Finding Meaning in the Experience of Dementia by Elizabeth Mackinlay and Corinne Trevitt is based on the findings of the first major study on spiritual reminiscence work with people with dementia. This extract explains the role of the facilitator in spiritual reminiscence groups. The communication strategies demonstrated by the facilitator could ‘make or break’ a group.…

Anthony Peake is a renowned writer and researcher whose work focuses on the nature of consciousness and reality, and mysterious phenomena such as déjà vu. He is the co-editor, with Mahendra Perera and Karuppiah Jagadheesan, of the forthcoming book, Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences: A Handbook for Clinicians‘ – available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers in…

JKP is exhibiting at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week. Jessica Kingsley took a few minutes between meetings to talk about why we attend this major international event, and to highlight some of the things we’ve been talking about.

This month, we offered one of our readers a chance to preview a copy of the Revd Jewell’s latest JKP title, Spirituality and Personhood in Dementia, and ask him some questions about it: “Q: To what extent and how far has your exploration of dementia enhanced your understanding of spirituality? A: …People with dementia in the main live in the present moment because the past tends to get dismantled. To be able to live fully in the present, rather than be bugged by the past or worried about the future, is a great gift and one I covet…”

“Medical conditions, mental health and social problems all involve people experiencing distress and disability, facing losses and the threat of loss. The basic spiritual skill, of being able to rest, relax and create a still, peaceful state of mind, underpins others, such as empathic ability and emotional resilience, which allow us better to understand, comfort and guide those people in difficulty who are suffering. These are skills that give people the courage to witness and endure distress while sustaining an attitude of hope, and the inner strength to be able to give without feeling drained.”

We are pleased to announce that our new Complete Catalogue is now available!  Inside you’ll find new and forthcoming titles on our full range of topics. Click to browse the JKP Complete Catalogue – Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 Information on How to Order