“And if we do engage with mindfulness practices, are there ways to do this consistently with our Christian worldview? What about our own faith heritage - does it have anything to offer us that could enrich our prayer lives, help us to draw near to God and grow in Christlikeness?”

— Katherine Thompson

Christ Centred Mindfulness

Dr. Katherine Thompson

Before I begin, I want to quickly, and incredibly briefly, define two terms that will appear throughout this review. Both are big concepts that I have only just begun to explore, and that I suspect I will talk about at length in other places at other times. For now though, short definitions will suffice so that you understand what I am talking about here.

Mindfulness: In essence, mindfulness is the act of being present in the moment. It’s about being open, curious and observant. Mindfulness is pretty universally encouraged by mental health therapists as a tool for managing mental health.

Christian spirituality: this is a term that refers to such a broad and complex topic that I will be grossly oversimplifying it here. In short, though, Christian spirituality and spiritual practices are focused on growing and developing the Christian’s relationship with God, be that individually or communally. It is very much about connection with God, self and community.

Why this book?

I was browsing my local Christian bookstore a couple of months ago when Christ Centred Mindfulness caught my eye. I immediately knew I wanted to read it. Fortunately, I had some Christmas money leftover, so I bought it.

As a Christian with a long standing interest in psychology, as well as my own long term mental health struggles (shout out to my depression and anxiety), I have been increasingly exposed to two things: mindfulness as a therapy tool and Christian spirituality. With these two things coming into my life, I had a lot of questions. These questions included: how do I practice mindfulness as a Christian, especially given its Buddhist roots? Is there a connection between mindfulness and Christian spirituality? What makes mindfulness such a useful therapy tool?

This book promised to explore some of the answers to these questions, and Dr. Thompson seemed to be uniquely qualified to answer them. She is a trained and experienced mental health worker, and has a background in theology. All in all, this book struck me as a promising beginning to my own journey into the intersection between mindfulness and Christian spirituality.

I am glad to say, it did not disappoint.

What is this book about?

As I have already said, this book is essentially about the relationship between mindfulness and Christian spiritual practices. The book is split into three sections, each answering a slightly different question and furthering our understanding of the two things.

In part one, Dr. Thompson examines the historical roots of mindfulness and what it is has become in modern therapeutic practices. This involves breaking down the history of mindfulness, analysing different theraputic approaches to mindfulness and then exploring how mindfulness might align with a Christian perspective.

In part two, she explores the history of Christian spirituality and the roll that mindfulness has played and continues to play in Christian spiritual practice. In the third and final part, she lays practical ways in which Christians can healthily and helpfully engage with both mindfulness and Christian spiritual disciplines.

My thoughts on this book

I greatly appreciated this book and intend to go back to it often. It is a helpful resource for people of all stripes who are curious about this mindfulness craze and how a Christian ought to approach it.

Dr. Thompson is clear and concise throughout this book, and I was able to follow what she was saying easily. I did have to set this book aside during the worst of my CFS flare, but that was mostly because I wanted to be able to engage with it properly, and brain fog is not conducive to that. Still, if I am able to follow what is being said even with some brain fog, most people will be able to understand her.

The content itself is well researched, thought through and laid out, making it a valuable text, for both mental health professionals and the lay person. In short, I highly recommend this book, and will probably purchase myself a second copy at some point for lending purposes. I definitely want to keep a copy on hand!

How this book affected me

This book has encouraged me to engage more intentionally with mindfulness throughout my daily life, for my mental health, but also my spiritual health. Tied into that, I have began to engage with some of the spiritual practices and mindfulness exercises that Dr. Thompson lays out in the book. Fortunately, both mindfulness and spiritual disciplines are flexible and can be adjusted to work with my life. Which is good, because, as I have said, CFS can be unpredictable.

I fully intend to continue on this mindfulness/spiritual journey and will return to this book for guidance for years to come.

Did you know…

One of my favourite mindfulness practices is the 5-4-3-2-1. In this, one lists 5 things they can see, 4 things they can feel, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell and 1 thing they can taste. This serves to draw attention to what is happening in the present moment, and is incredibly helpful in grounding a person struggling with anxiety (hello again, anxiety, my old friend). As well as this, I find it to be an excellent why to focus on God’s creation and notice things I might otherwise miss.

Why don’t you try it now?

If you feel comfortable doing so, let me know in the comments below: what are 5 things you can see? What are 4 things you can feel? What are 3 things you can hear? What are 2 things you can smell? And what is 1 thing you can taste?