Welcome to the Center for Mindfulness Book Club! Join us for a series of engaging and insightful online events showcasing authors from the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and our esteemed peers in the field. Our Book Club sessions are completely FREE and take place on the fourth Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. PT on Zoom (unless the Friday is a holiday). Delve into discussions about recent books on mindfulness, compassion, and related topics with our knowledgeable authors and experts. Stay tuned for our upcoming Book Club schedule, and if you have a book you've written or co-authored that aligns with mindfulness and compassion themes, we invite you to submit it for consideration by contacting mindfulness@health.ucsd.edu. Get ready to explore new perspectives and deepen your understanding of mindfulness literature with us!
Upcoming Book Club Presentations
Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout Tools to Help You Heal and Recharge When You're Wrung Out by Stress
By: Christopher Germer
Publish Date: September 2024
“This book has been a game-changer for me as far as understanding my burnout patterns and replacing self-criticism with compassionate self-talk. I feel less emotionally exhausted and more connected with myself and my patients.” —Alexis R., emergency room nurse, San Diego
“Frequent collaborators and cofounders of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion Neff (educational psychology, University of Texas, Austin) and Germer, a clinical psychologist, have become the go-to resources for all things self-compassion-related in the psychotherapy world, with works designed for both clinicians and general audiences….With chapters focused on providing self-compassion tools, this book offers a DIY approach to circumventing burnout, designed to show that self-criticism and perfectionism fail where self-compassion creates entry points for individuals to find—and use—their strengths in purposeful ways.” —Library Journal
Presentation Date: Friday, April 25, 2025, from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PT
Warrior Compassion: Unleashing the Healing Power of Men
By: Sean Harvey
Publish Date: September 2024
"Harvey's book brilliantly helps men face and heal their wounds so that they can step into courage and lead their best lives while being part of healing our collective societal wounds." -Aaron Hurst, author of Purpose Economy and Founder of Taproot Foundation and Imperative
"Once in a while, you'll find a gem whereby the author speaks from their essential self with courage, vulnerability, humility, love, and generosity. This is one of those rare books." -Charles Sue-Wah-Sing, Coach and Founder of For Men of Color
Presentation Date: Friday, May 23, 2025, from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PT
Past Book Club Presentations
- Becker, Michelle
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Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving ConnectionBy: Michelle Becker
Publish Date: February 2023
“This beautiful book will help couples move their relationships from a place of pain and blame to love and acceptance. Drawing on empirically supported self-compassion practices, the author provides concrete tools to help people open their hearts to themselves so they can open fully to their partners.”— Kristin Neff, PhD, coauthor of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
“From her vast experience as a therapist and teacher, Michelle Becker has written a masterpiece for any couple, whether you are seeking greater intimacy or help with serious conflicts. Her advice is grounded in science, with lots of examples and many simple, powerful exercises. Beautiful, timely, and important.” — Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient
- Epel, Elissa
The Stress Prescription - Seven Days to More Joy & Ease
By: Elissa Epel
Publish Date: December 2022
“The perfect prescription for this moment in time and outside of time.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and author of The Healing Power of Mindfulness and Mindfulness for All
"This book offers a powerful path out of stress and overload. Written by a renowned and compassionate scientist, the reader is offered both the science and methods for transforming stress as we face a world of uncertainty and increasing vulnerability.” — Roshi Joan Halifax, global humanitarian, founding abbot of Upaya Institute, author of Standing on the Edge
- Kurland, Beth
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You Don't Have to Change to Change Everything: Six Ways to Shift Your Vantage Point, Stop Striving for Happy, and Find True Well-BeingBy: Beth Kurland
Publish Date: March 2024
“With kind eyes and a warm heart, Beth skillfully helps readers navigate the challenging landscape of negative emotional patterns. Having walked this walk and experienced its life-changing benefits, she speaks with clear and passionate conviction. Weaving neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness seamlessly together, she leaves for us an elegant and detailed trail of breadcrumbs filled with practical handholds and rich personal epiphanies. Her voice is gentle and clear, her invitations useful, her encouragement straightforward and inspiring. —Susan Morgan, MSN, RN, CS, and Bill Morgan, PsyD, author of The Meditator's Dilemma
“In an age when striving for an elusive, perfect kind of happiness infiltrates every domain of life, You Don't Have to Change to Change Everything offers us an antidote. Part clinical wisdom, part memoir, and part poetic vignette, Beth Kurland presents six vantage points for living a meaningful life. Drawing on contemporary psychology, neuroscience, and Eastern wisdom traditions, this book offers rich recipes for practical mindfulness and self-care.” —Tara Cousineau, PhD, author of The Kindness Cure
- Hanson, Rick
Making Great Relationships: Simple Practices for Solving Conflicts, Building Connection, and Fostering Love
By: Rick Hanson
Publish Date: January 2023
Relationships are usually the most important part of a person’s life. But they’re often stressful and frustrating, or simply awkward, distant, and lonely. We feel the weight of things unsaid, needs unmet, conflicts unresolved. It’s easy to feel stuck. But actually, new research shows that you create your relationships every day with the things you do and say, which gives you the ability to start improving them now. You have the power to make all your relationships better just by making simple changes that start inside yourself.
“50 simple, powerful ways to improve your relationships at home and at work” (Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone), based on the latest findings in neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology—by the New York Times bestselling author of Neurodharma and Resilient
- Hickman, Steve
Self-Compassion for Dummies
By: Steve Hickman
Publish Date: July 2021
Self-Compassion For Dummies will help you discover self-critical thoughts and self-defeating behaviors that are holding you back from fulfilling your potential and explore how you can learn to work around these things to find your way to more joy and satisfaction. Full of practical examples, guided meditations and helpful, lighthearted suggestions, this book is for anyone who would like to learn to treat themselves as kindly as they treat their dear friends.
- Hobbs, Lorraine (with Additional Authors)
Teaching Self-Compassion to Teens
By: Lorraine Hobbs and Niina Tamura
Publish Date: April 2022
“Lorraine Hobbs and Niina Tamura have offered us the science and art of how to support adolescents in growing a more integrated brain and compassionate mind in this crucial period of development.…What better gift to give the next generation in a world waiting for them to fully arrive with the skills, kindness, and grit our modern times will require? Thank you for taking the time to take in the wisdom of this book and make its gifts available to all the youth who will benefit from your guidance.” — from the Afterword by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, Executive Director, Mindsight Institute; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
“If you are a clinician or educator who thinks self-compassion for teens sounds like a good idea—but you don’t know how to teach it—this is the book for you. Through clear instructions informed by decades of experience, Hobbs and Tamura present practical exercises that help teens unlock their mindfulness and compassion and use these qualities to benefit themselves and those around them.” — Susan Kaiser Greenland, author of The Mindful Child
The Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids: Fun Mindfulness Activities to Build Emotional Strength and Make Kindness Your Superpower By: Lorraine Hobbs and Amy C. Balentine
Publish Date: March 2023
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
“Self-compassion is a powerful resource for coping with whatever life sends our way. When adults learn it, they often say, ‘Why didn’t I learn this sooner?’ Well, now we can start to learn at the earliest possible age. This superb workbook captures the depth and scope of self-compassion in simple, totally delightful practices and activities. Highly recommended for parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone who loves kids.” — Christopher Germer, PhD, lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, and author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
“If you are a parent, grandparent, or work with children, I strongly recommend you pick up this book and keep it handy. Full of practical exercises you can use today, it is a beautiful and accessible handbook for helping kids develop the lifelong healthy habit of self-compassion, which we now know is a key building block of psychological resilience and well-being. As a bonus, when you practice with kids, you are sure to benefit as well.” —Cassandra Vieten, PhD, executive director of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation; acting director of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of California, San Diego; and author of Mindful Motherhood
- Kaufmann, Shayna
Embrace the Middle: A Woman’s Guide to Mindfully Navigating the Challenges, Celebrating the Joys, and Finding Power in Midlife
By: Shayna Kaufmann
Publish Date: August 2024
"Dr. Kaufmann writes beautifully, with a lovely, insightful, supportive, helpful, and warm tone. And about an under-discussed, important, and widely relevant topic. This is a useful, wonderful book!" —Rick Hanson, PhD, Psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author
"Embrace the Middle is a beautifully written inspirational guide to the varied experiences of midlife. Dr. Kaufmann shares her expertise and provides reassurance and helpful tools for traversing the terrain of the middle years. Readers will identify with and learn from the many stories she tells based on her own valuable experiences and those of the women she interviewed." —Margie E. Lachman, PhD, Fierman Professor of Psychology and Director of the Lifespan Lab, Brandeis University, author
- Magee, Rhonda V.
The Inner Work of Racial Justice - Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities through Mindfulness
By: Rhonda V. Magee
Publish Date: September 2019
“This book opens doors for all of us to better understand the conditioning that keeps us feeling so separate and apart. Rhonda Magee is a significant new voice I’ve wanted to hear for a long time—a voice both unabashedly powerful and deeply loving in looking at race and racism. Most important, Rhonda’s voice is a practical one, illuminating a path each of us can follow to a life filled with far greater awareness, connection, and peace.” — Sharon Salzberg, New York Times-bestselling author of Real Happiness
“How can we begin to explore, understand, and finally, undo the painful injustice of racism that is so deeply embedded in us? Illuminated by her work in meditation and mindfulness practice, Rhonda Magee has spent her life considering this question. Her knowledge, wisdom, sensitivity, and compassion shine through every page of The Inner Work of Racial Justice. This book should be read slowly and carefully by everyone. Do its exercises, ponder its nuances. Take it to heart—you can’t afford not to.” —Norman Fischer, founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation
- Majied, Kamilah
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Joyfully Just: Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated LivingBy: Kamilah Majied
Publish Date: April 2024
“Powerful teachings in a powerful voice on every page. This book arrives just in time to reboot and expand our collective understanding of what an inclusively human, multicultural, multiracial dharma, in all its universals and in all its beautifully differentiated ancestral and cultural particulars, might look like. I will be living inside this book for a long, long time.” ―Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living
“In a world so marked by social hierarchies, oppression, and violence, Joyfully Just stands as a beacon of hope and a call to action. Dr. Majied’s approach to social justice is a refreshing and powerful reminder that when we start within, we can create a more equitable and compassionate world for ourselves and others. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a path to personal and collective liberation.” ―Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Trusting the Gold
- Mishra, Jyoti
The Little Brain
By: Jyoti Mishra
Publish Date: May 2022
A little brain has big dreams, but how will he get them all? A brain scientist helps out with some special tips.
“The Little Brain can spark interesting conversations between parents and children about the joys and the challenges of learning and how to follow the path of joyful curiosity and persistence throughout life.”
- Orsillo, Susan M.
Worry Less, Live More: The Mindful Way through Anxiety Workbook
By: Susan M. Orsillo and Lizabeth Roemer
Publish Date: June 2016
“This book will help you move seamlessly along a path of personal transformation. The beauty of the authors' approach is that it combines mindful awareness with taking action to pursue what you value. For anyone seeking relief from worry, this is among the best guides I have seen.” —Zindel V. Segal, PhD, coauthor of The Mindful Way through Depression
“This wonderfully no-nonsense book provides multiple ways to help free yourself from chronic worry and anxiety. Thoroughly grounded in science, yet engaging and easy to understand, this is an important roadmap for leading a happier and more fulfilling life.” —Kristin Neff, PhD, author of Self-Compassion
- Potiker, Julie
SNAP! From Chaos to Calm
By: Julie Potiker
Publish Date: December 2022
“The SNAP method is brilliant. In one simple practice, Julie Potiker integrates brain science, mindfulness, compassion, and other effective tools for lifting your mood, easing anxiety, calming stress, and opening your heart. Full of practical wisdom, she leads readers through funny stories, tender care, and many different applications of the SNAP method. Throughout, she is a super-smart, encouraging, and hopeful friend. A wonderful book!” — Rick Hanson, PhD, Author, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness
“Life is rarely as easy as a snap, but Julie Potiker finds a relatable way of helping you contend with the most challenging experiences of life by using her clever and easy SNAP method. Tapping into our natural capacity for healing and ease, and building on solid science, Julie leads the reader … into a place of greater wellbeing and joy. Super accessible and incredibly practical, this book will become your best friend in times of need.” — Steven Hickman, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founding Director, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
- Schairer, Sara
A Case for Compassion - What Happens When We Prioritize People and the Planet
By: Sara Schairer
Publish Date: January 2023
"This clear-eyed vision for a more compassionate world will inspire you to take action in your own community." — Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Willpower Instinct
“Compassion It'—two simple words that are changing the world. Sara Schairer examines how compassion saved her life, and by her actions and the many examples in her book, shares with us how the power of compassion can change yours." — James R. Doty, MD, author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart
- Siegel, Dan
Personality and Wholeness in Therapy - Integrating 9 Patterns of Developmental Pathways in Clinical Practice
By: Daniel J. Siegel
Publish Date: November 2024
“This weave of neurobiology, contemporary psychology, and deep wisdom offers the most fascinating and helpful framework for understanding personality that I’ve encountered! Professionals and lay people alike will find a fresh perspective on how humans develop, and the compassion that allows us to relate to ourselves and others in a truly healing way."
― Tara Brach, author of Radical Compassion"Daniel Siegel and the PDP Group have done something extraordinary. For many years, people in the Enneagram field have sought to find a neurological basis for the Enneagram types as we have come to understand them, and those within the healing professions have looked for ways to meaningfully integrate the Enneagram’s powerful insights into their work. This wonderful book accomplishes both goals. It opens a new conversation about the nature of personality and looks at how we can best work with it as professionals. The authors do a marvelous job of bringing many powerful new perspectives to the field of Enneagram studies while maintaining a respect for the integrity of its core teachings. This is no small feat. I suspect this book is destined to be a classic in the field of personality studies, and highly recommend it for serious Enneagram students and professionals in psychology alike." ― Russ Hudson, coauthor of The Wisdom of the Enneagram
IntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging
By: Daniel J. Siegel
Publish Date: November 2022
Exploring the nature of how our experience of what we call “self” emerges across the lifespan. Both a personal and general meditation on identity and belonging, Daniel J. Siegel’s book combines personal reflections with scientific discussions of how the mind, brain, and our relationships shape who we are. Weaving the internal and external, the subjective and objective, IntraConnected reveals how our culture may give us a message of separation as a solo, isolated self, but a wider perspective unveils that who we are may be something more—broader than the brain, bigger even than the body—and fundamental to social systems and the natural world.
“In his latest book, Dan Siegel explores a pathway toward a more sustainable way of being humans facing the multiple pandemics of our times together. Synthesizing insights from a range of disciplines and ways of knowing, he argues for expanding, evolving the notion of the self, from an isolated and separate ‘me’ to a relational, awe-embracing integrated sense—called, in his intriguing coinage, ‘MWe.’ I know of no more encouraging prescription for what ails us at this time.” — Rhonda V. Magee, M A, JD, author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness
- Spears, Sydney
Finding Self-Compassion: A Mindfulness Workbook for Getting to Know and Love Yourself
By: Sydney Spears
Publish Date: December 2022
“This book is beautiful and fun to read, but most important, if you do the practices and exercises within it, you’ll learn skills that will transform your life.”—Kristin Neff, PhD, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin and author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
“In this journal, you’ll learn science-based techniques from an ace teacher and therapist who will help you reduce stress, boost resiliency, and avoid our societal siren calls of distraction, disconnection, and dissatisfaction.”
—Dan Harris, Co-founder and author of Ten Percent Happier- Wolf, Christiane
Outsmart Your Pain: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind
By: Christiane Wolf
Publish Date: May 2021
“Mindfulness and compassion practices should be in everybody’s toolbox for a happier and healthier life. But people dealing with chronic health challenges have it especially hard. Dr. Wolf’s accessible, down-to-earth—and beautifully designed—book is essential reading for providers who treat chronic illnesses and for those suffering from them.”—Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global
“This is a fantastic book, bringing together the kindness and depth of a meditation teacher with the science and tools of an experienced physician. Every page is insightful, helpful, and heartfelt. Highly recommended!”—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient and Buddha's Brain
