Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn, was first published in 1990. My copy is yellow and taped together, one of the most valuable readings in my library. Full Catastrophe Living was my first taste of Mindfulness. My psychology internship supervisor recommended that I read the book as it was obvious that I was very distracted and not present in the moment.

The second edition was published in 2013. The current edition is based on forty years’ clinical experience and over twenty thousand participants in an eight-week course known as the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. In the 1990’s, Behavioral Medicine was a new concept. The belief that mental and emotional factors, the ways we think and behave, can impact our physical health and our ability to recover from illness and injury.

I continue to be struck by the stories of people who came to the clinic, many of whom were totally incapacitated by stress. Everyday people who were referred to the stress clinic with specific medical problems including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, chronic pain, sleep disorders, and more. Each person came to the stress clinic with a unique story that gives meaning and understanding to that person’s perception of life, their pain, and the possibilities for healing and transformation.

Yes, the title is unusual and yet fitting for the world we live in. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines catastrophe as the enormity of our life experiences; the complex web of our past and present, relationships, hopes and dreams, fears and perceptions of living our lives and how our lives live us. We have discussed this book before in a reading group. If you are interested in discussing this book again, let me know!