"The Full Catastrophe"

"Am I not a man? And is not a man stupid? I’m a man. So I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe."

-Zorba the Greek

Those of you familiar with the movie "Zorba the Greek" might remember this quote. It is also to be found in the book, with the same name, by the Greek literary giant Nikos Kazantzakis, one of my very favourite authors.

The "father" of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) named one of his best books on the subject after this quote: "Full Catastrophe Living" (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).

MBSR was Developed by Kabat-Zinn et al. in the Nineteen-eighties, it is based on ancient Eastern methods of dealing with the “Full catastrophe” of living Zorba refers too.

MBSR is a structured group intervention that uses the techniques of mindfulness meditation to relieve and/or remove symptoms of various physical and mental disorders.
Its main goal is, to put it simply: being in the moment without judgment.
The method is meant to methodologically create increased awareness with the practitioner that will in turn improve various physical and psychiatric outcomes (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).

There is an increasing body of evidence forming on its efficacy treating various mental and physical disorders.

I teach most of my patients the basic principles of the method, along with a short meditating exercise. Most of them find it extremely useful.

There are MBSR courses held all over the country. They usually take 8 weeks, with a three hour weekly session, one whole day retreat and extensive homework.

I attended one last summer. It proved extremely useful, although I have been a daily meditator for more than eight years.

For those interested in knowing more I suggest this website . To find a class near you go here. The book referenced below is a great introduction and a great read also.


Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. New York: Dell Publishing.