New Releases by Nigel Wellings

There is something about everything that makes it not quite satisfactory. Even things we really love are spoilt by not being quite enough or – the opposite – going on too long. People entering psychotherapy want to feel better – more authoritative, less anxious or depressed, more whole – and although it can help, an enormous amount of difficult and painful emotions continue to arise. After years and years of therapy, many of us feel as mad as ever. There is no ‘happy ever after’. This all begs the question; what is the place of suffering in human experience and how best can we be with it? This book picks up this question and answers by saying that discontent and unhappiness are inevitable parts of our human experience but there are ways to avoid adding further unnecessary suffering. By becoming present, accepting, and kind, we may enfold what hurts us in a more spacious and meaningful way. Cultivating our ability to be present with emotions felt in the body, we may get a glimpse of how emotions dissolve in the open space of awareness. Present with Suffering: Being with What Hurts will have global appeal to psychotherapy professionals as well as general readers who may be grieving, have an interest in Buddhism, or want to become more present and mindful.

An accessible guide from an expert on Mindfulness on how to get the most out of meditation--and make the practice a permanent part of your daily life. Meditation is supposed to be a practice that''s relaxing and beneficial...so why is it so hard to commit to? While many people have taken workshops in meditation, a significant number don''t maintain their practice for long after the class is finished. Mindfulness can help us relax and is great for coming to grips with thoughts that make us depressed or anxious, but it can also bring us into a more intimate relationship with ourselves--a prospect that can make some feel uncomfortable. Yes, lots of good things come out of meditation practice, but keeping it up is challenging. This is where Why Can''t I Meditate? comes in. Full of practical ways to help our mindfulness practice flourish, it also features guidance from a wide spectrum of secular and Buddhist mindfulness teachers, and personal accounts by new meditators on what they find difficult and what helps them overcome those blocks. It takes what is boring, painful, or downright scary about meditating and shows how these struggles can become an invaluable part of our path. If you have been considering meditating but doubted your ability, if you are having a hard time continuing, or if you''ve reluctantly stopped, Why Can''t I Meditate? will help you get your mindfulness practice back on track.

For all those immersed in the traditions of Christian contemplation there is new understanding derived from the study of Buddhist traditions and the classical schools of psychotherapy. While both Freud and Jung, each in their own way, describe for us a means to expand the boundaries of the personal self, Buddhism challenges the very existence of this self, suggesting that it is the belief in its concrete existence that is at root the cause of all suffering. How then may these two radically different views find a place of meeting? The process involves "emptying out" as expounded by the great Christian mystics--"St. John of the Cross, Eckhart, Julian of Norwich--"and in the process the individual may be helped to cope with the stresses and pitfalls of modern living--"neurotic anxiety, depression, and narcissism.

`This is an enriching book for readers interested in unconscious psychological processes and who have a predilection for psychotherapy which interfaces psychology, philosophy and spirituality′ - Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy Transpersonal Psychotherapy recognizes levels of experience that take us beyond our usual sense of self, limited by the content of our personality. Whilst facilitating the emergence of self, it also actively encourages an exploration of transpersonal experience as an integral part of the individuation process. The major work proves a thorough and accessible introduction for students of psychotherapy ad interested others.