New Books In Spiritual Practice And Mindfulness

Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity (Scribner, 2017) is the first book about mindfulness and medical practice written for patients, their families, and for doctors and others providing health care. It is a groundbreaking, intimate exploration of how doctors approach their work with patients. From his early days as a Harvard Medical School student, Ronald Epstein saw what makes good doctors great, how they deliver more accurate diagnoses, make fewer errors, and build stronger connections with their patients. This set the stage for his life's work—identifying the qualities and habits that distinguish master clinicians from those who are merely competent. The secret, he learned, was mindfulness. Drawing on his clinical experiences and current research, Dr. Epstein explores four foundations of mindfulness — Attending, Curiosity, Beginner's Mind, and Being Present — and shows how clinicians can grow their capacity to provide high-quality care. In today's commodified health care system, with physician bu