Books

All of these books have deeply influenced me over the years. I offer the list in the hope that somewhere in these books you will find just the right words that God has waiting for you. Mind-body-spirit are intertwined, but to make your browsing easier, I have subdivided the list into 1. mind-body/psychology, 2. spiritual, and 3. lifestyle medicine. Please note that I have provided links to each book for your convenience; they are not affiliate links. Please choose freely whom you purchase from. Enjoy. — Donna

1. Mind/Body Psychology

• Minding the Body, Mending the Mind by Joan Borysenko
  A classic by a pioneer of mind-body medicine. 

• Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky

  A practical book with guidelines and suggestions to help you grow from negative ways of thinking. 

• Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (2nd ed)
  by Jon Kabat-Zinn
  A comprehensive presentation by the founder of modern mindfulness/stress reduction. 

• The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth
  by M. Scott Peck
  A very old book packed with wisdom for our times. This book, Sacrament of the Present Moment, and the Prophet by Kahlil Gibran are the only books I have read multiple times in my life….that speaks volumes! 

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
  by Bessel A. Van der Kolk
  A psychiatrist shares what he has learned about trauma and stress, the way they imprint in the body, and how the damage can be healed. 

2. Spiritual

• Sacrament of the Present Moment
  by Jean-Pierre de Caussade (new translation by Kitty Muggeridge)
  A slim treasure written in the 1700’s by a Jesuit priest, best prayed rather than read, transformational for me. 

• Devotional Classics, Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups
  by Richard J. Foster and James B. Smith
  This book offers so much wisdom. 

• Intimacy with God: Introduction to Centering Prayer
  by T. Keating
  In this book and the one below, Father Keating explores contemplative prayer and the psychology and spirituality of the true self/false self. 

• Open Mind, Open Heart (2nd ed.)
  by T. Keating

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
  Peter Scazzero
  I highly recommend this book, which I discuss in greater detail in the first Serenity and Health Book Share blog post.

3. Lifestyle Medicine

• Disease Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well
  by David L. Katz
  A doctor writes about eating and health. 

• Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
  by Walter C. Willet
  A comprehensive and readable guide to healthy eating. 

• Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy—Until You’re 80 and Beyond
  by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge
  This book strongly emphasizes exercise and includes readable explanations about exercise physiology and the health benefits of exercise. 

 Websites and More

• Contemplative Prayer Contemplative Outreach provides a definition and applications for Contemplative Prayer.

• Center for Action and Contemplation, Fr. Richard Rohr
  Learn more about the wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition and its emergence in service to the healing of our world.

• Healthy Eating, Harvard School of Public Health
  Provides detailed guidance, in a simple format, to help you make the best eating choices.

• Physical Fitness: A Pathway to Health and Resilience
  Open link to download this excellent 2013 summary.

• Favorite Prayers [pdf]