J. Mark G. Williams DPhil

I am Professor Emeritus in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. (I also publish as J Mark G Williams.) I have held previous posts in the Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the University of Wales, Bangor. My research aims to understand how to prevent recurrent depression, and how to decrease risk of suicidal behaviour in depression. With colleagues John Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto) and the support of Jon Kabat-Zinn (Center for Mindfulness, UMass) we developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for prevention of relapse and recurrence in depression. Research has now found that MBCT significantly reduces risk of future depression in those who have suffered three or more previous episodes. In Great Britain, the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), working on behalf the National Health Service, has recommended MBCT as a primary treatment for prevention relapse in depression.

My previous books include Cry of Pain: understanding suicide and self harm (Penguin, 1997, 2002; Piatkus 2014) and with Z. Segal and J.D. Teasdale, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (Guilford, 2002, 2013) and The Mindful Way Workbook (Guilford, 2013), and Mindfulness -based Cognitive Therapy with People at Risk of Suicide (with Melanie Fennell, Thorsten Barnhofer, Sarah Silverton and Rebecca Crane; Guilford, 2015)

The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Guilford, 2007; co-authored with John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn) is written for a lay-readership, and includes a CD narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn so that readers may try mindfulness practice for themselves.

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World (Piatkus, 2011, co-authored with Danny Penman) extends MBCT to those who find themselves over-busy, stressed and exhausted; who feel that life is running away from them. It includes a free CD of short meditations that anyone can use to enhance their quality of life.

Our most recent book, Deeper Mindfulness (Piatkus, 2023) reveals how the latest advances in neuroscience, combined with millennia old wisdom, can be harnessed to transform your life. These discoveries open the doors to a deeper layer of mindfulness known as the ‘feeling tone’. This sets the ‘background colour’ that guides your thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is also the tipping point from which you can reclaim your life in an increasingly stressful and chaotic world. Proven effective at treating anxiety, stress and depression, the downloadable practices in Deeper Mindfulness offer a new and more fruitful direction for both novice and experienced meditators. It also allows the rest of us to approach life with renewed strength, vigour and equanimity.