Description:
Does mindfulness improve our wellbeing?
Can it be practised within a Christian worldview?
Can it be Christ-Centred?
Yes.
In the award-winning 'Christ-Centred Mindfulness', leading academic and experienced mental health worker Dr Katherine Thompson addresses these questions and draws on the rich Christian tradition to present Christian mindfulness exercises that help us slow down, connect to what is happening inside ourselves and make space to listen for God's guidance in everyday life.
Whether you're a Christian who is curious about mindfulness practice and its benefits, or you work in a counselling profession and are trying to sort through your own approach to mindfulness-based therapies, this book is for you.
Brief description: Dr Katherine Thompson BA, BAppSci (Hons), BTh, BSW, PhD, is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and a Member of the Australian College of Social Workers. She works in the area of mental health as a therapist, lecturer, author and researcher.Katherine is passionate about supporting young people with mental health challenges to live their best lives, and seeks to encourage people in ministry to thrive in their role. She currently divides her time between her work as a mental health social worker and therapist in private practice, and as a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Melbourne School of Theology and Eastern College Australia.She has published in the areas of youth mental health, Christ-centred mindfulness, and cross-cultural mission. In 2019, her book 'Christ-Centred Mindfulness: Connection to Self' and God was announced the co-winner of the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and Dallas Willard Research Center Book Award.Katherine has her own private practice with a focus on young people aged 12-25 years, as well as ministry and mission staff. She is most content when outside in nature connecting to God in quietness through his creation.
Review Quotes:
'Katherine Thompson has done the church and the followers of Jesus a great service in writing this book. Mindfulness is everywhere - schools, business and counselling. In this book, the strengths and weaknesses of mindfulness, including its Buddhist origins, are looked at respectfully and honestly. A very balanced, yet creative Christian alternative is outlined that builds on the best of mindfulness. A must read for those committed to Christian meditation and taking our faith into the marketplace where such spiritual disciplines abound.' Ross Clifford, Principal, Morling College
'Katherine Thompson's call for Christ-centred mindfulness leads us to the place of contemplation where we can find ourselves and God. Quiet and meditative hearts seem rare these days. Our age is geared to speed and sound, but God cannot be easily seen or heard amid the noise and restlessness. The quest for inner peace seems both critical and difficult, and we need mindful silence to touch our souls. Quiet wisdom is what humanity desperately needs.' Tim Costello, Chief Advocate, World Vision Australia
'Thompson brings her skills as a counsellor and her experience in analysing culture to the topic to help people ask the right questions to decide whether Christian mindfulness is the right thing for them and if so, how to take it up it in a Christ-centred way. She has written a guide that will be helpful for Christians in everyday life, for reinvigorating spiritual practices and for addressing those times of stress and pain in our lives.' Tracy Lauersen, Senior Associate Vicar, St Hilary's Anglican Church, Kew, Melbourne
'Through biblically guided meditations and plenty of practical examples, Thompson capably illustrates how Christ-centred mindfulness can be employed as a psychologically informed practice of faith, not just acceptable to the Christian faith, but valuable and harmonious.' Kylie Maddox Pidgeon, Registered Psychologist
'In Christ Centred Mindfulness Katherine Thompson skilfully explains where mindfulness originated, how it is being used therapeutically, and where it fits in a biblical framework and in the Christian tradition. In doing this, she provides a wonderful model of engaging biblically and critically with our world. The Christian mindfulness exercises in Part III provide a useful alternative to any practices we might feel focus on self rather than on Jesus. This is an intelligent, well-researched and wise book.' Kara Martin, Author, Project Leader with Seed and Lecturer at Mary Andrews College
'This book provides a fantastic overview of the religious influences behind the current mindfulness craze. This kind of work is utterly missiological - providing an honest appraisal of the merits (and also the drawbacks) of a contemporary issue in order to allow Christians to form responses, sort through ideas, and engage the world around them. The beauty of this book is its willingness to adapt in order to promote psychologically sound principles, even while refusing the temptation to appropriate another's culture for one's own profit. The author undertakes the difficult task of returning back to the ancient Christian ways in order to promote wellbeing and good mental health amongst contemporary Christians. This kind of reflexive, resourceful and self-aware Christian is exactly what the world needs right now.' Tanya Riches, Worship Leader, Theology Lecturer and Researcher