Trauma-sensitive mindfulness Practices for safe and transformative healing

With mindfulness-based treatments on the rise in popular culture and in evidence-based practice, Treleaven, a specialist in trauma, offers a timely and gentle reminder that mindfulness meditation requires a more thoughtful and structured approach when it comes to traumatized individuals. The first section offers a succinct and approachable tour of the histories of trauma and mindfulness and how the two intersect. The inclusion of a social and cultural lens that addresses more recent events, as well as the neuroscience of trauma, increases the relevance and freshness of this message. The second section provides five core principles for practicing trauma-sensitive mindfulness. These principles offer a solid foundation for practicing meditation instructors and mental health clinicians to improve the experience of trauma patients hoping to continue or begin a meditation practice. The book is interspersed with illuminating case examples, is well-researched and well-organized, and is an informative and enjoyable read. It is easy to imagine a forthcoming wave of research on this niche topic. For now, we have a solid foundation in Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and practitioners. --Catherine Frederick, independent scholar