Elisha Goldstein has a private practice in West Los Angeles and is co-founder of the Mindfulness Center for Psychotherapy and Psychiatry. He is co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. Goldstein states early in this book that "learning how to intentionally engage with the now isn't just a promised pathway to an abstract enlightenment but is becoming a practical way to alleviate stress and pain, cultivate emotional freedom, and even create a stronger, healthier brain." He has filled the book with "Now Moment" sections full of practical exercises to help you experience how this works.

In Part I, the author sets the stage for what is to come with ideas and practices on paying attention. Try this: "Breathing in, I am aware of what truly matters, breathing out, I let go of living on automatic." He covers understanding what motivates you, getting serious about your intentions, adapting a playful discipline. Try "See, Touch, and Go," a practice to remind you to stay in the present moment.

Part II focuses on the training ground for "the now effect." You can begin with saying "yes," feeling the spaces in your body, taking advantage of the red lights in your life, eating mindfully, and returning to what really matters. In a fascinating chapter on "Know Your Mind, Change Your Brain," Goldstein hits high stride with material on rewriting the movie in your mind, memory matters, mind traps, work, thinking small, and experimenting with the mantra "Maybe so, maybe not." This top-notch chapter is followed by ones on priming your mind for good and changing your mind.

Goldstein provides many thought-provoking insights in his treatment of working with difficult emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger. He closes with a paean to genuine connections with people and practices to go deeper with the now effect.

Goldstein has pulled off a miracle by adding some fresh slants on a subject that has been over-worked in books and articles lately.