Contemplative psychotherapy
Encyclopedia
Contemplative Psychotherapy is a form of therapy started in the west by Trungpa Rinpoche. Like Jung
, it uses religion (in this case Buddhism
) to help the client ‘accept’ who they are. It criticizes western psychological tendencies to interpret mental pain as pathological
. As it concerns the ‘principles of acceptance’ rather than the religious tenets of the Buddhist religion, neither the client nor the therapist needs to be Buddhist to get the benefit from this model.(page 67) "Contemplative psychotherapy simply offers secular and logic-based tools to free us from unnecessary struggles.”
is intrinsically healthy but our awareness of this health is often obscured. "Contemplative psychotherapy is a process of uncovering this fully awake and aware state. We become liberated from unnecessary suffering through experiencing ourselves in the moment, exactly as we are.”
2. Acceptance of the ‘self
’; the fact that the ‘self’ is subject to constant and ‘allowable’ change and ‘acceptance’ of how they are treated by others is vital for clients to find their own way forward. By acceptance it does not mean that others’ treatment of them is ‘right’, but it does matter how they deal with that often prejudicial treatment.(page 67)
3. Sanity and Insanity. Indeed, this model even challenges the concept of sanity and insanity as perceived in western psychoanalysis. Contemplative Psychotherapy has the ethos that all of us are sane
in a fundamental sense, but that we are not always in touch with that sanity. Sometimes only when we relax can we access it. This model defines sanity as "brilliant" and is characterised by the capacity to be open to all aspects of our life experiences. It is recognised by moments of "'clarity,'" which is the recognition of the interconnectedness and ever-changing 'nature
' of every aspect of what comes and goes in our minds, our emotions, our thoughts, our sensations and our actions that result from such internal computations.
4. That we are 'naturally compassionate.'
5. Ego. Unlike in Western psychologies, the Contemplative method puts forward the idea that 'ego' is not a solid, never changing entity that defines an individual. In fact it is this insistence upon and attachment to the idea that the 'ego' is 'solid' that causes mental pain according to this method. Using the Buddhist point of view, there is no such thing as a 'solid' self. "Even if we are experiencing great confusion, we could still be quite sane and open to the experience of confusion in that moment. We need only be precise and clear with it and have a quality of friendliness or compassion towards our own experience. That is already sane. We do not have to get rid of anything to be sane. That is what the idea of 'unconditional' means.”
6. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
Or as the Naropa
University magazine puts it (page 1)"our spirits want us to take suffering, make it known, and in so doing make it beautiful."
By undertaking 'mindful' activities, balance is both achieved and can be maintained by the client. By 'mindful' "tending toward awareness and appreciation" is meant; in other words whilst undertaking all activities, to be aware of all other activities and experiences that are around and have 'shaped' the client by the client (and the therapist.)Too much concentration on one activity or experience or flitting from one to another without fully understanding the first one is seen as counterproductive to being 'sane.'
Thus in theory all clients needing psychological help, including those who have convicted of crime should be able to be helped by this model.
2. That the discipline has been brought into some disrepute by some individuals that practice it trying to turn it into a "New Age
Religion" or allied with the 'hippy' movement in the 1960s rather than a method of psychoanalysis."Early criticisms have been answered, principally that it fails to recognise fully the implications of the [ Jungian ] shadow
side of human nature and that its scientific methodology is flawed."
3. That there are few studies that actually offer 'success rates' after therapy cases have been taken on.
Jung
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology.Jung may also refer to:* Jung * JUNG, Java Universal Network/Graph Framework-See also:...
, it uses religion (in this case Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
) to help the client ‘accept’ who they are. It criticizes western psychological tendencies to interpret mental pain as pathological
Psychopathology
Psychopathology is the study of mental illness, mental distress, and abnormal/maladaptive behavior. The term is most commonly used within psychiatry where pathology refers to disease processes...
. As it concerns the ‘principles of acceptance’ rather than the religious tenets of the Buddhist religion, neither the client nor the therapist needs to be Buddhist to get the benefit from this model.(page 67) "Contemplative psychotherapy simply offers secular and logic-based tools to free us from unnecessary struggles.”
Core ideas
1. Our basic natureNature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
is intrinsically healthy but our awareness of this health is often obscured. "Contemplative psychotherapy is a process of uncovering this fully awake and aware state. We become liberated from unnecessary suffering through experiencing ourselves in the moment, exactly as we are.”
2. Acceptance of the ‘self
Self (psychology)
The psychology of self is the study of either the cognitive and affective representation of one's identity or the subject of experience. The earliest formulation of the self in modern psychology derived from the distinction between the self as I, the subjective knower, and the self as Me, the...
’; the fact that the ‘self’ is subject to constant and ‘allowable’ change and ‘acceptance’ of how they are treated by others is vital for clients to find their own way forward. By acceptance it does not mean that others’ treatment of them is ‘right’, but it does matter how they deal with that often prejudicial treatment.(page 67)
3. Sanity and Insanity. Indeed, this model even challenges the concept of sanity and insanity as perceived in western psychoanalysis. Contemplative Psychotherapy has the ethos that all of us are sane
Sanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
in a fundamental sense, but that we are not always in touch with that sanity. Sometimes only when we relax can we access it. This model defines sanity as "brilliant" and is characterised by the capacity to be open to all aspects of our life experiences. It is recognised by moments of "'clarity,'" which is the recognition of the interconnectedness and ever-changing 'nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
' of every aspect of what comes and goes in our minds, our emotions, our thoughts, our sensations and our actions that result from such internal computations.
4. That we are 'naturally compassionate.'
5. Ego. Unlike in Western psychologies, the Contemplative method puts forward the idea that 'ego' is not a solid, never changing entity that defines an individual. In fact it is this insistence upon and attachment to the idea that the 'ego' is 'solid' that causes mental pain according to this method. Using the Buddhist point of view, there is no such thing as a 'solid' self. "Even if we are experiencing great confusion, we could still be quite sane and open to the experience of confusion in that moment. We need only be precise and clear with it and have a quality of friendliness or compassion towards our own experience. That is already sane. We do not have to get rid of anything to be sane. That is what the idea of 'unconditional' means.”
6. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
Theory
According to Ker Cleary M.A."Under stress, we tend to operate from old patterns, telling ourselves the same old stories about the world, and behaving as if these stories are still true. The stories might be about abandonment, loss, danger or other uncomfortable experiences from the past. For instance, if you experienced pain at the hands of a person wearing a purple plaid hat, you might respond fearfully to anyone wearing such a hat, whether or not they mean you harm... However, we can accumulate so many stories over a lifetime that we stop living authentically in the moment...We can easily find ourselves in continual reactivity to old beliefs and experiences, acting out of habit, rather than in response to what is actually happening. This is ultimately unsatisfying. We might try to find satisfaction through various activities and pursuits, but when we can't be present in our own lives, we can't really experience any of it. As a result, we find ourselves feeling alienated from ourselves, each other, and our world. We might feel helpless, depressed, angry, anxious and stressed out. We might not know where to turn."
Or as the Naropa
Naropa
thumb|right|NaropaNāropā was an Indian Buddhist yogi, mystic and monk. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. Naropa was the main teacher of Marpa, the founder of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism...
University magazine puts it (page 1)"our spirits want us to take suffering, make it known, and in so doing make it beautiful."
By undertaking 'mindful' activities, balance is both achieved and can be maintained by the client. By 'mindful' "tending toward awareness and appreciation" is meant; in other words whilst undertaking all activities, to be aware of all other activities and experiences that are around and have 'shaped' the client by the client (and the therapist.)Too much concentration on one activity or experience or flitting from one to another without fully understanding the first one is seen as counterproductive to being 'sane.'
Thus in theory all clients needing psychological help, including those who have convicted of crime should be able to be helped by this model.
"Social psychology provides empirically supported insights into ways we label and harm each other thereby inadvertently normalizing such phenomena as prejudicePrejudicePrejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and ingroup-outgroup (thus providing excuses as to why we are all not humanitarians.) This is inevitable given the current paradigmParadigmThe word paradigm has been used in science to describe distinct concepts. It comes from Greek "παράδειγμα" , "pattern, example, sample" from the verb "παραδείκνυμι" , "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from "παρά" , "beside, beyond" + "δείκνυμι" , "to show, to point out".The original Greek...
wherein causes of behavior and attitudes are sought in either person (e.g., personality, beliefs) or situation factors (e.g., social or physical environment.) A contemplative perspective shifts focus from this person-situation dichotomy to mind states. Two common features of harmful social phenomena, mindlessness and arousal (i.e., we harm when aroused and attention is passive) are addressed in contemplative practice wherein mind states are intentionally cultivated. In shifting to states rather than traits or situations altruism is normalized. Moreover, the contemplative model insists that caring is not only normative (e.g., everyday altruistic acts), it is universal (e.g., "hardened criminals" can experience moments of tenderness even if with a beloved pet.) The contemplative approach presented here proposes a model of three levels of mind or experience. ('Mind' here means heart-mind, qualities of immediate experience present in the moment.) The third level is sky-mind, an open spacious state free of distorting conceptual lenses."
Criticism of this method
1. See 5 Criticism and controversy of of some of Trungpa's alleged methods.2. That the discipline has been brought into some disrepute by some individuals that practice it trying to turn it into a "New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
Religion" or allied with the 'hippy' movement in the 1960s rather than a method of psychoanalysis."Early criticisms have been answered, principally that it fails to recognise fully the implications of the [ Jungian ] shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
side of human nature and that its scientific methodology is flawed."
3. That there are few studies that actually offer 'success rates' after therapy cases have been taken on.