Right off the bat, here's a recommendation that we all need. Hopefully, I made the point that self-compassion is the number one predictor of success in post-traumatic growth for people like us. The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Christopher Germer is probably the best book on this topic. It includes chapters on the basic practice of mindfulness and it addresses several other themes we discussed. I really like Germer's analytical way of discussing what self-compassion is and how we can achieve it. This book could go through another round of editing to clean up some very minor "touchy feely" parts, in my humble opinion, but in the grand scheme of these kinds of books- this one is a definite winner. Get on it. Seriously. If you don't even look at any of the other books in this email, look at this one. It's not necessarily the medicine we want but it's most definitely the medicine we need. 

Here are a few favorites more specifically about mindfulness practice and how to integrate it into real life. Several of these are by Jack Kornfield who is one of the original group of Americans who freaked-out in the 60's, went to India (and elsewhere), and brought back all this Eastern Thought that is so "popular" now. 

A Path With Heart is probably Jack Kornfield's best book that ties a lot of different ideas together. It is extremely readable and has lots of practical exercises, examples, and a few good stories. 

Bringing Home the Dharma is the same idea as A Path With Heart but has the benefit of more years of Kornfield's spiritual and clinical practice. It is maybe slightly more advanced but still highly readable. You really can't go wrong with Kornfield. PS: "Dharma" in this case means "the Teachings". 

Wise Heart is Kornfield's masterwork on Buddhist Psychology (which is basically what we teach at FLF). It is most definitely the best book on the subject written for a popular audience (i.e., regular people). You will recognize many things that we've talked about if you read this book and you'll be either overjoyed or horrified that there is even more detail than I gave you in all of my endless speechifying. 

10% Happier by Dan Harris is an excellent book on mindfulness practice (again) for regular people. He went into this project as a skeptic and ended up being a big proponent of mindfulness (that might sound familiar).

Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization by Bhikku Analayo is essentially the bible of mindfulness practice based on the Four Foundations (that's what the word Satipatthana means). This is a scholarly work that is extremely detailed, 100% authentic, and not particularly fun to read. I include it here because it is simply the best most accurate book on the Four Foundations there is. If you're looking for a more academic discussion, this is your book. 

Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales is easily in my top 10 all-time favorite books. It's a collection of stories about people who have survived major accidents - OR IS IT!? For my money, this is the best book to really understand how the brain and body work together to produce reactions and emotions. It is an extremely readable and enjoyable book. You'll recognize several of the examples I used in class (the scuba mask, the snowmobile avalanche, etc). I first read this book when it came out in like 2003 based simply on my interest in wilderness survival. Turns out, it's a real education about trauma, the stress response, the limbic system and all that other "amygdala" type shit we talked about. 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is the probably the most important book in Stoic Philosophy (get into it). It turns out mindfulness philosophy wasn't exclusive to the East. The Greeks and Romans actually produced a similar system. Remember, mindfulness is about having an open, objective, non-reactive awareness to whatever you are experiencing. It's about noticing your body/mind's desire to just REACT and, instead, taking a step back and deciding what will be wise and productive. You'll find all of these ideas in Stoicism.