As the title suggests, learning how to live in the moment—to be truly attentive, present, and not ruled by self-imposed limitations—is the resounding message in Duncan's empathetic self-help guide, now updated in a 20th anniversary edition. Duncan (author of Coming Full Circle: Healing Trauma Using Psychedelics) offers exercises to prompt readers to face emotions that cause anxiety and stress within their lives and to adjust their mindsets to calm their worries and make the most of the present. Filled with motivational quotes, probing questions, and encouraging advice, Present Moment Awareness examines the possibility of having a "level of knowing, relaxed confidence that illuminates your path through life with amazing clarity.”

Duncan writes invitingly while uniting disparate sciences and therapeutic practices into a coherent and flexible system that never gets too abstract. Personal anecdotes and stories from friends highlight how the exercises and concepts laid out in the book look when put into practice. He explores how childhood and past experiences can shape our emotional responses, stirring fear and anxiety, and guides readers in taking inventory of the tensions within the body, understanding how certain emotions affect the present moment and why, and in asking the question why certain incidents trigger certain "Negative Core Beliefs.” Despite some big ideas, the emphasis is refreshingly practical, as Duncan lays out clear advice for overcoming "mind traps.”

Interactive elements include a link to a "Focus Tool” app that allows readers to set a daily reminder to work on the book’s "Core Exercise," a seven-step centering exercise that encourages anchoring in the moment with practiced breathing, performing a body scan for tension, and more. Present Moment Awareness will appeal to seekers struggling with anxiety or overthinking. Leaning on practices of mindfulness and intentionally getting to the root of certain emotion responses, Duncan lays out persuasive ways to help readers to breathe deep and limit emotional reactive responses and "have the opportunity to observe ourselves in our environment in a whole new way."

Takeaway: Compassionate guide to mindfulness and transcending “Negative Core Beliefs.”

Comparable Titles: Joyce Meyer’s Living Beyond Your Feelings, Ernest Holm Svendsen’s How to Live in the Now.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A