Similar sentiment as another ReviewerJune 9, 2008 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The topic of mindfulness has been around for many millenia, & espoused by many religious & spiritual sects throughout the world, primarily in the East. The topic fascinates me, as I have taken a course in Asian Philosophy and have read many neuroscience books the last couple of years. Despite this, the book was unable to keep my attention, ironically, because of the redundant writing style. While eloquent, Siegel is often rearranging the same statement without adding much knew to it. Perhaps this is great for a more global, holistic view of the subject, but it is difficult to maintain attention (ironically) when you lose your place from feeling like you just read the same thing.
The neuroscientific aspects of resonance circuitry (and mirror neurons) isn't a new idea but Siegel skillfully expounds upon it and how it relates to mindfulness. All in all, despite some glaring flaws in my opinion, the book was worth buying for this alone, but if you're expecting an emphasis more on the brain rather than a subjective perspective on mindfulness, I find the balance of the book to be tilted in the other direction--so it may disappoint you if that's the case.
Compassion, Mirror Neurons, & Neuroplasticity - Excellent!June 3, 2008 5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I think that this is most important book that Dr. Siegel has written. There are many comprehensive reviews here, so I want to limit this one to a few additional points. First, Siegel has integrated mirror neuron theory into his model, with great finesse. Mirror neurons hypothetically allow us to experience in our brain what other people are thinking and feeling in their brain. This neural "resonance" may be an essential key to understanding how empathy and compassion works, and meditation practices appear to strengthen those parts of the brain where mirror neurons reside.
Siegel's model, as a prior reviewer pointed out, is hypothetical, but interestingly Andrew Newberg and I independently came to similar conclusions, based on our brain-scan research of a wide variety of contemplative meditation practices, which we report in our forthcoming book How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist. Although the neuroscience of compassion and empathy is in its infancy, we concur with Siegel that meditation may be the best psychological tool we have for enhancing social awareness and responsiveness. It can be combined with psychotherapy and medication, and may even have a longer lasting effect than either, especially when treating chronic forms of anxiety and depression. I also want to point out that Siegel and our research emphasizes the plasticity of the human brain, and in specific our ability to consciously rewire our own neural circuits in ways that appear to increase cognition and perhaps longevity as well.
I listened to the CD version first, then bought the book. The CD is excellent (it's narrated by Siegel) and is an abridgment of the book, which means that a lot of the detailed neuroscience is left out, but this has benefits for those who prefer to shy away from the intricacies of medial prefrontal circuits and the like.
An intriguing exploration of mindfulness and neuroscienceMay 16, 2008 9 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book presents an intriguing examination of mindfulness/meditation and the study of it in neuroscience. The author does a fairly decent job of explaining what mindfulness is, as well as presenting his different models for it. He also presents some interesting information about neuroscience studies of mindfulness.
However while the author does a decent job of presenting the information, the writing itself is fairly dry and the author mostly stays in the domain of theory. It would have been nice if the author had included practical mindfulness exercises to demonstrate some of his concepts, especially as related to the acronyms he threw around. It's not the best book on neuroscience, but it's still work taking a read through.
The blend of science and practice surveys brain function and how empathy and understanding are fostered.February 4, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
THE MINDFUL BRAIN: REFLECTION AND ATTUNEMENT IN THE CULTIVATION OF WELL-BEING comes from a scientist, psychiatrist, educator and leader in mental health who explores here what it means to be 'mindfully aware'. While mindfulness has often been a term associated with spirituality, it here is considered from a psychology viewpoint, making THE MINDFUL BRAIN an excellent pick for college-level psychology collections. The blend of science and practice surveys brain function and how empathy and understanding are fostered.
Hands down the best book on this topic.....January 8, 2008 18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I've always been a fan of this author, he is a scholar, excellent writer and based on his writing a wise individual. What makes this book especially good from my perspective is the balancing of subjective information from the world's wisdom traditions and his own interior experience with their physical correlates i.e. rigorous science without reducing either to the other. This is extremely refreshing and this carefully researched book adopts an attitude of openness, curiosity and wonder.
In addition, THE MINDFUL BRAIN is NOT written soley for academically minded individuals or psychologists. It is very readable by any intelligent layperson and extremely engaging. It is theoritical, but also compellingly practical in the spirit of Parenting From the Inside Out, which I highly recommend as well.
I also The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are is an incredible book. However, this is much less accessible to the average person than this volume and the one in the proceeding paragraph.
More concisely, what Daniel Siegel has done is brought together what we know from the various contemplative traditions, mind-body medicine and neuroscience together in a compelling argument for the value of mindfulness to everyday life, happiness and health. I would think this would be something everyone would be interested in.
While it's a wonderful adaptation to be able to think ahead, plan, etc. This often carries one out of the HERE and NOW moment and keeps us on a treadmill of postponing our fulfillment. This book is about balancing our ability to look forward while remaining anchored in the present... the only place where love, happiness and peace could be found.
I work in this area and have graduate education in biology, biochemistry and psychology. This is my life's passion and I own many books on this topic and present workshops. This is in many ways the book I wish I had written although humbly I must admit Daniel Siegel would be an extremely difficult person to top. Hopefully, however, someday I will be able to add value by complimenting his and other people's good work.
