What Makes This Book Different
Most books on meditation offer either a religious framework you have to buy into, or a shallow wellness pitch that mistakes relaxation for the real thing. This book does neither.
The approach here is secular — no tradition to join, no teacher to submit to, no belief system required. It is rational — techniques are explained, not just prescribed, and the reasons behind every recommendation are laid out clearly. And it is pragmatic — the goal is a workable personal practice, not a philosophy degree.
What you will find here is a complete guide to breath-based sitting meditation, grounded in an honest account of how the mind works, written by someone who has been doing this for a long time and has the professional background to explain why it works when it does — and why it doesn't when it doesn't.
Secular
The practice of meditation is separated entirely from the belief systems that have historically coalesced around it. Anyone can use this book regardless of religious background or lack thereof.
Rational
Every technique is explained and justified. You should never do anything with your mind the purpose of which you do not completely understand. This book tells you why, not just what.
Pragmatic
The focus is on what works and why, with no more theory than necessary. The goal is a sustainable personal practice you build and own yourself — not dependence on a teacher or tradition.
What Meditation Can and Can't Do
Most books vastly overpromise. Here is an honest account based on decades of personal practice.
Meditation can:
- Give you an increased sense of well-being
- Help you manage stress
- Enhance your creativity
- Teach you important things about your mind
- Help you make fundamental changes to your world-view
- Give your life an increased sense of meaningfulness
- Help you enjoy life more
- Give you insights into your experience of yourself and others
- Help temporarily control overwhelming mental states
- Act as a useful adjunct to psychotherapy
Meditation can't:
- Solve all your problems
- Lead you to a state where you'll never have problems
- On its own, make you a better or more ethical person
- On its own, resolve mental health issues
- Replace psychotherapy
- Provide any final epiphany that permanently changes your nature
- Numb you to your feelings (when done right)
- Be mastered in a weekend workshop
From the Introduction
You should never do anything with your mind the object of which you do not completely understand. Just as you wouldn't undertake any exercise program without first understanding how to do it without injuring yourself, if you're going to undertake an exercise program for your mind, you should give the same degree of consideration to the question of possible injury and misuse.
My aim is to tell you what works for me so you can go on and use that as a basis to find out what works for you. I include no more theory than absolutely necessary, and where I include it, I will do my best to make it plausible. I avoid metaphysical speculation; my emphasis is on personal practice leading to conviction through firsthand experience.
Contents
About the Author
Richard Sembera holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Freiburg and an M.Ed. in Counselling from the University of Ottawa. He is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO), a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA), and a Training Candidate of the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis.
He is the author of Metapsychology for Contemporary Psychoanalysis (Routledge, 2017) and Rephrasing Heidegger (University of Ottawa Press, 2008). He has been a practising meditator for over thirty years.
Get the Book
Available in paperback from Amazon and Lulu. No app required, no subscription, no course to complete — just a book you can learn from at your own pace.