Main description:

Weaving the Paths of Buddhism and Psychotherapy is an empathic guide to integrating Eastern and Western wisdom traditions that share the common goal of easing distress. Following the so-called 'mindfulness revolution' there has been a surge in interest as to how Buddhism's overarching view on suffering may enhance therapeutic practice. This book is not just a clinical text; it is a first-person account of one Buddhist therapist educator's lived experience of bringing Buddhism into the very personal and relational experience of psychotherapy. Western-trained therapists will recognize key concepts: the existential underpinnings of distress, driver behaviour and scripts, modifications to contact such as projection and introjection, relational conditions for healing, ethical considerations, and working with complex presentations and trauma, among others. Through autobiographical vignettes and case-study material, the book offers an invitation to all therapists to consider their own practice of human being.

Contents:

1. Introduction 2. East Meets West 3. The Human Condition 4. Taking Suffering as the Path: the First and Second Noble Truths 5. Alleviation of Distress: the Third and Fourth Noble Truths 6. The Role of the Therapist-Client Relationship 7. The Role of Meditation Practices 8. Practical Implications and Applications 9. Working with Complex Presentations 10. Benefits of an Integrated Path 11. Ground, Path, Fruition Travelogue