• The Mindful Brain

  • The Neurobiology of Well-Being
  • By: Daniel J. Siegel
  • Narrated by: Daniel J. Siegel
  • Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (187 ratings)

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The Mindful Brain

By: Daniel J. Siegel
Narrated by: Daniel J. Siegel
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Publisher's summary

Does mindfulness practice improve your physical, social, and mental well-being? To what extent can your mind shape your brain? What does the latest research have to say about meditation and other awareness practices?

Now, with The Mindful Brain, Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, a pioneer of the emerging field known as interpersonal neurobiology, answers these questions and more in this original adaptation to complement his breakthrough book.

©2011 Sounds True (P)2011 Sounds True

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    4 out of 5 stars

You can train your brain

Would you listen to The Mindful Brain again? Why?

I heard this guy interviewed on the brain science podcast and followed the trail to listen to this book. I had always imagined that meditation was for people who were stressed out and needed to chill. Given that I am by nature pretty low stress, I never bothered with it. I gained some interesting insight here. Just as you might practice a tennis stroke to ingrain and master it, practicing meditation can be very empowering (in many ways). Have you ever tried it? Lie down and just focus on your breath. Empty your brain. Not easy, is it? If you're like most people you'll find that lots of thoughts start seeping in. Neurons that fire together wire together. The more you practice this, the better you get at it. This rings true for me. Years ago I was an Olympic athlete. I used to practice imagery to gain control of my mind in stressful and sometimes somewhat dangerous situations and also to practice and ingrain the rather technical motion of a ski jumping take-off. Initially I wasn't very good at it but with practice I dialed it in. I'd say that honing this skill was integral to my ultimate success in sport... and later in life as well. This relates to some other books I've read. One example being The Biology of Belief (great book). This book briefly explores the concept of "the director" - in a nutshell being introspective and conscious of the activity of your brain - your thoughts; "Isn't that interesting that I had that reaction". The author of The Mindful Brain (a scientist who by the way reads his own book here and conveys his passion for the subject matter) is exploring this concept in great detail. At times a little over my head but quite interesting ...

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27 people found this helpful

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Nice, concise summation...

of Siegel's work in the field of neurology and how he has brought together ancient wisdom about meditation and mindfulness and modern science, using science to show why the ancient wisdom has been around so long. In short, he shows how mindful meditation, particularly the type practiced in many forms of Buddhism, restructures the brain in a positive fashion and how it can be used to better our lives in all personal and social situations. I would recommend approaching this book before Siegel's longer work, Mindsight, since most of what is covered here has already been presented in a much more expanded form in that (really excellent) volume. Along with Siegel, one might also read the work of Jeffery Schwarz, Richard Davidson, and Daniel Goleman, as all are leading researchers in the field of how the mind influences the brain, an important new branch of neurology which overthrows the functionalist "brain as machine" model.

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9 people found this helpful

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Another Superb Book by Daniel Siegel

If you could sum up The Mindful Brain in three words, what would they be?

Concise but informational

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mindful Brain?

Summary

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Pleasant voice inflection and a chance to rest the eyes while taking in rich information

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

N/A

Any additional comments?

This seems to be an update to Mindsight, repeating much of what was stated there and building on it too, but rolls out in a more concise and well-paced manner. I have taken these principles into daily living, with immense benefit in interpersonal relationships and calmer days in spite of the storms of living.

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7 people found this helpful

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Excellent in every way

I love Daniel Siegel's work and found this to be top notch. Very simply and understandably but profoundly presented. Life changing and hopefully world changing.

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  • MC
  • 04-30-17

The Mindful Brain is our well being

This book is one of the keys to a well grounded life. I have gained the knowledge to understand myself better. My past negative and painful experiences have played a big part in the way I feel. But I know that I can change my brain through Mindfulness to have amazing life.

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Mostly excellent.

I came to this book for a very specific reason. To see what was happening in the brain that causes the changes that take place with meditation and mindfulness practice. It was good in this regard. But not great.

What I wasn't looking for was a way to improve or broaden my practice. But I found a few profound nuggets.

The book starts strong, with a discussion about mindfulness from a science perspective. It continues pretty well as he explores the subjective experience.

Then he goes into integrating the science and the subjective and this falls a little short of what I would label excellent. I am a pretty smart guy, and I have read a few books about the mind (maybe 15-20) and I have read a few books about mindfulness (maybe 6-8) so I don't think it was just me. I think he tried to cover to much ground in the space he allotted.

Anyway, still very good. I reccomend.

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ties it all together

It doesn't matter if you've read other books on the subject; this is a must read.

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  • ME
  • 11-02-22

Listened 4 times!

Great book! Wealth of knowledge! Great explanations about the function of the brain. The use of the hand as an example of the brain is perfect!

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Life-changing...

This book is life-changing. Listen and gain a new understanding of the mindful brain from the intersection of science and spirituality.

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Mindful Brain

Outstanding overview of the topic from scientific and traditional perspectives. Helps to ground ancient practices in modern understanding of nature.

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