The Tao of Bipolar: Using Meditation and Mindfulness to Find Balance and Peace

Description

Two psychologists who specialise in combining psychotherapy and Eastern spirituality to treat mental health problems present a book of Taoist meditations that can help readers with bipolar disorder center themselves before bipolar episodes get out of hand, reduce the duration of the episodes, and balance their moods.

C. Alexander Simpkins, PhD and Annellen M. Simpkins, PhD are San Diego psychologists who integrate meditation, hypnosis, and neuroscience with psychotherapy. They have authored twenty-five books on these topics, many of them award-winning bestsellers with multiple foreign translations. They present workshops around the United States to help people use meditation and hypnosis for lasting mind-brain-body change. They have performed research on these methods and have worked with people of all ages in private practice for thirty-five years.

"Annellen and Alex Simpkins have produced another great book that represents their lifelong commitment to helping people using unique resources. . . . This step-by-step guide of systematic meditation techniques is designed for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The reader learns to enter into a different mental state that permits both relaxation and alertness, where once there was only mania or despair." --Michele Ritterman, PhD, world lecturer on "The Three-Minute Trance," and author of The Tao of a Woman and Using Hypnosis in Family Therapy "The Tao of Bipolar is a how-to guide to clearing your mind, easing your moods, and developing your talents. I'm pleased to have this powerful resource to offer to my patients. The Simpkins offer you the tools you need to gain a high level of awareness and control over your bipolar symptoms. Their easy explanations and practical meditation exercises will help you develop powerful, life-changing habits." --Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW, author of Shortcuts to Inner Peace and Transcending Loss "A true self-help book. The authors expertly guide the reader through a description of bipolar disorder and teach, step-by-step, how to meditate to increase the ability to manage the mood swings that go with bipolar disorder. A great introduction for anyone considering treatment, and a thoughtful addition to talk and medication therapies." --Tanya H. Hess, PhD, director of training at Coaching into Care, Philadelphia VA Medical Center "A wonderfully well-written book integrating ancient philosophy of Tao and modern neuroscience for self-help with bipolar disorder." --Kathryn and Ernest Rossi, authors of the video e-book Creating New Consciousness in Everyday Life "Even though the book is mainly directed to persons with bipolar disorders, it is also helpful for any therapist. The book nurtures the mind, body, and spirit of every reader; satisfies the need for sound knowledge; and gives the pleasure of reading a well-written book enriched by metaphors and cases that enhance the passionate hope that the meditations proposed in the book really work. . . . The deep message the book conveys is: Nurture your potential by committing yourself to doing the meditations. Find healthy daily routines of waking and sleeping, balance your moods to harmonize your relationships, and become what you want to become, trusting in the power of both Tao and nature." --Consuelo Casula, psychologist, psychotherapist, and the president-elect of the European Society of Hypnosis "The Simpkins have written a wonderful book. It begins with a solid foundation of ancient Eastern philosophy integrated with modern Western science and a clear description of bipolar disorder. The benefits of a variety of meditations are described and clear guidelines are offered to match these with the individual symptoms that different people experience. Simple, easy-to-follow exercises are offered throughout the book so each reader can experience their own process, leading to sustained improvements. This is a wonderful book and will be appreciated by many people suffering from bipolar disorder. I recommend it enthusiastically." --Robert McNeilly, MBBS, an international teacher of Ericksonian approaches to psychotherapy and hypnosis "Throughout this helpful, holistic, clear, and cogent book the experienced authors skillfully depict both the bipolar condition and the many therapeutic ways its symptoms may be alleviated. Compassionately reassuring the sufferer, they encourage an attitude of non-judgmental awareness accomplished by meditation and breathing exercises to follow each day. . . . This book will be of great help to any who reads it and applies it to their lives." --Tasha Halpert, meditation teacher, columnist, blogger, and author of Heartwings: Love Notes for a Joyous Life