What got me interested in this was the titles emphasis on the concept of mindfulness as a means of treating mental disorders. The author explain mindfulness as mental state that involves observing and allowing one's thoughts as they arrive in the present.Central to applying it is the ability to be aware of old engrained responses to stimuli. This makes mindfulness sound a lot like meditation Their definition of a schema is less clear cut. They say schema's are considered to represent the way people see themselves, others and the world around them.Schema's are personality traits and modes are the features of those traits. The authors posit 19 schema's or personality traits and 20 modes or features of those personality traits. The rest of the book which is divided into 3 parts,( Part 1 covers the theoretical basis Part 2 the training manual and Part 3 a Workbook which applies all this for the lay person.) is an application of this system in practical situations. The book is written in clear understandable prose, Much of what is written comes across as common sense The book acts a good bridge between the professional and the lay person who is interested in this type of therapy. There are extensive citations in the part of the book that covers the theoretical part of the work. There is an 8 page bibliography.The workbook and training manual are written in such away that a lay person can apply this system to improve their lives. ( )