The Craving Mind
From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits
by Judson Brewer
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Pub Date Mar 07 2017 | Archive Date Mar 17 2017
Description
We are all vulnerable to addiction. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, or any other behaviors, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? Is there a key to conquering the cravings we know are unhealthy for us?
This book provides groundbreaking answers to the most important questions about addiction. Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has studied the science of addictions for twenty years, reveals how we can tap into the very processes that encourage addictive behaviors in order to step out of them. He describes the mechanisms of habit and addiction formation, then explains how the practice of mindfulness can interrupt these habits. Weaving together patient stories, his own experience with mindfulness practice, and current scientific findings from his own lab and others, Dr. Brewer offers a path for moving beyond our cravings, reducing stress, and ultimately living a fuller life.
Judson Brewer MD PhD is a thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” having combined nearly 20 years of experience with mindfulness training with his scientific research therein. He is the Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness and associate professor in Medicine and Psychiatry at UMass Medical School. He is also adjunct faculty at Yale University, and a research affiliate at MIT. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, spoken at international conferences, trained US Olympic coaches, and his work has been featured on 60 Minutes, TED (5,000,000+ views; top 10 talks of 2016), TEDMED, TEDx, Time magazine (top 100 new health discoveries of 2013), Forbes, BBC, NPR, Businessweek and others. A psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for addictions, Brewer has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments (e.g. www.goeatrightnow.com, www.cravingtoquit.com). He has also studied the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness using standard and real-time fMRI. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Fetzer Trust among others.
Advance Praise
“This masterful, personal, friendly, compelling, humorous, and erudite book offers us a radically new perspective on learning, on breaking habits of mind not by force or through the application of will power or the desire for a reward, but by truly inhabiting the domain of being.”—Jon Kabat-Zinn, from the Foreword
“Accessible and enjoyable. The Craving Mind brilliantly combines the latest science with universal real-life experiences.”—Arianna Huffington
“Entertaining and profound, Judson Brewer’s book brings our everyday addictions into clear view, helping us see how we get caught up in our habits, and giving us simple, grounded steps that we can take to overcome them. Wisdom infuses his research as he offers us a path of exploration to better our lives.”—Jewel, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and author
“The core perception that 'something is missing' drives us to addiction and deprives us of the chance to live fully. By bringing together cutting-edge Western science, the radical insights of Buddhist psychology, and mindfulness practices, Judson Brewer offers a direct pathway to freeing our minds from the domination of craving.”—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge
“The Craving Mind is a remarkable book, one that will help free us from the powerful habits of craving and addiction. Brewer lays out a practical and empirically based pathway to greater freedom and ease in our lives. For many readers, this book will be life-transforming.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
"As Co-Chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus, I've seen first hand the need for action on addiction and substance abuse. I am thrilled that Judson Brewer has taken his extensive research on mindfulness and outlined its benefits for those battling this terrible disease. This book couldn't come at a time of greater need."— U.S. Representative Tim Ryan, Ohio, author of A Mindful Nation
“Judson Brewer’s revolutionary approach challenges all of us to look again and really see what gets us stuck in self-destructive habits, and how we can, at last, free ourselves from them.”—Mark Williams, University of Oxford
Marketing Plan
A conversation with Judson Brewer:
What is mindfulness and what is its power over unhealthy cravings?
The word mindfulness can have many different meanings, especially as mindfulness practices become more popular. At its essence, it is about being fully aware of what is happening right now, in this moment. And in particular, paying attention to the tendency to be pulled into reacting (often habitually) out of wanting to hold on to or get more of a pleasant experience than we might be having, or get rid of an unpleasant experience. Seeing the world and our reactions to it more clearly can help us step out from being under the spell of cravings, so that we can consciously choose our actions.
You have practiced mindfulness for many years. How does a beginner learn to practice its techniques?
In short, it is really helpful to simply begin to notice what cravings feel like in our body. We can even note or label them as a way to experience them more clearly, such as the feeling of tightness or restlessness that arises with a craving.
What new developments in your addiction research are most exciting to you?
We’re very excited to be testing our new mindful eating app (Eat Right Now), which teaches people to work with stress and emotionally-induced cravings for food. It turns out that we can be addicted to junk food very much in the same way as cigarettes or cocaine.
You’ve written that harmful addictions are reinforced by conditions in our world today. Which of those conditions concern you most?
The ready availability of technologies that can foster both craving as well as distraction, such as smartphones. These are great technologies that should include a warning label that they too can become addictive.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780300223248 |
| PRICE | $25.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 256 |
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