The Five Hurdles to Happiness And the Mindful Path to Overcoming Them

A practical approach to becoming aware of the "five hindrances"--the negative qualities that inhibit living the awakened life--and to breaking free of them in order to live more mindfully, effectively, compassionately.

Five obstacles stand in between you and true happiness. What are they and how can you overcome them? Buddhist traditions teach that there are five negative qualities, or hindrances, that inhibit people from living an awakened life. Here, Mitch Abblett gives this teaching a modern, secular interpretation and helps you identify the hurdles that are blocking your contentment—desire, hostility, sluggishness, worry, and doubt—and how you can take your first steps to overcoming them. Combining traditional wisdom with contemporary psychology and using examples from his psychotherapy practice, Abblett uses the hurdles as a frame for engaging you in a process of contemplating your own life and learning to lean into your experience rather than merely repeating bad habits. By doing this, you can break free from the hurdles and live more mindfully, effectively, and compassionately.

MITCH ABBLETT, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and consultant with a private practice. He speaks and trains nationally and internationally on the applications of mindfulness for enhancing professional and personal communication patterns. The author of several previous books, he has been the executive director of the Institution for Meditation and Psychotherapy and was for 11 years clinical director of Manville School at Judge Baker's Children's Center at Harvard University.