I read this because my partner is about to do a group course in this, and she's read the book too (I don't personally suffer from a mental illness). The book argues that in many situations where we suffer mentally, our thinking merely ties us up in further knots. However, developing meditation/mindful techniques can help us be more aware of our feelings and our bodies, and it can eventually help us take on a more aware, nurturing attitude towards ourselves, our lives and our experiences. Although admittedly it is a little repetitive at times, I think it is probably one of the best self-help books out there for all manner of mental illnesses - certainly not just depression. In fact, I think that everyone who even suffers from mild stress on occasion, or who merely thinks that their daily routine is grinding them down a little will significantly benefit from this book. Aside from the mental health angle, meditation is an invaluable tool, and this is one of the clearest, most structured ways to become proficient in it. I also personally know one of the authors from my research department (John Teasdale) and know that this is one of the few self-help books that actually has some very solid research behind it. Decent papers have been published demonstrating this method's efficacy at reducing the rate of depressive relapse (see the notes section for page 3 for references). More recenlty, another publication showed in an NHS setting that this treatment is as effective as staying on anti-depressant medication and more cost-effective than conventional therapy (there is a BBC article about this here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/775...). Very highly recommended. ( )

Forget evidence-based medicine. Let's meditate against depression. I confess I am utterly biased against all types of meditation techniques and only read this book since it was work-related. I say "read" but I skimmed through two thirds and abandoned it because it was simply too painful to read such repetitive drivel and then listen to it on the accompanying CD as well. I admit I am not a member of any of the target audiences for this book - I'm not depressed, nor anxious, nor do I read self-help guides and neither am I inclined to exploring meditation and Eastern philosophies. However, as a reader, I do expect a book on psychological therapy to be written clearly, concisely and with the proper scientific evidence for its efficacy. I recommend this only if you're in need of an alternative to sleeping pills. ( )