05:44:00
Lon Woodbury and Co-Host Liz McGhee interviewed Paul Bialek on L.A. Talk Radio about what happens when Buddhism meets western psychotherapy. He described contemplative psychotherapy as the official label for this meeting point between the Buddhism and therapy.
The radio show host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, Lon Woodbury is an Independent Educational consultant. His co-host Elizabeth McGhee is the Director of Admissions and Referral Relations at Sandhill Child Development Center.
Paul Bialek
Paul Bialek heads the Contemplative Therapy program at Naropa College in Boulder, Colorado. He also works as a psychotherapist in that city. He has been practicing mind-calming exercises for thirty-five years. He holds a Masters Degree in Intellectual History from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a Masters Degree in Contemplative Therapy from Naropa College. His work consists of incorporating the wisdom of the contemplative practice of Buddhism into the technique of western psychotherapy.
What Happens When Buddhism Meets Western Psychotherapy
According to Bialek, when Buddhism meets western psychotherapy, they share the a common objective: they both seek to ease all personal suffering. Consequently, many psychotherapists have discovered it beneficial to incorporate Buddhist concepts like mindfulness into their existing psychological techniques.
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.
Sharing examples of his use of contemplative psychotherapy in practice, he explained the process of paying attention with a friendly attitude to just what was going on with a variety of various clients. The therapy helped clients familiarize themselves with their very own thought-patterns and begin observing their very own life experiences with detachment.
Bialek made patients more aware of their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when treating them for teen drug abuse, and his treatments might even include teaching mindfulness and self-monitoring skills to clients and their family. Contemplative psychotherapy helped individuals observe when they were getting addictive cravings rather than automatically surrendering to them.
On the topic of anger management in adolescents, he talked about how mindfulness was a useful tool in helping struggling teens use their anger in a constructive way. In contemplative psychotherapy, there is no attempt to get rid of an emotion, but to work with it, thus raising emotional intelligence over time. He also talked about how clients may actually have wisdom about their situation but just not the skills to deal with their emotions.
In essence, then, when Buddhism meets western therapy, the contemplative specialist works at restoring a sense of "great peace of mind"-- an open, clear, and warm quality of thought.
The radio show host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, Lon Woodbury is an Independent Educational consultant. His co-host Elizabeth McGhee is the Director of Admissions and Referral Relations at Sandhill Child Development Center.
Paul Bialek
Paul Bialek heads the Contemplative Therapy program at Naropa College in Boulder, Colorado. He also works as a psychotherapist in that city. He has been practicing mind-calming exercises for thirty-five years. He holds a Masters Degree in Intellectual History from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a Masters Degree in Contemplative Therapy from Naropa College. His work consists of incorporating the wisdom of the contemplative practice of Buddhism into the technique of western psychotherapy.
What Happens When Buddhism Meets Western Psychotherapy
According to Bialek, when Buddhism meets western psychotherapy, they share the a common objective: they both seek to ease all personal suffering. Consequently, many psychotherapists have discovered it beneficial to incorporate Buddhist concepts like mindfulness into their existing psychological techniques.
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.
Sharing examples of his use of contemplative psychotherapy in practice, he explained the process of paying attention with a friendly attitude to just what was going on with a variety of various clients. The therapy helped clients familiarize themselves with their very own thought-patterns and begin observing their very own life experiences with detachment.
Bialek made patients more aware of their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when treating them for teen drug abuse, and his treatments might even include teaching mindfulness and self-monitoring skills to clients and their family. Contemplative psychotherapy helped individuals observe when they were getting addictive cravings rather than automatically surrendering to them.
On the topic of anger management in adolescents, he talked about how mindfulness was a useful tool in helping struggling teens use their anger in a constructive way. In contemplative psychotherapy, there is no attempt to get rid of an emotion, but to work with it, thus raising emotional intelligence over time. He also talked about how clients may actually have wisdom about their situation but just not the skills to deal with their emotions.
In essence, then, when Buddhism meets western therapy, the contemplative specialist works at restoring a sense of "great peace of mind"-- an open, clear, and warm quality of thought.
About the Author:
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..
0 comments:
Post a Comment