Continuing Education for Psychologists

The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary
Finding Happiness Right Where You Are

Human beings have been described as comparison machines, endlessly comparing themselves to others. This book is about using mindfulness tools to decrease the amount of time people spend in self-evaluation and build bridges to others. Exercises and guided meditations are meant to be distributed to clients.

Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology, at Harvard Medical School. He is a longtime student of mindfulness meditation and is a faculty and board member at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Dr. Siegel teaches internationally about the application of mindfulness practices in psychotherapy and other fields, and maintains a private practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts. His books include The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary and The Mindfulness Solution.

"Brilliant and accessible, The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary gets to the very core of our human suffering and offers wise and helpful practices for taming our striving, comparing minds. The peace and contentment we long for arise naturally as we wake up from the limiting stories that habitually confine us, and begin to trust the truth of who we really are."
--Tara Brach, PhD, author of Trusting the Gold

"Freeing us from toxic self-criticism and shame, this powerful book is an opening into deep self-acceptance, self-worth, and inner peace. Dr. Siegel's warmth fills every page, along with insights and practical suggestions from his decades as a world-class therapist. With many examples and lots of brief experiential practices, he brings together current science, soulful wisdom, and his own humorous and down-to-earth perspective. Really a gem, this is a book both for help in the darkest night and for general guidance along the long road of life."
--Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient