Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness (2 page)

ferences in Italy and Europe, and published many articles, several chapters

and two books. He is Vice-President of the Italian Association for Obsessive–

Compulsive Disorder and also the Representative of the Regional Section of

SITCC, the Italian Society for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy. He has been

practicing and teaching meditation for many years and gives training retreats

in MBCT and mindfulness-based interventions in Italy and in many countries

in Europe.

xiii

Contributors

Baer Ruth
is Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her

research interests include mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions,

assessment and conceptualization of mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral inter-

ventions, and psychological assessment. She is the editor of
Mindfulness-

Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and

Applications
(Academic Press, 2006).

Barnhofer Thorsten
is a post-doctoral clinical research psychologist work-

ing in a Wellcome Trust funded team led by Professor Mark Williams at the

University of Oxford. He teaches MBCT classes and trainings as part of ongo-

ing research into the effects and mechanisms of mindfulness meditation,

most recently, in collaboration with Dr Catherine Crane, a study funded by

a Franciso J Varela Research Award from the Mind & Life Institute examin-

ing the effects of MBCT in chronically depressed patients with a history of

suicidality.

Battista Susan
completed her Master’s work with Dr. Nancy Kocovski at

Wilfrid Laurier University where she was involved with research on mindful-

ness and social anxiety. Susan is now at Dalhousie University completing a

doctoral degree in clinical psychology.

Best Jennifer L., Ph.D.
is a clinical health psychologist and Assistant Pro-

fessor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to

this position she pursued post-doctoral research training with Duke Integra-

tive Medicine in applying mindfulness-based approaches to the regulation of

weight, eating and metabolism in eating disorders and obesity. She also has

experience developing and leading mindfulness-based groups for the man-

agement of stress and for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression with

community samples. Dr. Best is published in the area of mindfulness and

glucose metabolism among obese binge eaters. Her current research exam-

ines how mindfulness may be a useful skill for improving appetite regulation

among overweight individuals seeking to maintain weight loss.

Bien Thomas, Ph.D.
is an author and practicing psychologist in Albu-

querque, New Mexico, where he teaches mindfulness and meditation. In

xv

xvi

Contributors

addition to his doctorate in psychology from the University of New Mex-

ico, he also holds a master’s degree in theology from Princeton Theologi-

cal Seminary. He presents nationally and internationally. His work is at the

forefront of integrating mindfulness into the practice of psychotherapy. He

is author of:
Mindful Therapy: A Guide for Therapists and Helping Pro-

fessionals
(Wisdom, 2006),
Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing

From Addiction
(Wiley, 2002), and
Finding the Center Within: The Healing

Way of Mindfulness Meditation
(Wiley, 2003), and co-editor of the Guilford

volume,
Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship
(2008).

Birnie Kathryn
received her BA (Hons) Psychology from the University of

Calgary in 2007. Under the direction of Dr. Linda Carlson, Kathryn studied

the impact of the MBSR program for patients with cancer and their part-

ners. In particular, her thesis focused on examining changes in symptoms

of stress, mood disturbance, and social support in this group. For this work,

Kathryn received an honorable mention for the Research Award for outstand-

ing undergraduate research. Kathryns personal interest in yoga and medita-

tion prompted her to study abroad in India at the University of Pune, as well

as complete a minor in religious studies. She plans to continue a focus on

psychosocial oncology in her graduate studies.

Brantley Jeffrey,
M.D., is a Board-Certified psychiatrist and has practiced

mindfulness meditation for over 25 years. He is a founding faculty mem-

ber of Duke Integrative Medicine, and is the founder and director of the

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Brantley is the author
”Calming Your Anxious Mind: how mindfulness

and compassion can free you from anxiety, fear, and panic”,
2
nd
edition,

(New Harbinger Publications, 2007). He is also the co-author of a popular

book series,
Five Good Minutes
(New Harbinger Publications, 2005, 2006,

2007) and has contributed to book chapters, and numerous articles focused

on applications of mindfulness to enhance health and well-being in daily life.

Carlson Linda
is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor in Psychoso-

cial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine at the

University of Calgary, and the holder of the Enbridge Endowed Research

Chair in Psychosocial Oncology. She also holds an Adjunct Associate Pro-

fessor appointment in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Carlson has been

studying MBSR since 1997 and published papers on its effects in cancer

patients in peer-reviewed journals including
Psychosomatic Medicine, Psy-

choneuroendocrinology,
and
Brain, Behavior and Immunity
. Her group

has shown its efficacy for decreasing symptoms of stress, improving mood,

sleep and quality of life, and altering stress hormone and immune function

in cancer patients. She has published almost 80 book chapters and research

papers in peer-reviewed journals, holds several millions of dollars in grant

funding and regularly presents her work at international conferences.

Cordon Shari, MA,
is a Doctoral candidate in Social Psychology at Virginia

Commonwealth University. Ms. Cordon’s research focuses on the role of

mindfulness in interpersonal contexts. Conducted in both laboratory and

intervention settings, her studies investigate the effects of trait and state

Contributors

xvii

mindfulness on relationship formation, satisfaction, and psychological well-

being correlates.

Crane Catherine
is a post-doctoral research psychologist working in a Well-

come Trust funded team led by Professor Mark Williams at the University

of Oxford. In collaboration with Dr. Thorsten Barnhofer she is currently

conducting a study funded by a Fransisco J Varela Research Award from

the Mind & Life Institute, examining the feasibility and immediate effects

of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for patients who are chronically

depressed and suicidal. Catherine has a personal interest in mindfulness med-

itation and a number of publications on the role of mindfulness-relevant psy-

chological processes in depression and suicidal behaviour.

Didonna Fabrizio
(see
about the editor
)

Dimidjian Sona, Ph.D.,
is an assistant professor in the department of psy-

chology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focuses on the

treatment and prevention of depression. She has a strong interest in the clin-

ical application of mindfulness, including both Dialectical Behavior Therapy

and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and a longstanding personal mind-

fulness and yoga practice.

Drossel Claudia
received her doctoral degree in experimental psychology

from Temple University. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in clini-

cal psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she encountered the

concepts of acceptance and mindfulness through Dialectical Behavior Ther-

apy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Claudia views acceptance

and mindfulness as complex cognitive-behavioral skill sets that require exten-

sive practice, permeate all aspects of inter and intra personal relationships,

and are not teachable with words alone. Daily life provides the practicing

ground for acceptance and mindfulness. Claudia engages in formal practice

by studying yoga.

Follette Victoria M., PhD,
is a Professor of Psychology and Chair of the

Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. She was named

Distinguished Alumna by the Department of Psychology at the University of

Memphis, Tennessee where she completed her graduate work. Dr. Follette

heads the Trauma Research Institute of Nevada, which utilizes a contextual

behavioral approach to understanding the sequelae of trauma. Her areas of

interest include the empirical study of applied treatment and mindfulness-

based approaches to treatment and she had published extensively in these

areas.

Fulton Paul R., Ed.D.
is a founding member and President of the Insti-

tute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He is a clinical psychologist, hav-

ing received his doctorate from Harvard University’s Laboratory for Human

Development. Paul received lay ordination in Zen Buddhism in 1972. He is

currently Director of Mental Health for Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts,

and in private psychotherapy practice. He is on the board of directors of the

Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts. Paul has taught

applications of Buddhist psychology to mental health professionals interna-

xviii

Contributors

tionally, and is co-author and co-editor of
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy,

Guildford, 2005.

Gardner-Nix Jackie
graduated from London University, UK as an MBBS

(British equivalent of M.D.) and Ph.D. (biochemistry), and obtained mem-

bership in the Royal College of Physicians of UK in Internal Medicine. Cur-

rently, she is a Chronic Pain Consultant in the Departments of Anaesthesia’s

Pain Clinics at St Michael’s Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Cen-

tre, Toronto, and an Assistant Professor at University of Toronto. She has

given many workshops and presentations on pain management and special-

ized in medications for pain, but in the last six years has focused on devel-

oping and researching mindfulness-based meditation courses for pain suffer-

ers based on Jon-Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR work. Her courses are taught through

telemedicine as well as on site to patients throughout Ontario, Canada.

Garland Sheila.
Under the supervision of Dr. Linda Carlson, Sheila Gar-

land has been investigating the use of MBSR in individuals with cancer since

2003. Specifically, her interest has been the potential application of mind-

fulness meditation to reduce insomnia symptoms and improve sleep quality.

Sheila Garland previously published pilot work demonstrating that partici-

pants reported improved sleep quality after participation in the MBSR pro-

gram. In addition, she has published a comparison of the MBSR program

to another psychosocial intervention on measures of spirituality and post-

traumatic growth. Finally, she has contributed to work exploring the experi-

ence of partners and support persons taking part in the program.

Germer Christopher K., PhD
is a clinical psychologist in private prac-

tice, specializing in mindfulness-based treatment of anxiety and panic, and

couples therapy. He has been integrating meditation and mindfulness prin-

ciples into psychotherapy since 1978. His special interest is the cultivation

of self-compassion in psychotherapy. Dr. Germer is a founding faculty mem-

ber of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, a Clinical Instructor

in Psychology, Harvard Medical School, and co-editor,
Mindfulness and Psy-

chotherapy
(Guilford Press).

Gilbert Paul
is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby

and Consultant Psychologist at Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust.

He has a visiting Professorship at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and

Coimbra (Portugal). He has been a Fellow of the British Psychological Society

since 1993 publised over 100 papers and book chapters and 14 books. He

has a special interest in the the role of shame in psychopathology and its

treatment with compassion focused therapy.

Goodman Trudy,
Ed.M., is the Founder of InsightLA, a non-profit organiza-

tion that offers mindfulness meditation courses, sitting groups and retreats.

She has trained and taught extensively in Zen and Vipassana meditation, psy-

chotherapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Trudy teaches with Jack

Kornfield and others worldwide. She co-founded the first Institute for Medi-

tation and Psychotherapy in Cambridge, MA, in 1995, and Growing Spirit, a

Contributors

xix

family mindfulness program in Los Angeles, with Susan Kaiser Greenland, in

2002.

Greeson Jeffrey,
Ph.D., is a clinical health psychologist with a Master’s