Synopses & Reviews
Women and girls are now becoming addicted at greater rates than ever before, and until very recently women in recovery were dependent on treatment models based solely on work with men.
Harvard addiction and trauma expert Lisa M. Najavits offers this step-by-step program to help women overcome the often-overlooked problems associated with their drug and alcohol addictions, such as body image, trauma and violence, relationships, stress, and thrill-seeking. She explores how women differ from men in their addiction and recovery, and adapts this information to help you embark on your journey to healing. A chapter on co-occurring emotional problems allows you to evaluate whether you have any of the key disorders common among women with addiction, such as depression, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, or phobias.
With this strengths-building workbook, begin to come to terms with your personal addiction story. Healing exercises in four areas--feelings, beliefs, action, and relationships--help women build self-respect. Exercises include "Listen to That Small Quiet Voice," "Extreme Self-Care," "Self-Soothing," "Become Friends with Women," "Rethink," "Take Charge," "Share Responsibility," and "Mourn." In addition to these exercises and techniques, the book offers valuable resources of recovery support information.
Review
“This excellent workbook is an important contribution to the self-help literature. Its ideas, stories, and resource lists create a comprehensive framework that will be very helpful to women struggling with addiction. Dr. Najavits combines her strong clinical skills with compassion, respect, and an understanding of women’s lives.”
—Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., LCSW, Author of A Woman’s Way Through the Twelve Steps and Helping Women Recover: A Program for Treating Addiction
Review
“A terrific and much needed book! Over the last decade, rates of addiction have steadily climbed among women. This book speaks directly to the hearts and minds of women experiencing addiction problems. It successfully balances a gentle, nurturing approach with scientifically grounded, highly informative content. This workbook is filled with motivational exercises that work well across different types of addiction, recovery stages, and life experiences. It’ sa wonderful contribution.
—Mary E.McCaul, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Director, Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Women’s Center
Review
“In this clear, useful, and empowering book, Dr. Najavits deftly explores the broad range of issues related to women’s sobriety, including self-care, healthy relationships, trusting one’s inner wisdom, and the ability to stand firmly in the center of one’s power. Through helpful information and detailed exercise, she offers a map that leads to maintaining sobriety and living a full life.”
—Charlotte Sophia Kasl, author of Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps and If the Buddha Dated
Review
“This is a wonderful book for any woman seeking to explore an addiction problem. It is a practical guide for looking inward that is both heartfelt and straightforward. Drawing on her extensive professional experience, Dr. Najavits offers a holistic approach to help women explore all aspects of their lives. The book is valuable as a self-help guide and also as a resource for clinicians seeking to enhance their clients’ treatment experience.”
—Joan E Zweben, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco; Executive Director, East Bay Community Recovery Project, Oakland, California
Review
“The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction is a brilliant blend of psychology and spirituality. Williams and Kraft have written a breakthrough manual, clearly and intelligently laid out, that blends the most current understanding of addiction with the powerful practices of mindfulness. One of the best books on living with integrity we have read in years.”
—Michele Hébert, author of The Tenth Door, and Mehrad Nazari, PhD, director of the Raja Yoga Institute
Review
“What a gift! This wonderful workbook will help you understand how addictions function as a false remedy for negative feelings. It is packed with stories, metaphors, worksheets, and activities that will teach you how to befriend your mind and use it as a resource for recovery and fulfillment. The authors use everyday language to describe the complexities of the human condition, and help you systematically learn and practice skills to accept your feelings, live with integrity by honoring your values, and enrich your relationships. The workbook can be used by individuals or groups and will make a great adjunct for psychotherapy.”
—Heidi A. Zetzer, PhD, director of the Hosford Counseling & Psychological Services Clinic at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Review
“Refreshing, unique, and practical. The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction is an impressive synthesis of Eastern and Western techniques designed to help those struggling with addiction find a path towards healing and transformation. Through the use of mindfulness practices, cognitive-behavioral exercises, case examples and relevant metaphors, the authors entice readers to actively participate in their own recovery. This workbook offers creative, new ideas and practical recovery tools designed to facilitate real and lasting change. I can’t wait to use it with my clients!”
—Phylis Wakefield, PhD, psychologist, specialist in addiction and trauma and coauthor of Couple Therapy for Alcoholism
Review
“With warmth and patience, The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction guides the reader step-by-step through a journey toward self-understanding, self-acceptance, responsibility, and healing. With practical knowledge of how painful emotions drive us to act against our own well-being and how to free ourselves from this struggle, Williams and Kraft have provided an invaluable resource for people in recovery and the therapists who aid them. Mental health professionals are offered a comprehensive map of the emotional ground traveled in recovery from addictions and other self-defeating behaviors, with spot-on teaching stories that illustrate each stage of the process.”
—Laura E. Forsyth, PhD, supervisor of psychological counseling at Moorpark College and psychologist in private practice serving adults with ADHD, depression and anxiety in Camarillo, CA
Review
“With an engaging and conversational tone, Williams and Kraft show you how to change the energy of addiction. Their practical strategies allow addictive personalities to dig deep and tackle the genesis of their destructive behaviors and trigger positive-mindset solutions for living a more powerful life.”
—Stacey Canfield, author of The Soul Sitter Handbook
Review
“The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction is a practical, easy-to-read book that addresses addictions of all varieties. The workbook is rich in offering tools and insights that everyone can benefit from, whether they struggle with an addiction or not. The authors nicely use case examples and metaphors to bring the concepts alive. This will be a valuable resource to anyone seeking to learn new skills for overcoming an addiction.”
—Lee Williams, PhD, professor of marital and family therapy at the University of San Diego and co-author of Essential Assessment Skills for Couple and Family Therapists
Review
“Williams and Kraft teach readers in a clear, compassionate, and concise way how to observe painful feelings as they arise. By learning how to tolerate and investigate their present-moment experiences, readers can stop harmful behaviors and make more valued life choices. This guide will be an essential addition to the library of anyone struggling with addiction and difficult emotions, and for all therapists who want to utilize an effective approach to help people live fuller, healthier lives.”
—Shoshana Shea, PhD, clinical psychologist focusing on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in San Diego
Review
“The authors have created a tool that can benefit all people who are dealing with addictions. The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction integrates our best treatments for addiction and the emotional suffering that comes with it. This is a clear, step-by-step approach that will help readers move from trying (and failing) to avoid pain to living the life that they want to live, consistent with their values and free from the substance to which they are addicted. The focus on a nonjudgmental stance and acceptance of one’s self while also facing challenges and changing behaviors provides readers with the key tools needed to change their lives.”
—John R. McQuaid, PhD, associate chief of mental health at San Francisco VA Medical Center, professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and coauthor of Peaceful Mind
Synopsis
An addiction expert presents a breakthrough step-by-step program to help women overcomes substance abuse. Exercises help women break the cycle of 'using to forget,' build new strengths, and find greater self-respect. Includes a directory of recovery options, advice on getting outside help, and 18 worksheets.
Synopsis
The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction offers a mindfulness-based program for treating addiction created by a psychologist who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs and a marriage and family therapist who works for Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. This unique approach addresses the grief and loss that are often at the root of addiction.
Synopsis
Most addictive behavior is rooted in some type of loss, be it the death of a loved one, coming to terms with limitations set by chronic health problems, or the end of a relationship. By turning to drugs and alcohol, people who have suffered a loss can numb their grief. In the process, they postpone their healing and can drive themselves further into addiction.
The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction offers readers an effective program for working through their addiction and grief with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Created by a psychologist who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs and a marriage and family therapist who works for Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, this mindfulness training workbook is effective for treating the emotion dysregulation, stress, depression, and grief that lie at the heart of addiction. No matter the loss, the mindfulness skills in this workbook help readers process their grief, determine the function their addiction is serving, and replace the addiction with healthy coping behaviors.
About the Author
Lisa M. Najavits, PhD, is professor of psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; and lecturer, Harvard Medical School. She is a research psychologist at Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System and the Bedford VA; clinical associate, McLean Hospital; and director of Treatment Innovations. Her major clinical and research interests are substance abuse, trauma, co-morbidity, behavioral addictions, veterans' mental health, community-based care, development of new psychotherapies, and outcome research. She is author of over 175 professional publications, as well as the books Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse; A Woman's Addiction Workbook; and the upcoming book Creating Change: A Past-Focused Treatment Manual for Trauma and Addiction. She has served as president of the Society of Addiction Psychology of the American Psychological Association; and is on various advisory boards including the Journal of Traumatic Stress; the Journal of Gambling Studies; and Addiction Research and Theory. She has received various awards, including the 1997 Young Professional Award of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; the 1998 Early Career Contribution Award of the Society for Psychotherapy Research; the 2004 Emerging Leadership Award of the American Psychological Association Committee on Women; and the 2009 Betty Ford Award of the Addiction Medical Education and Research Association. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association; board certified in behavioral therapy; a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts; and conducts a psychotherapy practice. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University and her bachelor's degree with honors from Barnard College of Columbia University.
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