenting stress. Seamlessly edited, the book features numerous practical exercises and rich clinical examples. It examines whether wisdom and compassion can be measured objectively, what they look like in the therapy relationship, their role in therapeutic change, and how to integrate them into treatment planning and goal setting. The book includes a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Christopher K. Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, specializing in mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion-based treatment. He has been integrating the principles and practices of meditation into psychotherapy since 1978. Dr. Germer is Clinical Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School and a founding member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He lectures internationally on mindfulness and self-compassion, is coeditor (with Ronald D. Siegel and Paul R. Fulton) of the professional book Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and is author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions.

 

Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught since 1984. He is a long-time student of mindfulness meditation and serves on the board of directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Dr. Siegel teaches internationally about mindfulness and psychotherapy and mind-body treatment, while maintaining a private clinical practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He is author of The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems and coeditor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy.

Foreword, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Introduction, Christopher K. Germer and Ronald D. Siegel

1. Wisdom and Compassion: Two Wings of a Bird, Ronald D. Siegel and Christopher K. Germer

2. Mindful Presence: A Foundation for Compassion and Wisdom, Tara Brach

3. Building Lives of Compassion and Wisdom, Barbara L. Fredrickson

4. Compassion in Buddhist Psychology, John Makransky

5. The Compassionate Therapist, Elissa Ely

6. The Science of Self-Compassion, Kristin D. Neff

7. Cultivating Compassion in Psychotherapy, Christopher K. Germer

8. The Neurobiology of Compassion, Richard J. Davidson

9. Wisdom in Buddhist Psychology, Andrew Olendzki

10. The Wise Psychotherapist, Ronald D. Siegel

11. The Science of Wisdom: Implications for Psychotherapy, Robert J. Sternberg

12. The Wisdom of Connection, Janet Surrey and Judith V. Jordan

13. Self and No-Self in Psychotherapy, Jack Engler and Paul R. Fulton

14. Neurobiological Foundations of Wisdom, Thomas W. Meeks, B. Rael Cahn, and Dilip V. Jeste

15. Wisdom, Compassion, and Suicidal Patients, Marsha M. Linehan and Anita Lungu

16. Substance Abuse and Relapse Prevention, G. Alan Marlatt, Sarah Bowen, and M. Kathleen B. Lustyk

17. Anxiety Disorders: Acceptance, Compassion, and Wisdom, Lizabeth Roemer and Susan M. Orsillo

18. Depression: Suffering in the Flow of Life, Paul Gilbert

19. Working with Trauma: Mindfulness and Compassion, John Briere

20. The Heart of Couple Therapy, Richard Borofsky and Antra K. Borofsky

21. Mindful Parenting as a Path to Wisdom and Compassion, Trudy Goodman, Susan Kaiser Greenland, and Daniel J. Siegel

22. Drawing on the Wisdom of Religious Traditions in Psychotherapy, Kenneth I. Pargament and Carol Ann Faigin

23. Compassion and Wisdom: Growing through Ethics, Stephanie P. Morgan