An article in the British newspaper The Telegraph by Sophie Jamieson described how mindfulness and meditation training helped prisoners and prison guards control anger and reduce depression and anxiety. The same article also described how almost 200 MPs, peers, and staff received similar training following Labour MP Chris Ruane and Lord Richard Layard setting up a program in Westminster that called for.“…the role of mindfulness and mental wellbeing to be officially recognised and reflected in policy, including in healthcare, education and criminal justice."
Doug Carnine, PhD., author of 'Saint Badass - Personal Transcendence In Tucker Max Hell,' is well aware of the life changing benefits meditation and mindfulness can produce for everyone, including those who are incarcerated in jails and prisons.
“Mindfulness improves our lives," Carnine stated. "Adding kindness to mindfulness transforms our lives. Scientists have found that being kind is as important to the well being of your body and mind as what you eat and how much you exercise. Moreover kindness, found in all religions, is also one of our four basic instincts, along with survival, success and reproduction. Modern society promotes success and sex. But how much do we hear about kindness? My job is to get the word out about the power of combining mindfulness and kindness.”
'Saint Badass - Personal Transcendence In Tucker Max Hell' is a story spanning seven years worth of letters and growing friendships between four prisoners and Carnine. Each prisoner faces various crises in prison including disabling illness, a brain tumor, a prison gang attack, family betrayal, medical abuse and harsh punishments for mild offenses. Each prisoner in his own way achieves transcendence through his crisis using mindfulness, meditation and the blessings of kindness. Readers are stunned to see the destructive forces of an abusive childhood, a criminal adulthood, and a life without parole in prison result in their incongruously continuous acts of kindness. Their voices are raw and honest, and at times inspiring.
Another of his books, 'How Love Wins', follows in the same vein. Most of us recognize that being kinder and more present would not only improve our own lives and the lives of our loved ones, but also strengthen our communities. Numerous scientific studies have confirmed that both living mindfully and being kind to others offer a host of benefits -- from stronger relationships to longer life. Yet even if we truly care and are motivated to change, we find that old habits keep us from achieving our goal of increasing our kindness and improving our relationships.
In 'How Love Wins', Carnine offers another path. In this simple but powerful guide, he leads the reader through a 12-step process of transformation, opening a toolbox of skills and techniques that anyone can use to live more fully in the moment and be more kind to themselves and others. A lay Buddhist minister who has worked with prisoners and hospice patients, Carnine provides a clear path that will enable almost everyone to build a mindfully kind life -- and make it stick.
Carnine was recently chosen as a finalist in the ‘50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’ Book Awards Contest. He was chosen from a field of hundreds of authors through a public voting process.
Readers and reviewers have praised his work. Geri Larkin, Founding Teacher of Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple and author of 'Stumbling Toward Enlightenment' said, “Saint Badass isn’t simply about the transformative power of sincere spiritual practice. It demonstrates the impact of our practice on our environment and the people around us. These men have many reasons to be filled with hate, to be violent, and to be completely shut down given the lives they are leading in the bowels of the hell realm of our society, our prisons. And yet. They transform. One of them glows in the dark, I swear. Reading the book gave me hope.”
Duana Welch, PhD, author of 'Love Factually: 10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do' stated, “This powerful book takes any of us from a life of 'me' to 'we,' from isolation to connection and love. In a world where kindness is so needed yet so little understood, How Love Wins is a must-read.”
Doug Carnine is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at dcarnine@uoregon.edu. Both books are available at online retail book outlets. More information is available at his website at http://feedkindness.com
About Douglas Carnine:
Douglas Carnine, a professor emeritus from the University of Oregon, began his pursuit of scientific research, instructional design, Buddhism and martial arts when he was 21. His academic career focused on teaching at-risk students and lead to him receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.
After retiring, working with men convicted of murder and serving as a hospice volunteer made him curious about the importance of kindness. After reviewing the research on kindness, he decided to devote his writing and his advocacy to making the importance of mindful kindness more prominent. The resulting project is his website Feedkindness.com along with his books ‘How Love Wins’ and ‘Saint Badass.’
Contact:
Douglas Carnine
dcarnine@uoregon.edu
http://feedkindness.com
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