When Buddhism Meets Western Psychotherapy

Paul Bialek talked to Lon Woodbury and Co-Host Liz McGhee on L.A. Talk Radio on the theme of how Buddhism meets western psychotherapy. He explained that Contemplative Psychotherapy was the formal name for this integration between Buddhist philosophy and western psychotherapy.

Parent Choices for Struggling Teens is radio program host by Lon Woodbury, who is an Independent Educational specialist. He shares this responsibility with, Elizabeth McGhee, a co-host. She is Director of Admissions and Referral Relations at Sandhill Child Development Center.

Paul Bialek

Paul Bialek is the program lead for the Contemplative Psychotherapy program at Naropa University. He is also in private practice as a psychotherapist in Boulder Colorado. He has been practicing meditation for 35 years and holds a Masters Degree in Intellectual History from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University. He is interested in applying and integrating the wisdom of the contemplative tradition of Buddhism into the practice of counseling.

So Just What Happens When Buddhism Meets Western Therapy?

When Buddhism meets western therapy, Bialek believes that they share the a similar purpose: alleviating individual suffering. As a result, counseling specialists throughout the USA have found it very useful to integrate Buddhist concepts like mindfulness into their standard repertoire.

The technique of mindfulness has come to be commonly embraced by lots of counseling specialists throughout the nation. Mindfulness is the habit of observing thoughts with detachment, with a focus on putting all judgments on hold. Given that it is a non-judgmental mental discipline, there is no thought concerning approval or disapproval, but instead a focus on learning how to be with the experience. Mindfulness, subsequently, is about permitting thoughts to be anyway they want. This contemplative technique promotes clear thinking and intelligent behavior.

Bialek pointed out that contemplative therapists did not teach mindfulness meditation, but practiced the art of mindfulness when listening to their clients. The therapist’s mindfulness then tacitly permits clients to share their thoughts and feelings without inhibition.

Citing some instances of his usage of Contemplative Psychotherapy in practice, he explained the procedure of looking at things with a friendly perspective to see just what was going on with clients in a wide range of circumstances. Patients familiarized themselves with their own ideas and begin learning to see their own experiences with some detachment.

Helping teens battling issues like substance abuse was his specialty. He made patients knowledgeable about their own thought patterns and ideas. Additionally, therapy may feature mindfulness training and self-monitoring for teens and their family members. When it treated substance abuse, contemplative therapy helped people observe when they were getting into compulsive moods as opposed to automatically giving in to them.

Speaking about anger management in adolescents, he discussed how mindfulness was useful in aiding struggling teens utilize their anger in a positive way. There is no attempt to get rid of any emotions in Contemplative Psychotherapy,but instead an attempt is made to work with them, therefore gradually increasing emotional intelligence. Patients could have wisdom about their situation but simply not have the ability to deal with their emotional states.

When Buddhism meets western psychotherapy, the contemplative therapist works at restoring a sense of “brilliant sanity”-an open, clear, and warm quality of mind-in the client.

Find out more about Struggling Teens. Lon Woodbury has the recorded the entire interview on his L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at any time..

Home & Family, buddhism, children, contemplative psychotherapy, Liz McGhee, lon woodbury, paul bialek, psychology, sociology, teens, therapy