Who We Really Are: Buddhist Approaches to Psychotherapy* Kenneth Porter** See www.desmoinesmeditation.org & Clic a!

o"e on #$ore %rom this Pu!lisher& 'n the last () years Buddhism has increasingly in%luenced a new generation o% American psychotherapists. *he !asic Buddhist concepts o% Buddha nature+ the dharma+ attachment and meditation ha"e opened up new ways o% thin ing a!out the sel%+ psychopathology+ therapeutic process+ the goal o% therapy+ the a%%ecti"e %ocus o% therapy+ the super,ego and therapeutic techni-ue. .sing a Buddhist approach to group therapy we can maintain adherence to the traditional principles o% group therapeutic leadership techni-ue+ while e/ploring the possi!ilities %or changing group structure through meditation+ increasing insight and empathy in !oth leader and group mem!ers+ and deepening access to repressed material. *his approach does not create #a new %orm o% therapy or group therapy+& !ut rather might ena!le us to do !etter what it is that we already now how to do. 't is interesting that the history o% Buddhism in America+ and the history o% psychoanalysis+ !egin at almost the same moment. Although *horeau in the 012)3s+ and the spiritual mo"ement o% the *heosophists and certain Boston scholars a%ter the 014)3s+ had all !een interested in Buddhism+ its entrance into the .nited States is o%ten dated %rom the arri"al o% the 5en teacher Soyen Sha u in 06)7 8 only %our years !e%ore 9reud3s %amous Clar .ni"ersity lectures o% 06)6. Since then !oth mo"ements ha"e permeated American society. But it was in the 067)3s that Buddhism !egan to enter the American mainstream. *he writers :ac Kerouac+ ;ary Snyder and Allen ;ins!erg em!raced 5en Buddhism with a %er"or. With his easy and !rilliant writing style+ the transplanted <nglishman Alan Watts !egan to ma e Buddhism accessi!le to a wider audience. And at Colum!ia .ni"ersity the esteemed =and aged 8 he was then in his late 1)3s> 5en scholar ?.*. Su@u i !egan to teach the %amous seminar that introduced Buddhism to psychoanalysis. Attended !y <rich 9romm and Karen Aorney =as well as the musician :ohn Cage and others>+ this class led to the seminal 0674 Cuerna"aca con%erence on 5en Buddhism and Psychoanalysis and to the !oo o% the same name. *his was the %irst attempt to !ring these two power%ul mo"ements together in a scholarly %ashion =Su@u i+ 9romm and ?e $artino+ 06B)>. 'n the B)3s and 4)3s Buddhism grew in popularity. Starting in 0676 another 5en master named Su@u i =Shunryu Su@u i Roshi> !egan to teach in San 9rancisco+ and his collected dharma tal s+ later pu!lished under the title 5en $ind+ Beginner3s $ind+ =Su@u i+ 064C> !ecame a classic. 'n the 4)3s two *i!etan Buddhism teachers+ Chogyam *rungpa Rinpoche and *arthang *ul u+ also !egan to teach in the .nited States+ and three young Americans+ :oseph

;oldstein+ :ac Korn%ield and Sharon Sal@!erg !rought !ac %rom Asia the %orm o% Buddhism called 'nsight $editation and %ounded the 'nsight $editation Society in $assachusetts. Starting in the 061)3s came pioneering wor in the integration o% Buddhism and psychotherapy 8 especially the !oo s o% ?iane Shain!erg =Shain!erg+ 061(+ 066(+ C)))>+ :ohn Welwood =061(+ C)))>+ and $ar <pstein =<pstein+ 0667+ 0661+ C))0>+ among many others. 't has o%ten !een noted that among many spiritual traditions Buddhism seems to hold a particular appeal %or psychotherapists. *his has !een attri!uted to two causes. 9irst+ compared to the other great spiritual traditions+ Buddhism contains a particularly sophisticated understanding o% human psychology =the Buddha ha"ing Do ingly !een re%erred to as the world3s %irst cogniti"e psychotherapist>. Second+ the power%ul emphasis on lo"e and compassion that permeates all o% Buddhist teaching is sometimes contrasted with what is said to !e the harshness o% the :ewish conception o% di"inity+ and with the Christian emphasis on original sin and guilt+ and is said to !e in harmony with psychotherapeutic concepts o% healing. Basic Concepts o% Buddhism 9or the purposes o% this paper we will %ocus on %our !asic concepts o% Buddhism: Buddha nature+ the dharma+ attachment+ and meditation. 1. The Nature of the Self and Buddha Nature. *he most %undamental idea in Buddhism is that all human !eings are+ at their core+ healthy+ wise and lo"ing 8 !rilliantly sane+ as one Buddhist teacher put it. *his is re%erred to as Buddha nature. At the same time+ Buddhism %amously teaches that #there is no sel%.& By this Buddhism does not mean to deny the o!"ious %act that we all e/perience oursel"es as ha"ing a continuous identity+ and that this concept is use%ul in li"ing our daily li"es. *he idea is rather that this e"eryday idea o% identity is not the deepest+ most real e/perience that we can ha"e o% oursel"es. We might say that our identity+ as we usually e/perience it+ is composed o% a set o% mental constructs+ sel%,representations or sel%,images+ which are actually simply ideas. Buddhism teaches that on a deep le"el we may sometimes e/perience oursel"es in such a way as to re"eal this ordinary concept o% the sel% to !e not completely real. 'nstead+ we could e/perience oursel"es as deeply aware+ peace%ul+ wise+ and caring+ as not a static o!Dect !ut a process+ as interdependent with others 8 #inter,!eing+& as one teacher put it 8 rather than as independent o% others. Putting these ideas together+ we might say that there are %undamentally two di%%erent ways to e/perience the sel% 8 somewhat analogous to+ although not identical with+ Winnicott3s well, nown concept o% the true sel% and %alse sel%. 'n one mode+ which we could call the social sel% or the %alse sel%+ we e/perience oursel"es as a static set o% sel%,representations+ independent o% others+ in which de%iciency and psychodynamic con%lict reside. 'n the other mode 8 Buddha nature 8 we may e/perience oursel"es as a %undamentally healthy+ lo"ing+ wise

interdependent process. 't is an interesting and crucial %act+ %or most o% us+ that the capacity to e/perience oursel"es in the mode o% our Buddha nature may !e a capacity that is e"en more deeply repressed than the thoughts+ %eelings and impulses o% what we normally thin o% as the unconscious. 2. The Journey of our Lives the Dharma. *he word dharma has many meanings in Buddhism+ !ut the most %undamental o% these is that the uni"erse and our li"es are characteri@ed !y order+ and that we can li"e our li"es with the most happiness i% we align oursel"es with this order. A corollary is that the most use%ul way to approach any situation in our li"es+ especially a di%%icult one+ is not to consider it as a pro!lem to !e sol"ed+ !ut rather to see it as an opportunity to learn something new a!out this order and a!out how to align with it. 3. The ause of !nhappiness" #ttachment. Buddhism teaches that our unhappiness in li%e springs %rom our not understanding how to !e happy. 'n order to !e happy we %ocus on achie"ing goals that are !asically unsta!le+ such as wealth+ power+ !eauty+ health+ prestige+ pleasure+ or the enhancement o% certain sel%,images. Buddhism re%ers to the need %or these goals as #attachment.& *he idea here is not that it is wrong or immature to pursue such goals 8 they are o!"iously o% "alue 8 !ut that it is a mista e to ma e them our primary %ocus+ to !ase our happiness on them. =Because %or us as therapists+ educated !y o!Dect relations theorists+ the word #attachment& has another meaningE it is sometimes clearer to re%er to #attachment& in e"eryday language as #e/pectation& or #need& or #mental addiction.&> 'nstead o% %ocusing on attachments or addictions %or our happiness+ howe"er+ we might ma e our primary %ocus a more satis%ying and sta!le goal 8 %or instance+ de"eloping the capacity to e/perience our Buddha nature through %ully %eeling and accepting what we are e/periencing at each moment o% our li"es. $. %editation" # Technolo&y for 'appiness ( )e(trainin& the *syche. 'n his %amous initial teaching the Buddha suggested eight di%%erent techni-ues which could lead to a well,li"ed li%e =#the eight,%old path.&> 9or our purposes the most rele"ant o% these might !e meditation. *he most !asic %orm o% Buddhist meditation+ mind%ulness meditation+ is done !y %ocusing our attention on our !reathing+ and gently !ringing our attention !ac to our !reathing when our attention wanders. *he theory o% meditation is as %ollows. *he potential e/ists in all o% us %or our consciousness to !e in contact with the deepest le"el o% who we are. What inter%eres are the ha!its o% our !rain+ our ha!its o% thin ing and %eeling which tend to %ocus our attention on our attachments+ our addictions. $editation is simply a matter o% re,training our !rains to %ocus away %rom these attachments 8 the places to which our minds wander during meditation 8 to lea"e the !rain %ree to contact something deeper and more satis%ying. 9ocusing on our !reathing is a techni-ue to pull our minds away %rom our mental addictions.

Principles o% Buddhist Psychotherapy 'n the application o% Buddhism to psychotherapy we need to !e aware o% a num!er o% ca"eats. 9irst+ %or the purposes o% this article+ ' am simpli%ying Buddhism to a considera!le degree. Second+ li e all the world3s great spiritual traditions+ Buddhism is not monolithic. :ust as there are many traditions within each o% Christianity+ :udaism+ and 'slam+ %or e/ample+ so too there are at least %i"e maDor traditions within Buddhism that are currently practiced in the .nited States. *hese are 'nsight =Fipassana> $editation+ 5en Buddhism+ *i!etan Buddhism+ Pure Gand Buddhism+ and Hichiren =So a ;a ai> Buddhism. Aowe"er+ within this di"ersity there is a core o% shared !elie%s that can allow us to spea o% a common Buddhist approach to psychotherapy. *hird and most crucial+ an approach to therapy in%ormed !y Buddhist principles does not constitute a radically new %orm o% therapy. A conscious %ly on the wall in the o%%ice o% a therapist who might thin o% hersel% as Buddhist might not+ most o% the time+ o!ser"e "ery much that seems di%%erent %rom traditional psychotherapy. At times di%%erent techni-ues might !e introduced+ it is true+ and a Buddhist understanding might !e translated into di%%erent ways o% inter"ening. But the main di%%erence would pro!a!ly !e in how the therapist is understanding and e/periencing what is transpiring in the session. A Buddhist approach to therapy will not necessarily yield #a new %orm o% therapy.& *he primary e%%ect o% Buddhism on the practice o% group therapy is in the way Buddhist practice changes the consciousness o% the therapist. 'n my e/perience this is in the direction o% a greater capacity on the part o% therapists to !e %ully present in the here,and,now with the patient+ to !e compassionate+ and to !e %le/i!le and creati"e with their responses 8 in other words+ to do more e%%ecti"ely what we already now how to do. *his e%%ect o% Buddhist practice on the consciousness o% the therapist is illustrated in the recent !oo *sychoanalysis and Buddhism =Sa%ran+ C))(>. 'n this compilation o% articles and dialogues a num!er o% senior psychoanalysts with decades o% e/perience with Buddhist practice e/plore in detail the ways in which their years o% Buddhist meditation has re%ined their capacity to !e present with their patients with greater delicacy+ creati"ity+ caring and presence. *his idea 8 that Buddhist practice can help us as psychotherapists do more e%%ecti"ely what we already now how to do 8 e/tends also to a cogniti"e understanding o% what we might call certain !asic Buddhist principles o% psychotherapy. A rough outline o% these di%%erent principles o% therapy is presented !elow. 1 .The Self. According to Buddhist thin ing+ there is %undamentally no pathology in human !eings. What we re%er to as psychopathology certainly does e/ist+ o% course+ as part o% the organi@ation o% the social sel%. But this is a conse-uence o% our consciousness !eing cut o%% %rom contact with who we truly are on a deeper le"el. When we are in %act in the mode o% the true sel% we may

e/perience oursel"es as without pathology. *hese are the e/periences we may ha"e while loo ing at a !eauti%ul sunset+ or listening to music+ or !eing engaged in artistic creati"ity+ or ma ing lo"e+ or !eing engaged in a particularly meaning%ul therapy session+ or participating in a special moment o% athletics. *hese e/periences+ which ha"e !een re%erred to a #%low+& =Csi s@entmihayli+ 066)>+ or are spo en o% !y world,class athletes as #!eing in the @one+& are characteri@ed !y %eelings o% utter calm+ o% e%%ortless spontaneity+ o% a sense o% oneness with the world+ and a sense o% !eauty and rightness. Such e/periences o% Buddha nature+ in a Buddhist conception o% psychotherapy+ are considered to !e the !irthright o% all humans. We might thin o% it in this way , that our e/perience is li e a aleidoscope. Whether we are e/periencing oursel"es as the social sel% or as the true sel%+ the same components o% our psyches are present. But in the two states the organi@ation o% the psyche is radically di%%erent. 't could !e the aim o% psychotherapy to teach us how to spin our internal aleidoscopes in such a way that we ha"e increased access to our Buddha nature. 2. *sychopatholo&y. 'n the Buddhist "iew what is usually considered to !e psychopathology is not thought to !e caused !y the usual suspects 8 intra, psychic con%lict =in the structural or ego,psychological models o% the psyche>+ de%icient sel% and sel%,o!Dect e/perience =in the sel%,psychological model>+ or pathological internali@ed o!Dect relations =in the o!Dect relations model>. Rather+ psychological dys%unction is considered to !e a result o% lac o% contact with Buddha nature. 'n line with the Buddhist conception o% dharma+ psychopathology is in %act not considered to !e #pathology& at all+ !ut rather #path+& a distinction %irst made+ to the !est o% my nowledge+ !y :ohn Welwood =Welwood+ 061B>. *hat is+ symptoms and dys%unction are not %undamentally considered to !e pro!lems+ !ut rather to !e opportunities to learn on the Dourney o% li%e. *o -uote the dolphin researcher and neuroscientist :ohn Gilly+ #in li%e there are no mista es+ only e/periments.& 3. Therapeutic *rocess. We may !est approach the Buddhist understanding o% therapeutic process !y contrasting it with the models o% therapeutic process that characteri@e traditional models o% psychotherapy. 'n traditional terms+ healing occurs either through ma ing the unconscious conscious+ or through the pro"ision o% an appropriately empathic sel%,o!Dect response+ or through the correction o% dys%unctional relational patterns. 'n Buddhist therapy+ on the other hand+ healing occurs through opening a channel !etween the conscious mind and the deepest le"el o% who we are. $. The +oal of Therapy. *raditionally the goal o% therapy is considered to !e satis%ying relationships and producti"e wor . 'n a Buddhist approach to therapy we might add the capacity to !e and to play. #Play& is used here in the highest sense o% the word+ as used !y the historian Aui@inga in his classic Aomo Gudens =Aui@inga+ 067)> or !y Winnicott =Playing and Reality+ 0616>. *he idea is

similar to that e/pressed !y the ;erman playwright 9riedrich Schiller when he wrote+ # we only play when in the %ull meaning o% the word we are human+ and we are only completely human when we play.& ,. The #ffective -ocus of Therapy. 'n Buddhist therapy there is an o"ert %ocus on culti"ating certain positi"e emotions 8 %or e/ample+ compassion+ empathy and %orgi"eness. *his is not done to the e/clusion o% !ringing unconscious %eelings o% lust+ hurt+ grie%+ anger and hatred into consciousness+ !ut as an additional deli!erate %ocus. 't %ollows the meditati"e principle o% re,training the !rain so it is more a!le to contact the deeper le"el o% who we are. .. The )ole of the Super(e&o. A Buddhist point o% "iew would !e open to the possi!ility that the super,ego might ultimately !e an anti-uated internal structure. *his is not to deny the crucial importance o% morality in li%e+ which is hea"ily emphasi@ed in Buddhism. ='n %act traditional Buddhist practice !egins with an emphasis on ethics rather than meditation.> *he idea rather is that the deepest source o% morality might lie not in a psychic structure deri"ed %rom internali@ed parental o!Dect representations+ !ut rather in a pro%ound sense o% !eing in touch with our essence+ which might automatically include a sense o% deep caring and respect %or others. According to this approach the super,ego could !e "iewed as a structure that can !e outli"ed rather than modi%ied and so%tened. I% course it could !e argued that what a Buddhist considers to !e morality deri"ed %rom Buddha nature is really Dust another way o% tal ing a!out an unconscious mature super,ego+ !ut %rom the Buddhist point o% "iew e"en a mature super,ego could !e considered simply a mental o!Dect+ and there%ore a potential inter%erence with contact with what could !e an e"en stronger source o% morality. ;eneral Principles o% *echni-ue in a Buddhist Approach to *herapy 1. The *ractice of *sychotherapy as a %aturational *ath for the Therapist. Ine o% the great secrets o% our pro%ession+ which we all now !ut do not tal much a!out+ is that the -uality o% our clinical wor depends hea"ily on the -uality o% our own personal maturity. So the %irst principle o% Buddhist therapeutic techni-ue has to !e %or us to do our own inner maturational wor + in whate"er way seems right to us. .ltimately this ta es precedence o"er all else. 2. *resence. He/t it must !e said that tal ing a!out a Buddhist+ or %or that matter+ any spiritual techni-ue %or psychotherapy is to immediately engage in a massi"e parado/. 9or the essence o% a Buddhist approach to techni-ue is that there is no techni-ue at all. *hat is+ in a Buddhist approach to therapy+ the essence o% the techni-ue o% doing therapy is not to try to #do& anything at all 8 that is+ not to try to #%i/& the patient or #ma e something !etter.& Rather the idea is to #!e& with the patient or the group+ to !e present+ without

trying to %i/ anyone or anything. *his is essentially what the e/istential analysts meant !y #presence+& what Sulli"an meant !y #the syntactic mode+& what the :ewish mystic Bu!er meant !y #an ',*hou relationship+& and what Bion meant !y Dettisoning #memory+ understanding and desire.& 'n other words+ the techni-ue is simply to !e %ully present with the patient or group+ which means allowing onesel% as a therapist to %ully e/perience and accept the patient3s and one3s own e/perience without the need to do anything. Ir as the psychologist and spiritual teacher Ram ?ass =Richard Alpert> said when tal ing o% his own approach to doing psychotherapy+ #the gi%t you o%%er another person is Dust your !eing.& 3. ultivatin& ommunion and ataly/in& the *atient0s ontact 1ith her True Self. 'n spite o% all this+ we might still want to now something more a!out techni-ue than the simple admonition to !e mature and present. What actually is supposed to happen+ we might as . 9rom a Buddhist perspecti"e we might thin o% it this way. *he ultimate healing %or our patients consists in our helping them to spin their internal aleidoscopes+ to shi%t %rom a %alse sel% to a true sel% mode+ to contact the essence o% who they really are+ to contact their Buddha nature. *he psychotherapist who is in contact with her own true sel%+ her own Buddha nature+ esta!lishes a sense o% authentic contact with her patient+ esta!lishes an ',*hou relationship or what we might call a sense o% communion. She then is operating in a sense as a midwi%e+ and can cataly@e her patient3s capacity to contact her own Buddha nature. We might thin o% it as the therapist !lowing on the spar o% Buddha nature in the patient to allow it to !ecome a %lame. This mi&ht 2e considered the fundamental healin& process in the Buddhist approach to psychotherapy. $. 3mphasi/in& the 'ealthy +ro1th 3d&e. 't is critical+ in this approach to therapy+ to always emphasi@e the aspect o% the patient that is growing+ rather than to %ocus primarily on what we usually call pathology. *his does not mean that as therapists we will not point out and interpret dys%unctional emotional+ cogniti"e or !eha"ioral patterns+ !ut only that the emphasis is always placed on health. *his also suggests an emphasis in psychotherapy on compassion and empathy+ though not to the e/clusion o% dealing with con%lict and aggression. *his approach is %amiliar to many o% us through the principles o% sel%,psychology =or in %amily therapy through the concept o% #re,%raming&>+ and we may o%ten at times include it in our therapeutic armamentarium. What characteri@es the Buddhist approach+ and can !e deeply trans%ormati"e+ is a commitment on the part o% the therapist to ma e identi%ying healthy moti"ation the priority+ no matter how #pathological& the presenting clinical material may appear to !e. =I% course therapeutic Dudgment may dictate departing %rom this inDunction when clinically indicated+ as in the case o% dealing with sociopathy or se"ere acting,out.> 7. Bein& 4illin& to )est *eacefully in Not 5no1in&. According to the Buddhist approach+ the greatest source o% our a!ility to help our patients will originate in our Buddha nature+ our deepest source o% wisdom and compassion.

I"er,attending to the conscious mind only inter%eres with our access to this nowledge 8 hence *heodor Rei 3s %amous ad"ice to listen with the third ear =Rei + 06B2>. What is re-uired is a capacity to !e com%orta!le with con%usion+ what the poet :ohn Keats %amously re%erred to as #negati"e capa!ility& 8 #when a man is capa!le o% !eing in uncertainties+ mysteries+ dou!ts+ without any irrita!le reaching a%ter %act and reason& =Keats+0676>. .. Bein& as -le6i2le as *ossi2le in the *ractice of Therapy. *his re-uires trusting our intuition+ ta ing chances+ always !eing willing to change our minds+ always !eing willing to not now how psychotherapy wor s. We could !e li e $ichelangelo =at age 14J>: #' am still learning.& *his also means !eing a!le to admit mista es without considering them to !e pro!lems =?ogen+ considered one o% the greatest Buddhist teachers+ stated: #my li%e has !een a continuous series o% mista es.&> 7. !sin& #ctive Techni8ues to -acilitate ontact 1ith Deeper 36perience and Lettin& +o of the -alse Self. *hese might include introducing meditation+ emphasi@ing !reathing+ and the use o% special techni-ues such as gestalt wor or <ugene ;endlin3s %ocusing techni-ue =;endlin+ 066B>. *he idea here is that the !arriers to directly e/periencing the true sel% may !e so ha!itual and rigid that acti"e inter"ention on the part o% the therapist may !e needed and welcomed !y the patient. 't goes almost without saying that all such acti"e inter"entions are %reighted with trans%erence implications which must !e care%ully attended to !y the clinician. A Buddhist Approach to ;roup Psychotherapy 9irst it is important to note again that a Buddhist,oriented group therapeutic approach may not di%%er in %undamental ways %rom a traditional psychodynamic or interpersonal approach =Rutan and Stone+0612+ Kalom+0617>. *he theory+ content+ process and techni-ue may not di%%er radically %rom what we are used to. Buddhist group therapy+ there%ore+ to the e/tent that such a thing has !een in the process o% !eing in"ented !y a num!er o% therapists in the last decade+ is not #a new %orm o% group therapy.& 'n this sense it di%%ers %rom certain inno"ations that ha"e appeared on the group therapy scene in recent decades+ such as gestalt group therapy+ transactional analysis+ redecision group therapy+ and cogniti"e, !eha"ioral group therapy+ to name Dust a %ew+ all o% which do seem to constitute %undamentally new =and o%ten+ -uite power%ul and help%ul> approaches to our clinical wor . So at least in our present state o% nowledge+ a Buddhist approach to group therapy does not necessarily lead to a radically new approach to group process or group dynamics. ;ood group therapy is good group therapy+ and the !asis o% a Buddhist approach to running groups is to !e a good group therapist. Along these lines+ no therapy group+ no matter what its orientation+ can !e success%ul

unless its leader adheres to the !asic principles o% good group therapy leadership. *hese are+ to re"iew =Porter+ 0662>: 1. #ttendin& to individual needs !y gi"ing primacy to the here,and,now+ interpreting the unconscious+ and encouraging the e/pression o% %eelings in words in a way that is use%ul %or !oth the indi"idual and the group. 2. #ttendin& to &roup needs !y maintaining the therapeutic %rame+ always ma ing the group the agent o% change as much as possi!le+ stimulating group interaction+ and educating the group to the therapeutic process. 3. Balancin& individual and &roup needs appropriately. $. Dealin& 1ith resistance !y according it priority+ recogni@ing its o%ten unconscious nature+ allowing an/iety to !e optimal rather than ma/imal or minimal+ and dealing with resistances in order o% se"erity. ,. Dealin& 1ith transference !y using the group as an instrument+ using optimal timing+ and recogni@ing the need to deal with trans%erence using a "ariety o% approaches =insight+ supporti"e+ sel%,psychological+ relational> according to the needs o% the patient at any gi"en moment. .. Dealin& 1ith counter(transference !y allowing it to !e conscious and deciding when to simply use it as data and when and how to selecti"ely e/press it. 7. Dealin& 1ith primitive &roup processes+ such as scapegoating+ regression+ and proDecti"e identi%ication. *his !eing said+ where a Buddhist group therapy may di%%er is in the more su!tle+ !ut nonetheless critical aspects o% the wor : the structure o% the group+ the o"erall approach o% the therapist to clinical material+ the e%%ect o% the approach on the consciousness o% the therapist+ the e%%ect on the atmosphere o% the group+ and the e%%ect on the le"el o% clinical material a"aila!le %or producti"e therapeutic wor . 'n C))0 ' started two #meditation training groups& %or psychotherapists+ intended to e/plore the possi!ilities %or integrating meditation+ spirituality+ and group process. ' called the groups #training groups& and the interaction #group process+& and ' %urther called the approach #spiritual& in a general way+ as it incorporated understanding and study %rom years o% spiritual practice that ' had done in many di%%erent spiritual traditions. Honetheless+ much o% what ' did was highly in%ormed !y my own 07 years o% speci%ically Buddhist study and meditation practice+ and the groups can ser"e as a model %or what may happen when a traditionally, trained psychotherapist introduces a spiritual perspecti"e into the practice o% group therapy.

*he model ' used e"ol"ed o"er time+ largely in response to input %rom the mem!ers o% the groups. *he present model is 07, C) minutes o% meditation at the start o% the group+ 7 minutes to discuss technical issues o% meditation+ and a!out an hour o% group process. *he groups end with one to two minutes o% closing meditation. At the present time there are 2,7 mem!ers in each group. A%ter a!out a year !oth groups spontaneously =and independently 8 within a!out 2 months o% each other> decided to change their contract and !ecome %ormal therapy groups 8 a de"elopment which had not !een consciously in my mind when ' started the groups. *his seemed to !e the result o% a sense o% depth and emotional connection that had de"eloped among the mem!ers o% each group. *he clinical e/amples in this paper are drawn %rom these two groups. Aere are some ways in which a therapy group run according to Buddhist principles might di%%er %rom what we ha"e come to now as traditional group therapy+ !ased on my e/perience with these two groups. 1. Structure of the +roup. As ' mentioned+ groups might !egin with a period o% meditation. 't seems important that this not !e so short as to !e meaningless+ !ut not so long as to su!stantially inter%ere with group process during the remainder o% the session. An initial period o% 07,C7 minutes seems !est+ at this stage o% my e/perience. 2. Leadership Techni8ue. 'n leading these two groups ' tried to adhere as much as possi!le to the !asic principles o% Buddhist psychotherapy techni-ue outlined a!o"e: !eing present+ culti"ating communion+ emphasi@ing the healthy growth edge+ resting in not nowing+ trusting intuition+ %ocusing on positi"e a%%ect+ -uestioning the super,ego+ and !eing willing to use acti"e techni-ues. *his seemed to a%%ect !oth my own consciousness and the atmosphere o% the group. 3. The onsciousness of the Leader" 9ncreased 3mpathy and 9nsi&ht. $uch o% the e%%ect o% !ringing a Buddhist approach to group therapy seemed to spring %rom the e%%ect o% the spiritual perspecti"e on my own consciousness. 'n the groups which ' ha"e led %rom this perspecti"e+ ' ha"e %ound+ without particularly trying+ that ' tend to ha"e a greater degree o% empathy and intuiti"e understanding than usual. *his seems to ta e the %orm o% a greater a!ility to spontaneously #get& where a person is+ a deeper degree o% compassion+ and greater access to creati"e responses. ' attri!ute this to the e%%ect on me o% the #mental set& with which ' approach the group+ the e%%ect on me o% the initial period o% meditation+ and also the e%%ect on me o% years o% practice o% Buddhist meditation. linical e6ample :1 =All clinical e/amples ha"e !een discussed with and appro"ed !y mem!ers o% the rele"ant groups in so %ar as this was clinically possi!le.>

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Ine group was initially characteri@ed %or a!out B months !y seemingly relentless attac s on me as the leader. With the e/ception o% one time when ' responded angrily to pro"ocation+ ' was surprised to notice in mysel% a more %le/i!le than usual capacity to maintain a sense o% e-uanimity and empathy in the %ace o% a "ery high le"el o% aggression. Although it was o% course not the point o% the e/perience+ ' noticed that the capacity to hold aggression without acting it out !ecame a maturational e/perience %or me as a leader+ and ultimately set a tone that allowed the group to trans%orm into a deeper and stronger container. 9rom my point o% "iew+ my Buddhist training seemed to ha"e deepened my own capacity %or compassion and non,Dudgmental presence. $. The #tmosphere of the +roup" 9ncreased 'onesty and ompassion. Similarly in my e/perience the groups themsel"es ha"e seemed characteri@ed !y an increased dimension o% gi"ing and recei"ing di%%icult %eed!ac with empathy and compassion. *his has also !een true in most o% the one,day or two,day training groups ' ha"e run at the <astern ;roup Psychotherapy Society or the American ;roup Psychotherapy Association annual meetings using this approach. linical e6ample :2 By their second year !oth groups contained %our women and one man. <ach man seemed+ %or a period o% time+ to !e e/periencing an angry and unsatis%ying stance toward a woman in his li%e. Although in each case it was a!undantly clear that the woman in -uestion was contri!uting in maDor ways to the relationship di%%iculty+ it was also clear to !oth groups that the man+ without %ully reali@ing it+ was caught in a !eha"ior pattern that was ma ing things worse %or him. *he women in each group were a!le to gi"e "ery direct %eed!ac to the men+ relating it in some instances to here,and,now interactions in the group. 'n !oth situations what was stri ing to me was the e/ceptional capacity o% the group to !e !oth direct and empathic+ and the stri ing a!ility o% the men to recei"e the %eed!ac totally non,de%ensi"ely+ and to rapidly integrate it into their daily li"es. Aere too the group atmosphere allowed %or a stri ing degree o% compassion and empathy that seemed related to the Buddhist principles o% psychotherapy techni-ue with which ' had attempted to lead the groups. ,. 9ncreased Depth of %aterial. What has !een stri ing in !oth groups has !een the rapid access to "ery deep+ sometimes primiti"e material+ that seems at times to !e emerging %rom the %irst year o% li%e+ and that has included trans%erential interactions with me. *his has had "ery positi"e =and at times challenging> e%%ects. linical e6ample :3.

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*he group re%erred to in the %irst clinical e/ample was at %irst one o% the most di%%icult ' ha"e e"er led in (C years o% leading groups+ and then e"ol"ed into one o% the most success%ul. 't started as a group o% ten women and mysel% that met %or the %irst time the wee !e%ore Septem!er 00+ C))0. *he wee s %ollowing 6L00 many mem!ers were not a!le to attend. As mem!ers !egan to tric le !ac + a hostile and mistrust%ul attitude toward the group and toward me !egan to e"ol"e. Se"eral women de"eloped intense+ angry and pain%ully suspicious relationships with me+ which ultimately led to their lea"ing the group. ' had the %ascinating =and %rustrating> e/perience as a leader that whate"er ' said or didn3t say was wrong. ' seemed ne"er to !e a!le to help the group come together as a sa%e+ trustworthy en"ironment. 'n retrospect ' reali@ed a num!er o% things. 9irst+ o% course+ the presence o% ten women and one male leader certainly made %or a "ery challenging trans%erence situation. Second+ as ' learned %rom !oth this and the other similar group which ' ran+ ten mem!ers turned out to !e too many once the groups une/pectedly turned into therapy groups. But pro!a!ly most important+ the com!ination o% Septem!er 00 and the meditation ignited a regressi"e %irestorm that too months to !urn out. When the dust settled+ what ' came to understand was that the en"ironment o% Hew Kor City merged with the en"ironment o% the group in the e/perience o% the group mem!ers. As we ha"e come to now =Scheidlinger+ 0642>+ the group is o%ten+ and especially in times o% crisis+ e/perienced as the mother o% early li%e+ as is society as a whole. In Septem!er 00 a massi"e attac o% male aggression tore apart the containing =maternal> %a!ric o% society in Hew Kor City. Aence the City itsel%+ as well as the %ragmented therapy group =which was una!le to %ully reconstitute itsel% %or wee s> was e/perienced as unsa%e. '+ on the other hand+ was e/perienced primarily as either the castrated %ather who was una!le to protect the integrity o% the group+ or as the aggressi"e male who was identi%ied with the attac ers. 'n line with this+ many women in the group !egan to e/perience me as a replica o% a traumati@ing %ather. <"entually a num!er o% women dropped out o% the group+ which then gradually settled into a producti"e wor mode. With the addition o% a new male mem!er+ the group continued wor ing on "ery deep material+ as mem!ers !egan to deal with pro%ound %eelings o% anger and hatred toward their mothers. ' supported this+ pointing out the enormous maturational "alue o% !eing a!le to e/perience intense hatred without sel%,Dudgment+ repression+ proDection or acting,out. Ine woman success%ully %reed hersel% %rom a li%elong and crippling dependency on her mother !y using her hatred as an engine o% separation+ and then e"entually !egan to de"elop %eelings o% compassion and %orgi"eness %or her. A second woman went through an analogous process em!odied in a pain%ul separation %rom a !elo"ed !ut disappointing analyst+ and then went on to e/plore the corresponding psychodynamics with her actual mother. 'n summary+ in this group it seemed that the spiritual orientation o% the group and the practice o% meditation allowed the group to mo"e to a "ery primiti"e

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regressed le"el "ery -uic ly. Speci%ically+ the meditation seemed to gi"e patients -uic er and deeper access to unconscious material+ and my own !ac ground in Buddhism seemed to allow %or greater empathy and attunement o% therapeutic process than ' had e/perienced in the past. When e/ternal e"ents deepened the process more rapidly than the container o% the group could hold+ the process did !ecome unsta!le. But the pressure o% the traumatic e"ents seemed to allow the group e"entually to !ecome a cauldron %or trans%ormation into a new and stronger container. What was -uite %ascinating was to see that once the group !ecame more sta!le+ it e"ol"ed %rom one o% the most di%%icult to one o% the most pro%oundly success%ully groups which ' ha"e e"er encountered+ a!le to wor on a surprisingly deep le"el with "ery producti"e results. Summary and Conclusions We ha"e re"iewed the history o% Buddhism in America in the last 0)) years+ some !asic concepts o% Buddhism =Buddha nature+ dharma+ attachment and meditation>+ and some !asic principles o% Buddhist psychotherapy regarding the sel%+ psychopathology+ therapeutic process+ the goal o% therapy+ the a%%ecti"e %ocus o% therapy and the super,ego. We discussed the !asic principles o% Buddhist therapeutic techni-ue+ which include the need %or the therapist to do her own maturational wor + !e present+ culti"ate communion+ emphasi@e the healthy growth edge+ !e com%orta!le with not nowing+ !e open and %le/i!le+ %ocus on positi"e a%%ect+ -uestion the super,ego+ and !e open to the use o% acti"e techni-ues. We e/plored the application o% all this to group therapy+ re"iewing the !asic principles o% traditional group therapeutic leadership techni-ue+ and then+ using e/amples %rom two Buddhist,oriented therapy groups which ' ha"e led+ re"iewed how !ringing a Buddhist orientation to group therapy might change the structure =!y adding meditation>+ change the o"erall technical approach o% the leader+ change the consciousness o% the leader =in the direction o% greater insight and empathy>+ shi%t the atmosphere in the group =toward more honesty and compassion>+ and deepen group mem!ers3 access to repressed material. I"erall what ' ha"e emphasi@ed is that a Buddhist approach to group therapy does not create a radically new #%orm o% group therapy+& !ut may su!stantially enhance our capa!ility to do !etter what we already now how to do as group therapists. A %inal word needs to !e added. ' ha"e descri!ed how a Buddhist approach to group therapy might enhance the e%%ecti"eness o% our usual clinical wor . *his has emphasi@ed certain aspects o% the Buddhist tradition that ma e it especially help%ul to the practice o% psychotherapy. $editation and Buddhist practice de"elops the therapist3s capacity to !e present in the here,and,now+ to !e compassionate+ to !e attuned to healthy potential+ to -uestion the super,ego+ to !e %le/i!le and intuiti"e+ and to contact+ and encourage contact with+ the true sel%.

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But there is nothing e/clusi"e in the Buddhist tradition that uni-uely -uali%ies it+ among other spiritual traditions+ to !e pri"ileged in enhancing our therapeutic e%%ecti"eness. Ine could write an e-ually compelling paper+ %or e/ample+ on #A Christian Approach to ;roup *herapy+& which might emphasi@e the use%ulness o% prayer+ purging+ mercy and %orgi"enessE or a #:ewishLKa!!alistic Approach to ;roup *herapy+& enumerating techni-ues to contact and acti"ate the sephirotE or a AinduLKoga approach+ %ocusing on the use o% asanas and pranayama+ the acti"ation o% undalini sha ti+ the opening o% cha ras+ and the path o% ser"ice and union with the ?i"ineE or a $oslemLSu%i approach+ a *aoist approach+ or a Shamanistic approach+ to pic Dust a %ew o% the many intriguing possi!ilities %rom among the world3s great spiritual traditions. 'ndeed+ ' !elie"e that in the conduct o% the therapy groups which ' descri!ed+ ' ne"er once mentioned the word #Buddhism+& and that the mem!ers o% those groups+ should they happen to read this paper+ would !e a !it surprised to now that they had !een participating in a #Buddhist,oriented psychotherapy group.& 'n part this is !ecause+ as ' mentioned earlier+ the groups were not run e/clusi"ely according to Buddhist principles+ !ut also incorporated many other spiritual traditions which ' had happened to study. 't may also !e in part !ecause psychotherapeutic techni-ue does not re-uire =and in %act may e"en eschew> ma ing glaringly e/plicit the theoretical %ramewor with which one approaches the clinical wor . Be that as it may+ my point is that Buddhism is Dust one o% the many great spiritual traditions which our species has de"eloped+ and hope%ully it may ser"e to %acilitate+ along with many other in%luences+ the de"elopment o% an e"er more wise and compassionate twenty,%irst century philosophy and practice o% group psychotherapy. R<9<R<HC<S Csi s@entmihayli+ $. =066)>. -lo1" The psycholo&y of optimal e6perience. Hew Kor : Aarper and Row. <pstein+ $. =0667>. Thou&hts 1ithout a thin;er" *sychotherapy from a Buddhist perspective. Hew Kor : Basic Boo s. <pstein+ $. =0661> +oin& to pieces 1ithout fallin& apart" # Buddhist perspective on 1holeness lessons from meditation and psychotherapy. Hew Kor : Broadway Boo s. <pstein+ $. =C))0>. +oin& on 2ein&" Buddhism and the 1ay of chan&e. Hew Kor : Broadway Boo s. ;endlin+ <.*. =066B>. -ocusin&(oriented psychotherapy" # manual of the e6periential method. Hew Kor : ;uil%ord. Aui@inga+ :. =067)> 'omo ludens" # study of the play element in culture. Boston: Beacon. Keats+ :. =0676>. To +eor&e and Thomas 5eats< Dec. 21< 1=17. 'n $aDor British writers =p. (B0>. Hew Kor : Aarcourt Brace and Co.

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Porter+ K.=0662>. *rinciples of &roup therapeutic techni8ue. 'n A.S. Bernard and K.R. $ac en@ie+ Basics of &roup psychotherapy =pp. 0)),0CC>. Hew Kor : ;uil%ord. Rei + *. =06B2>. Listenin& 1ith the third ear. Hew Kor : Pyramid Boo s. Rutan+ :.S. & Stone+ W.H. =0612>. *sychodynamic &roup psychotherapy. Ge/ington+ $A: ?.C. Aeath. Sa%ran+ :.?. =C))(>+ ed. *sychoanalysis and Buddhism" #n unfoldin& dialo&ue. Boston: Wisdom Pu!lications. Shain!erg+ ?. =061(>. 'ealin& in psychotherapy" The process of holistic chan&e. Ganghorne+ PA: ;ordon and Breach. Shain!erg+ ?. =066(>. 'ealin& in psychotherapy" The path and process of inner chan&e< 2nd ed. Ganghorne+ PA: ;ordon and Breach. Shain!erg+ ?. =C)))>. hasin& elephants" 'ealin& psycholo&ically 1ith Buddhist 1isdom. Hew Kor : Asti,Rahman Boo s. Su@u i+ ?.*.+ 9romm+ <.+ & ?e$artino+ R. =06B)>. >en Buddhism and psychoanalysis. New Kor : ;ro"e Press. Su@u i+ S. = 064)>. >en mind< 2e&inner0s mind. Hew Kor : Weatherhill. Welwood+ :. = 061(>+ ed. #1a;enin& the heart" 3ast?4est approaches to psychotherapy and the healin& relationship. Boston: Sham!hala. Welwood+ :. = 061B>. lass at @me&a 9nstitute< Rhine!ec + Hew Kor Welwood+ :. =C)))>. To1ard a psycholo&y of a1a;enin&" Buddhism< psychotherapy< and the path of personal and spiritual transformation. Boston: Sham!hala. Winnicott+ ?.W. =0616>. *layin& and reality. Hew Kor : Routledge. Kalom+ '. =0617>. The theory and practice of &roup psychotherapy< 3rd ed. Hew Kor : Basic Boo s. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM **his article was pu!lished in ;roup+ :ournal o% the <astern ;roup Psychotherapy Society+ "ol. C1:2+ pp. 7(,4)+ ?ec. C))2+ and is reprinted here with permission o% the author. ** Kenneth Porter+ $.?.+ is a spiritually,oriented psychiatrist and psychotherapist practicing indi"idual+ couples+ and group psychotherapy in Hew Kor City. Ae is a teacher o% Buddhist meditation at the Hew Kor 'nsight $editation Center+ Past, President o% the Association %or Spirituality and Psychotherapy+ and long,term student o% Kundalini Science and o% the ?iamond Approach o% A.A. Almaas. Ae can !e contacted at ro eislandNaol.com. $y than s to Ken Porter %or su!mitting this essay %or pu!lication on the www.desmoinesmeditation.org we!site. Contact Charlie ?ay at =707> C77,1(61 or charlesday0Nmchsi.com to su!mit material or discuss meditation+ Buddhism+ sitting groups+ retreats+ or meditation e/periences.

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