MEDITATION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY FORUM ARCHIVE
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Mindfulness & Acceptance in Psychotherapy
Meditator · 01/27/04 at 4:37 ET
I maintain a pretty serious meditation practice. Although I don't adhere to Buddhism or Buddhist meditations practices, I sometimes use the techniques. I'd say that my understanding of cognitive therapy is on a par with that of understanding of Buddhist meditation techniques. I just read a thread on the Cognitive Therapy forum discussing acceptance and mindfulness. I think both are wonderful techniques that can be very helpful when attempting to reach a higher state of consciousness in meditation, that state of peace and clarity, free from fear and desire. That state where life is seamless, and one isn't tossed around by thoughts and emotions. While I think that it is very nice, and possibly helpful, to teach concepts such as acceptance, detachment,and mindfulness, using them as a form of psychotherapy. Can those meditation techniques really help without eventually helping a patient access a different consciousness in meditation? Won't these just be failed therapy techniques causing enormous frustration? From my experience, I can't merely will acceptance and detachment. I can practice it. I can hope that the practice will bring about a higher consciouness. But, the practice alone isn't enough to eliminate the angst that I feel about painful and troublesome thoughts and feelings. I wish I had that sort of power over my mind. If merely will was required to change these things, we'd be the perfect physical specimines, size 2s and 26s. Isn't there a piece missing in the promotion of mindfulness,acceptance and detachment in psychotherapy?
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