“Emotional Alchemy: How Your Mind Can Heal Your Heart,” by Tara Bennett-Goleman

Available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Bennett-Goleman is a practicing meditator and therapist, and her book comes from her understanding of how mindfulness can be used to deal with disturbing emotions without rejecting them.

This is an excellent introduction to the practice of mindfulness, with clear case histories showing how a mindful awareness of our emotions can have a powerfully transforming effect — the alchemical transformation referred to in the title.

As well as bringing together an understanding of psychology and meditation, Bennett-Goleman presents the latest research in brain chemistry and neurophysiology.

I’d highly recommend this highly accessible book to anyone interested in exploring how meditation and the practice of mindfulness can transform our emotional lives.