Experiencing emotions is a part of the richness of life. But sometimes emotions can get in the way of our health and happiness. Suppressing strong feelings like fear, anger, and resentment isn’t the answer—in fact, doing so can lead to a host of physical problems, from a weakened immune system to heart disease. On the other hand, overreacting in the heat of the moment can be detrimental to relationships. So, how can you ride even the strongest waves of emotion without causing harm to yourself or others?
This workbook offers a breakthrough, eight-week program using emotion theory and mindfulness-based techniques to help you manage the overwhelming thoughts and feelings that cause you pain. You’ll learn to approach your emotions without judgment, understand their source, and foster forgiveness and kindness toward both yourself and others. Instead of trying to bury feelings or lashing out and hurting relationships, you'll learn how to cultivate emotional balance using this powerful program.
Margaret Cullen, MA, MFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher. She has also trained with Zindel Segal in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. For over twenty years she has been teaching and pioneering mindfulness programs in a variety of settings, including cancer support, HIV support, physician groups, executive groups, and obesity support. For ten years she has been involved in teaching and writing curricula for several research programs at the University of California, San Francisco, including “Cultivating Emotional Balance,” designed for teachers, and “Craving and Lifestyle Management with Meditation,” for overweight women. In 2008 she launched a mindfulness-based emotional balance program for teachers and school administrators that has been piloted in Denver, CO; Boulder, CO; Ann Arbor, MI; Berkeley, CA; Portland, OR; and Vancouver, BC. She has also been a facilitator of support groups for cancer patients and their loved ones for twenty-five years at the Cancer Support Community, and is currently a senior teacher at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, where she contributed to the Compassion Cultivation training manual. A longtime contributor to Inquiring Mind, Margaret has been a meditation practitioner for 35 years.
Gonzalo Brito Pons, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has worked with diverse populations in Chile, Peru, and Spain, integrating Western psychological approaches with traditional medicine and contemplative practices. As a certified yoga teacher and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor, he has included these practices in his clinical work and workshops for health care professionals and educators over the last decade. Gonzalo is a certified instructor of the Compassion Cultivation Training Program and serves as a supervisor for Spanish-speaking teachers in training at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. He obtained his PhD doing experimental research on the individual and relational effects of compassion cultivation training and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Currently living in Granada, Spain, Gonzalo combines his therapeutic work with ongoing compassion-based and mindfulness-based programs, collaborating regularly with several educational and health organizations. In 2014, he coauthored the book Presencia plena: Reflexiones y prácticas para cultivar mindfulness en la vida diaria (Full presence: Reflections and practices to cultivate mindfulness in daily life).
Foreword writer Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. He is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and author of numerous books, including Full Catastrophe Living, Arriving at Your Own Door, and Coming to Our Senses.
