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A review by fireplacebookworm
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel
5.0
I’ve been focusing a lot this year on mindfulness and one of the top rated books on the topic, Mindsight, was my November personal development read. Dr. Daniel Siegel takes readers through his research in the brain and inspiring stories of individuals who changed their lives through therapy and developing mindsight, which is an intense form of meditation, at least that is what I understood.
I really enjoyed part two of the book, the stories of his clients who had various major problems and through meditation and therapy, instead of medication, they were able to repair relationships, work through problems, and find their happy. It also highlighted, to me, how important body scans and daily meditation can be. I have been meditating since this summer, but only religiously for 33 days. I don’t always feel solace afterwards, but my mind is still busy and I’m ONLY 33 days in. THis book showed me that no matter how I feel afterwards it’s imperative that I continue working towards mindsight because it is so good for my brain.
I don’t really have a gripe with the book, it did get long, especially part one where he breaks down the very intricacies of the brain, but even then, seeing how meditation can calm the stress center of the brain was truly intriguing. This book is long and very psychological, it’s not for everyone and I definitely could use another read through to really grasp more of the concepts Siegel highlights, but if you’re looking for the why behind meditation, I definitely think it should go into your ‘to be read’ stack.
Favorite quote: “There is only the ongoing challenge of remaining open to whatever may arise, pain and pleasure, confusion and clarity, step by step along our journey through time.”
I really enjoyed part two of the book, the stories of his clients who had various major problems and through meditation and therapy, instead of medication, they were able to repair relationships, work through problems, and find their happy. It also highlighted, to me, how important body scans and daily meditation can be. I have been meditating since this summer, but only religiously for 33 days. I don’t always feel solace afterwards, but my mind is still busy and I’m ONLY 33 days in. THis book showed me that no matter how I feel afterwards it’s imperative that I continue working towards mindsight because it is so good for my brain.
I don’t really have a gripe with the book, it did get long, especially part one where he breaks down the very intricacies of the brain, but even then, seeing how meditation can calm the stress center of the brain was truly intriguing. This book is long and very psychological, it’s not for everyone and I definitely could use another read through to really grasp more of the concepts Siegel highlights, but if you’re looking for the why behind meditation, I definitely think it should go into your ‘to be read’ stack.
Favorite quote: “There is only the ongoing challenge of remaining open to whatever may arise, pain and pleasure, confusion and clarity, step by step along our journey through time.”