Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Chronic Pain

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, is a physician turned mindfulness and compassion teacher and a senior teacher at InsightLA (InsightLA.org) in Los Angeles, California. She trains teachers and teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion to groups and individuals in the US and across Europe. With her medical background, one of her specialties is working with people who suffer from chronic illness and pain. Dr. Wolf is a lead teacher and program developer for the nationwide mindfulness facilitator training for the Department of Veterans Affairs.Dr. Wolf is also a Buddhist teacher in the vipassana (insight) meditation tradition and has received teacher transmission from Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield. She is the coauthor, with Greg Serpa, of A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness. Dr. Wolf lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three children.

• Foreword by Daniel J. Siegel, MDIntroduction: An Opportunity to change your brainPart 1: Caring for YourselfYou Are Not Your PainMeditation: You are not your painThe Pain StoryPractice: Writing reflection on the pain storyMeditation: The pain storyThe Box We Call PainPractice: Working with thoughts, sensations, and emotionsMeditation: Opening the box of pain: exploring sensations, thoughts, and emotionsSelf-Compassion for PainMeditation: Self-compassion for painPart 2: Making PeaceEnding the War with Your BodyMeditation: Kindness body scanFinding Your Internal Support GroupMeditation: Shared humanity: calling up the internal support groupCollecting PearlsPractice: Collecting pearlsMeditation: Yes, and…Part 3: Handling Big EmotionsThe Dark Clouds of DepressionMeditation: Safe and pain free in the bodyThe Fear of Making Grief RealMeditation: Being with griefNumbing OutMeditation: Urge surfingAnger is a Mixed BagMeditation: Safely exploring angerFreeing Yourself from the Prison of ResentmentMeditation: ForgivenessPart 4: The Pain of Connecting and DisconnectingDealing with IgnoranceMeditation: Dealing with hurtful remarksLoving Someone with Chronic PainMeditation: Equanimity: every person is on their own life’s journeyFinding Your PeopleMeditation: Finding strength and joy in connections with othersPart 5: Shifting PerspectiveThe Comparing MindMeditation: Releasing your comparing mindMaking MeaningMaking meaning: silver lining backward and forwardThe Paradox of Doing NothingMeditation: Doing nothingThe Big PictureMeditation: The big pictureStop Trying to Get BetterMeditation: OK as you areEpilogue: Closing ThoughtsResourcesAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

"A Best Mindfulness Book of 2021—Mindful.org"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."