Customer Reviews

Sane New World: Taming the Mind

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've read a lot of books about neurology, psychology and psychotherapy. Just put this one down having finished the last page. This one is a bit special because it has been written by someone who writes from the heart, with an honesty that's compelling. It has been said that there is no owner's manual that comes with each brain. This one provides a pretty good idea of what to do if you feel that your own brain is not quite getting you through your life the way you'd like. Highly recommended. I've always liked the author as a comedienne... I like her even better as an author and educator.

What's the one thing we all say when asked what we'd wish ourselves or our children and loved ones? A happy life. This excellent book isn't just for those people with a mental health diagnosis. It's a book for any human being who wants a happier life. A manual for improved life quality - improved thinking, feeling and behaviour. I want to send one each to all our children.

Here's a modified something I wrote on Ruby Wax's website (www.rubywax.net) today.

"I'm glad the Irish Sane New World Tour went so well. My work hours were reduced from 36 to 12 per week when I had to have time off for an episode and the doctor's certificate showed 'bipolar depression'. That's a 2/3 cut in my salary. We moved area and I now work from home doing something I love. But mental illness can still hit us in the pocket and lower self-esteem further in this way, as you mention in SNW. The law definitely needs changing. We can never have too many people being open and honest about their experiences.

I'm now told by my e-reader I'm at '94 of 150' and thus at Part 4 of Sane New World. Although I took two NHS Mindfulness courses, the brain part was only explained in that we can change our thinking and thus feeling and behaviours. There simply wasn't the budget or time on the NHS to go into that detail and we concentrated on the actual practice.

So, at very long last, someone has explained for me in layman's/Joe Public human terms what scientists and scholars actually know, from all the research we have up to now (and clearly more needs doing), about our brains and minds. I knew Mindfulness was doing me good, making life richer and me more content, but the info in SNW's been a revelation to me. How complex is the brain! No wonder it's taking time to work it all out. And each brain is unique. So Ruby's down-to-earth and often funny and recognisable explanations helped me see why I've been stuck with certain thoughts, beliefs and attitudes for too many years.

I've had to read some parts twice - which gave me priceless ah-ha moments galore - and look up a few words but you've made this topic so accessible for those who want to do something about their mental health/thinking/life problems but may not understand why Mindfulness (and mindfulness-based CBT) is worth learning and practising and sticking at. For ANYone!

One practical course of Mindfulness would be great, if daily practise follows. Doing a course, then forgetting about it probably wouldn't help. A course or other complementary works such as Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Williams & Penman - based on Kabat-Zinn's work - and then practising daily, begins to pay dividends. I wouldn't be writing this if I doubted it. I don't do many reviews. I have to feel very strongly. And this is fundamental stuff to help with our lives.

Of course there are crappy and traumatic times; Ruby Wax doesn't deny that (especially by being open in the book about her own struggles) - but we can observe those times, thoughts and feelings with mindful practice, and recover in a healthier way than the negative things we often do, beating ourselves up, being unkind to ourselves, overloading ourselves to breaking point, etc. This book has explained to me what's going on; how with Mindfulness I'm rewiring my brain to positive effect. I was honestly at the point where I couldn't afford NOT to.

We are human and fallible. Perfection we can never have but, using your book and the Mindfulness-based options (books/courses/cds and more) out there, we can improve our quality of life. And I think that's the best gift those of use with mental health issues can give ourselves. Thanks for making it all a lot clearer for me. :-)"

I don't always meditate daily (I can manage short ones quite well, even 5 minutes!) but I do try and consciously do a few daily things (washing up, anyone? Walking the dog?) in a mindful way, paying attention. Everyone will have their own preferences.

If you struggle with life, that the habitual negative thoughts you have affect your self-worth/your emotions and feelings/your behaviour and how you live life (anxious/suffering depressive/anxiety symptoms/obsessive thoughts and behaviours) and you sincerely wish to change this, well then, say no more, you are very human and Ruby's written a funny, accessible manual to help.

Life can only improve with this stuff. It *can* be happier if you want. But if your painful comfort-zone is the one you want to keep, you go ahead. You're welcome to it. But don't say I never tipped you the wink! ;-)

For anyone affected directly or indirectly by mental illness this is a must read. It is the first book that I have read on the subject that clearly explains how to turn around your thought process in laymen's terms. The technical details are explained clearly without being condescending.Sane New World: How to Tame the Mind

I downloaded this book onto my kindle intending to read it on holiday. But ended up reading it right away, in less than two days.
Most of us remember Ms Wax as a comedienne with a very sharp tongue. But nowadays she has re-surfaced with no less than a Master's Degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy, having previously obtained a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling.......(!? ) This book is full of funny anecdotes, references to her jewish mother, and keen observation of the human condition.

If you suffer from depression ( which is perfectly normal, as is explained in the book) you will find it uplifting and funny. So yes, this a self-help book written by an American, and I never seem to get much out of American self-help books, but this book is light and entertaining enough to hold your attention due to the power of Ms. Wax's personality. You can almost hear her voice as you read it.

this book is a gift to the world. it's a helpful book without being a 'self help book.' funny, insightful and a revelation. it makes the most impossible concepts accessible for everyone and will help anyone understand the intricate workings of the brain and the responses we have to life. a must have for anyone trying to navigate their way through all the madness. major thanks to miss wax...

Comedienne and now Psychotherapist, Ruby Wax deserves a Royal Albert Hall sized standing ovation for her new book.

Ruby talks with a deep and compelling honesty about her own struggles (not always pleasant) and how practicing mindfulness has made a huge difference to her own life. She makes mindfulness much simpler than many other speakers and authors. She removes the religious aspects associated with it, making it accessible to anyone of any religion or none.

Written in plain english with humour she gives a tour of the different parts of the brain. She lists the results of many compelling scientific studies that clearly show how mindfulness quickly brings about positive changes in the brain and the body.

Ruby lists many different practices and exercises that can help improve how we think and feel about ourselves, others and the world around us. Whilst some determined effort will be required, it is simply a case of choosing a few that you want to try and that you think you can practically do. I have used some of her 5 second mindfulness techniques over the last week and already feel a greater sense of calm.

Ruby gives us all some compelling answers to overburdened health services and budgets. I want every every GP and NHS manager in the country to read her book. I shall be recommending her book to many of my own coaching clients.

A big thank you to you Ruby!

Brilliant Book. I read it with Ruby's voice in my head which made it easy and amusing. I wish she had written this book when I was 14, it would have saved me years of heart/head ache.. A must read for those who want to find out more about themselves and those around them. Thank you Ms Wax, I am only sorry that you had to suffer first in order to get tothis point in your life...

I read a newspaper article by Ruby Wax in which she spoke about her re-direction into the world of Mindfulness training/psychotherapy as a result of her own experience with mental health issues. I had something of a light bulb moment as much of what she said I could apply directly to myself. Ruby spoke with such down to earth common sense, no psycho babble, and her wicked sense of humour helped break down some of the more serious aspects of depression and make the subject approachable, accessible. As a result of the newspaper article I was inspired enough to buy her book and download:-

'Mindfulness; A Practical Guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Prof. Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman'.

Ruby's book is split into sections which she uses to explain differing levels of anxiety/depression and describe what's going on in your brain to keep you awake at night, feel agitated or alter your mood, etc. Doesn't read like a psychotherapy textbook, it's hugely entertaining, and has an excellent balance between the serious and the 'not quite so much'.

Mindfulness training is obviously what Ruby's promoting because it worked for her though I'd never heard of it. I'm no professional and have no real knowledge of psychotherapy but; I was so inspired by Sane New World: Taming the Mind and Ruby's experience with Mindfulness I began the eight week course (as mentioned above) a fortnight ago. It's too soon to go into massive detail and tell you it's a miracle cure, I don't want to mislead anyone, I'll only say that re-training your mind is hard work and you need to apply yourself to the practice. The meditation exercises, for me, had an immediate, relaxing effect and the theory of Mindfulness is helping me understand my own inner turmoil.

One of the main benefits of reading Ruby's book isn't just to learn about Mindfulness training. She's reaching out and sharing her own emotions and experience to encourage other people with depression/anxiety disorder (or any other mental illness) to open up and talk about it. There's no shame. The book's massively informative but it's also sad, warm and funny and you don't have to be suffering from depression to read it. Mindfulness is a great tool to use if you're leading an incredibly busy life and want to find an oasis of peace inside yourself.

The sections of the book in which Ruby Wax reflects on and recounts her personal experience are both moving and informative and certainly helped me to understand better what it is like to suffer from depression. However, I found the other sections rather annoying in their tone and at times I felt my mind lurching into the world of the untamed mind rather than the tamed. There are other books out there which explain the practice of mindfulness much more clearly, for example Mark Williams 'Finding Peace in a Frantic World'.

After following the eight week course outlined in Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic worldI was desperate to tell as many people as possible how wonderful Mindfulness is and what an impact it is having on my life. In the same week as I completed the course I discovered that by some wonderful coincidence Ruby had written her own book on the subject. Not only that but it was not some celebrity 'bandwagon' exercise but a serious contribution to the topic, based on her own experiences and her studies at Oxford University with the very professor who designed the course I'd just completed.
Ruby explains, with her characteristic humour, the latest scientific understanding of how the human mind works. She laments the fact that we don't come with a user manual and points out that we instinctively behave as if we were still hunter gatherers - hence all the shopping!
The good news is that we can rewire our brains and don't have to be trapped by our genes or our history. I can vouch for this with my own experiences. It was interesting to read the scientific proof. I would have liked to see an appendix with references for the studies she quotes. The absence of this in my kindle version is the only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars.
It's a shame, although probably inevitable, that those interviewing Ruby about the book want to concentrate on her own history because you don't have to suffer from depression or any other mental illness to benefit from practising Mindfulness. Whilst Ruby explains how it helps her she also provides a comprehensive list of studies and examples that show just how much benefit it can bring to any human being.
I hope many many people will read this book and be inspired to undergo Mindfulness training. If they do the world will be much better for it.