Learning Outcomes:

● Describe the desired client outcomes based on the tenets of Buddhist Psychotherapy and
Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy
● Identify the factors within these therapies that address what brings about change in the
individual
● Practice some Buddhist Psychotherapy and Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy techniques for
implementing the process of change
____________________________________________________________________________

I. Brief History of Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

● Formal introduction of Eastern thought to Western philosophy and psychology can be

traced to the late 1700s
○ British scholars began to translate Indian spiritual texts such as the Bhagavad
Gita. Along with Buddhist writing, these teachings took root in America through
the writings of “transcendentalists”
● The field of psychoanalysis has made contact with Buddhist psychology for a long time
○ Civilization and Its Discontents (Freud, 1961)
○ Buddhist Writing as an Artificial Catatonia (Franz Alexander, 1931)
○ Tibetan Book of the Dead (Jung, 1927)
● World War II opened the minds of many Westerners to Asian psychologies, notably Zen
Buddhism
○ Shoma Morita, in Japan, developed a Zen-based residential therapy for anxiety
that encouraged patients to experience their fears without trying to change or
stop them, very akin to modern, mindfulness-oriented psychotherapy (Morita,
1928/1998).
○ Following the war, D. T. Suzuki dialogued with Erich Fromm and Karen Horney
and inspired visionaries and artists such as Alan Watts, John Cage, and the beat
writers Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg
● The 1960s and 1970s witnessed many therapists being drawn to Eastern philosophy
and meditation as a path to emotional freedom
○ Fritz Perls (2012) studied Zen in Japan in 1962
■ “The experienced phenomenon is the ultimate Gestalt!.”
○ In the 1960s, young people flocked to classes on trancendental Meditation as
ideas of enlightenment followed the Beatles and other famous pilgrims back from
India.
○ Yoga, which is essentially mindfulness in movement, also traveled west at the
time.
○ Gradually, clinicians began connecting their personal meditation practice with
their clinical work.
● 1975: studies on meditation flourished
○ Herbert Benson, a cardiologist, became well known for his use of meditation to
treat heart disease
○ Clinical psychology kept pace with research on meditation as an adjunct to
psychotherapy itself
 ● 1977: the American Psychiatric Association called for a formal examination of the
clinical effectiveness of meditation
○ Majority of the journal articles studied concentration meditation, such as TM and
Benson’s relaxation response
● 1990s: the preponderance of studies switched to mindfulness meditation
○ Jon Kabbat-Zinn
■ opened the Center for Mindfulness in 1979, at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School, and taught mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR) to treat chronic conditions for which physicians could
offer no further help
● 2012: over 700 MBSR programs were offered worldwide.
○ MBSR had become the main mindfulness training program used in psychological
research
● Mindfulness is both transtheoretical (it appeals to a wide range of therapists, e.g.,
behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, family systems) and transdiagnostic (it appears
to alleviate diverse mental and physical disorders).

A Word about Buddhism

● Mindfulness lies at the heart of Buddhist psychology
● Western science explores phenomena through objective, third-person observation;
Buddhist psychology is a systematic, first-person approach relatively devoid of a priori
assumptions
● The historical Buddha (563–483 B.c.E.) is understood to have been a human being, not
a god, and his life’s work was dedicated to alleviating psychological suffering.
● Buddha: a person who is awake
● Foundational ideas of the Four Noble Truths:
○ The human condition involves suffering.
○ The conflict between how things are and how we desire them to be causes this
suffering.
○ Suffering can be reduced or even eliminated by changing our attitude toward
unpleasant experience.
○ There are eight general strategies (the Eightfold Path) to bring suffering to an end
● Mindfulness is the core practice of Buddhist psychology, and the body of Buddhist
psychology—including the Buddha’s original teachings and later writings of the
Abhidharma— can be considered the theoretical basis for mindfulness practice.

II. Definitions of Mindfulness

● Mindfulness
○ a skill that allows us to be less reactive to what is happening in the moment
○ overall suffering diminishes and our sense of well-being increases
○ it is to wake-up and recognize what is happening in the present moment
○ Focuses attention on the task at hand
○ No worries about the future, and the past does not affect you
● Mindlessness
 ○ being distracted
○ caught up in our own thoughts or opinions about what’s happening in the moment
○ you’re rushing moving from one thing to another; become careless; failing to be
attentive to the feelings of discomfort
○ You wander off to somewhere that is not in the present

Definitions of Mindfulness

● Translated from the Pali word sati

● Sati connotes awareness, attention, and remembering
○ Umbrella of Consciousness
○ Awareness - radar (background) of consciousness which monitors the inner and
outer environment
○ Attention - is the process of focusing conscious awareness, heightened
sensitivity
● Attention pulls “figures” out of the ground of “awareness” holding them focally for varying
lengths of time
● Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot; it is paying attention to the present moment
● Remembering - reorienting our attention and experience in a receptive manner;
intentionally reorienting our attention to the present experience

Mindfulness

● describes a theoretical construct

● Practices for cultivating mindfulness
● Psychological process
● Basic definitions
○ Moment-by-moment awareness
○ Can never be truly captured by words as it is a subtle, nonverbal experience
● Kabat-Zinn (2005), the leading pioneer of mindfulness in health care, has defined it is an
open-hearted, moment-to-moment, non-judgemental awareness

Therapeutic Mindfulness

● Two-Component Model
○ Self-regulation of attention; allowing for increased recognition of mental events
○ Adopting a particular orientation towards one’s experiences that is characterized
by openness, curiosity, and acceptance
● Acceptance - that both pleasurable and painful experiences are a part of the present
moment
○ Carl Rogers - “The curious paradox of life is that when I accept myself just as I
am, then I can change”
● Mindfulness is awareness of present experience with acceptance.
Mindful Moments
- Mindfulness must be experienced to be known. Even in our often pressured and
distracted daily lives, it’s possible to have mindful moments.
● Non-Conceptual - disentangled from thought process
● Nonverbal - cannot be captured in words
● Present-centered - absorption in thoughts temporarily removes us from the present
● Nonjudgemental - we must take things we experience as they are
● Participatory - not detached witnessing; experiencing of the mind and body
● Liberating - provides a bit of freedom from conditioned suffering

Wisdom and Compassion

● Mindfulness is not a goal but it aims to foster freedom from suffering

● Wisdom and compassion arise from mindfulness, which naturally leads to
psychological freedom
● Insight liberates us from the need to promote ourselves in society and defend ourselves
from petty insults
○ The fixed self is impermanent; we create misery for ourselves by fighting our
present-moment reality
● Insight Meditation - practice of looking within, beneath our conditioned perceptions and
reactions to liberate the heart and mind
● Compassion - ability to open to suffering along with the wish to alleviate it
○ Emerges out of wisdom
● Why balance both?
○ Too much of one makes it flawed
○ For therapists:
■ if we are too compassionate, we are liable to become overwhelmed with
emotion
■ if we are too wise, we became out of touch with our client's despair

What mindfulness isn’t (Alper, 2016)

● Not a Relaxation technique

○ a common misunderstanding
○ but also understandable because mindfulness can lead to a relaxation response
○ rather relaxation, in this technique, is a by-product, rather than the goal
● Not a relaxation state nor a trance state
○ some practices might resemble hypnotic trance inductions or relaxation exercises
○ relaxation is a natural precursor to sleep and trance involves heightened
presence and receptivity, but not necessarily clarity of awareness
○ mindfulness is a state of wakefulness, characterized by both relaxed
concentration and heightened awareness.
○ It brings about heightened acuity and clarity of perception
● Not an emptying of the mind
 ○ commonly misunderstood that it requires clearing of the mind of thoughts
○ Pop-culture reference
○ Rather, it involves shifting our relationship to thinking itself, and relating to
thinking as an event without identifying with the content of meaning
● Not a goal to strive for or attain
○ mindfulness is a quality of the present moment experience
○ striving for a goal implies focusing on the future which is not what really
mindfulness is concerned
○ Present is always here, it is not necessary to do anything.
○ the mind can take us far away so we stop noticing the present moment
● No lotus position or any posture
○ self-explanatory

So what Mindfulness is? (Alper, 2016)

● Awareness of experiencing as well as that which is experienced

○ Experience of experiencing
○ this is an act of being aware of what’s happening in your own mind as it happens
○ You pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, and sensations and observe them
with openness.
○ Like breathing, the mindfulness of breathing involves feeling the physical
sensations, of your chest going up and down, the air coming in your lungs, and
you also are aware that you feeling the sensations of breathing is happening
○ This experience involves not just the content of one's thoughts and feelings, but
also the awareness or consciousness that allows one to perceive and observe
those mental events.
● Nondoing
○ paradoxical however it does not necessarily mean doing nothing, nor it is the
absence of activity.
○ paying close attention may sound like doing something, it actually involves
nondoing, which requires completely letting go of doing anything
○ it is simply being present with one’s experience without trying to do anything or
achieve any particular outcome
○ Letting go of judging or evaluating experience, but take them as they are
○ Practicing it means that we develop a sense of ease and acceptance, which can
lead to well-being and happiness

Why Mindfulness in Psychotherapy (Alper, 2016)

● Emphasis on Health and Wholeness rather than Pathology

○ focus on shifting relationship to life’s inevitable pain and distress rather than
altering or eliminating them
○ beyond alleviating symptoms, mindfulness promotes health and well-being
● Focus on direct experience beyond thought and language
 ○ mindfulness practices value present moment awareness as powerful sources of
learning and healing for both therapist and client
○ it is the awareness underlying both thinking and perception, with which we can
observe thoughts and sense perceptions as events
○ mindfulness seeing is being aware both of what you are seeing and the fact that
seeing is happening
○ meditations train and refine awareness
● Body as focus of therapy
○ importance of body in mainstream cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic
therapies
○ offers balance and clarity for humanistic therapies that emphasize the importance
of cathartic emotional expression and gratification of emotional desires
● Makes therapy existentially resonant and authentic
○ it develops cognitive, emotional, and somatic self-regulation and
distress-reduction skills that are existentially authentic
○ Not simply techniques but skillful responses to looking deeply into and
experientially understanding and accepting existential truths of life
(impermanence, pain and loss, and human propensity to create unnecessary
suffering)
○ Formal mediation helps develop the understanding, skills, and inner capacities to
engage life’s inevitable difficulty and distress in a way that optimizes happiness
and reduced unnecessary suffering
○
● Helps prevent therapist burnout
○ regular discipline of mindfulness meditation practice is the best way to prevent
burnout in any job or profession
○ cultivates mind-body skills, inner capacities, attitudes, and perspectives that are
vital for therapist self-care
○ Mindfulness practice is like being on a vacation without going on vacation
○ Regular breaks are important, and vacations are just situations and experiences
we construct that are novel, or simple, making it easier to be present in the
moment.
○ We think we are more present because we are enjoying ourselves, when actually
being fully aware and engaged in the present moment brings joy and an
increased sense of aliveness.

III. Mindfulness Practice

Formal Practice

● It refers to meditation and it offers an opportunity to experience meditation at its deepest

levels.
● Sustained, disciplined introspection from formal mindfulness practice allows the
practitioner to train attention, systematically observe the mind's contents, and learn how
the mind works.
Informal Practice

● It refers to the application of mindfulness skills in everyday life.

● It is any mental event that can be an object of mental awareness.
● Two common practices of cultivating mindfulness are mindful walking and mindful
eating.

Four Foundations of Mindfulness inTraditional Buddhist Practice

● the body
● feeling tone
● states of mind
● mental objects

Types of Mindfulness Meditation

1. Focused Attention
● Also known as concentration meditation.
● Can be compared to a laser light beam.
● A type of mindfulness meditation that helps increase an individual's awareness of
the present moment.
● It helps us train our ability to direct our attention.

2. Open Monitoring
● Can be compared to a search light.
● Involves taking note of the things that took our attention away.
● Develops the capacity for relaxed awareness in which conscious attention moves
naturally among the changing elements of experience.
● It helps us develop insight into our personal conditioning and how the mind
functions.
3. Loving-kindness & compassion
● It describes the quality of mindful awareness which are the attitude and emotions
rather than the direction of awareness.
● The purpose of this meditation is to plant seeds of goodwill toward ourselves and
others, over and over, which will eventually sprout into positive thoughts,
emotions, and behaviors.
● Any meditation practice that evokes a sense of happiness and warmth.

Misconceptions about Mindfulness Meditation

● Mindfulness meditation is not a relaxation exercise.

● It is not a test of a person's concentration.
● It is not a way to avoid difficulties in life.
● It does not bypass a person's personality problems.
 ● It is not about achieving a different state of mind.

IV. How do we practice the three (3) skills?

● By returning our awareness to an object of attention.

● Direct our awareness to include other experiences.
● Everytime the mind loses its stability, apply a sensory object anytime.
● If struggling, apply some compassion by saying kind words to yourself or by putting your
hand to your heart.

Mindfulness-Oriented Psychotherapy

a. Practicing Therapist

● Integrating mindfulness practice in a therapy reduces stress and anxiety and

enhances the therapist's counseling skills such as empathy and compassion.
● Practicing mindfulness in therapy may cultivate therapeutic presence. A process
which may lead a client to “feeling felt”.

Therapeutic presence- “an availability and openness to all aspects of the client’s
experience, openness to one’s own experience in being with the client, and the
capacity to respond to the client from this experience”.

b. Mindfulness-informed psychotherapy

● The therapist uses a theoretical frame of reference informed by insights derived

from mindfulness practice, the psychological literature on mindfulness, or
Buddhist psychology
● Therapists may not necessarily teach mindfulness exercises to clients;
mindfulness awareness is taught to patients through language, facial
expressions, voice tones, and other often subtle micro communications.

c. Mindfulness-based psychotherapy

● The therapists explicitly teach patients how to practice mindfulness that can be
practiced between sessions as the benefits of mindfulness appear to be
dose-dependent.
● Mindfulness-based clinicians often include techniques drawn from the
cognitive-behavioral tradition, and mindfulness-based treatment protocols have
been developed for a wide range of psychological conditions.
V. The Mindfulness Model of Psychotherapy

A psychotherapeutic model generally includes the following elements (Gurman & Messer, 2011;
Wampold, 2012):

1. Worldview

Worldviews explain the nature of reality (ontology), describe how we know reality
(epistemology), account for causality, and contain a concept of personality.

The metatheoretical frame of reference for mindfulness is contextualism.

*( (a) present-focused awareness, (b) an accepting or open attitude, (c) a nonjudging

approach, (d) compassion for self and others, and (e) the energy of mindfulness.)

*client-centered, which means that the therapist focuses on the individual client's needs.
This approach is based on the belief that each person is the expert on their own life. The
therapist works to help the client understand their unique circumstances and find
solutions that work for them.

Assumption of contextual worldview:

● · Nature of reality. Activity and change are fundamental conditions of

life. The world is an interconnected web of activity.
● · How we know reality. All knowledge of reality is constructed,
created by each individual within a particular context. There is no absolute
reality that we can know.
● · Causality. Change is continuous and events are multidetermined.
Apparent causality depends on its context.
● · Personality. The personality is best described as single moments of
awareness continuously cobbled together to form a functional, coherent
whole.

Assumptions of Buddhist psychology

3 characteristics of existence

● · Suffering (dhukka in Pali)- dissatisfaction we inevitably feel when

things are not as we wish them to be
● · Impermanence (anicca)-everything is constantly changing,
including who we think we are
● · No-self (anatta)- no fixed, separate self

Dependent co-origination- multidetermined universe—causality in contextualism. The

most accurate causal description of any event would be the universe of interacting
causes at a particular point in time.
2. Pathology & Health

“What we see, however, is not some absolute truth; rather, we see through the delusion of our
conceptualizations”

- We unconsciously elaborate on current events based on our past experience and

current desires, leading to errors and unnecessary suffering. The antidote—mindful
attention—allows us to understand our conditioning and to see things more clearly.

- Complaints, problems, or symptoms are not stable entities that are to be diagnosed
and then excised.

“What we resist, persists”

-What creates and sustains symptoms is resistance, that is, our instinctive, often
preverbal tendency to ward off discomfort by tensing our muscles, thinking too much,
drinking too much, or engaging defenses to reestablish our equilibrium

-Our level of emotional suffering can be measured by the gap between our expectations
and reality (what is

“What we can feel, we can heal.”

-Psychological health in the mindfulness paradigm is the capacity to be with

moment-to-moment experience in a spacious, deeply accepting way, even when it’s
difficult. This state of mind is accompanied by healthy psychological qualities such as
psychological flexibility, resilience, authenticity, patience, connection, kindness,
compassion, and wisdom.

3. Practice of Therapy

2 main questions in the mind of a mindfulness-oriented psychotherapist

a. What pain is the patient resisting?

b. How can I help the patient find a more mindful, accepting, and compassionate
relationship to his or her pain?

● We’re not seeking a life free of pain, but rather greater emotional freedom
through a mindful, accepting, compassionate relationship to our inevitable
difficulties.
● Help clients to be gradually open to what’s bothering them, moving from
curiosity (turning toward discomfort), to tolerance (safely enduring
discomfort), to allowing (letting discomfort come and go), to friendship
(finding hidden value in our difficulties). This process reflects
progressively relinquishing resistance.
4. Therapeutic Relationship

This is idiographic-the structure and process depend on the unique qualities and
capacities of the individual client in his or her world.

Be attuned to what is most alive for the client.

5. Mechanism of Action

How does mindfulness work?

Hölzel, Lazar, and colleagues (2011) have identified six mechanisms of action— effects
of formal mindfulness practice:

1. Attention regulation—stability of awareness in spite of competing input

2. Body awareness—noticing subtle sensations, being conscious of

one’s emotions

3.Emotion regulation—decreased reactivity, not letting emotional

reactions interfere with performance

4.Reappraisal—seeing difficulties as meaningful or benign, rather

than as all bad

5.Exposure—global desensitization to whatever is present in the

field of awareness

6.Flexible sense of self—disidentification with emotions and

increasing adaptivity

Additional mechanisms:

1. self-compassion

2. values-clarification (sense of purpose)

3. flexibility (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral adaptiveness)

4. emotion differentiation (awareness of emotional experiences)

5. metacognitive awareness
 ● Mindfulness meditation deactivates the default mode network (DMN).
● All 3 forms of mindfulness meditation described earlier—focused
attention, open monitoring, and loving-kindness/compassion—help to
deactivate the DMN.

VI. Treatment Applicability

- Cognitive Behavior Therapy

● On the 3rd wave of CBT; after behavior therapy (using pavlovian techniques of
conditioning and contingencies of reinforcement) and cognitive therapy (aimed at
altering dysfunctional thought processes).
● 3rd wave is mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion-based therapy - relationship to
our experience (intentions, sensations, emotions, feelings, behaviors) gradually shifts in
the course of therapy
● Four Pioneering mindfulness-based programs:
1. Mindfulness-based stress reduction
2. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
3. Dialectical behavior therapy
4. Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Many treatment programs were developed as an extension of these templates
● Unified protocol transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorder by David Barlow and
colleagues
- Consists of 4 modules:
1. Increasing emotional awareness
2. Facilitating flexibility in appraisals
3. Identifying and preventing behavioral avoidance
4. Situational and interoceptive exposure to emotion cues

-Psychodynamic

● At the time of Carl Jung, psychodynamic theorists have recognized the value of buddhist
psychology
● Shared common features between psychodynamic and mindfulness practice:
1. Introspective venture
2. Awareness and acceptance precedes change
3. Recognizing the unconscious thoughts

-Humanistic/Existential psychotherapy

● Mindfulness practice was originally intended to address the suffering of existential

conditions such as sickness, old age, and death - but not clinical conditions as it does
not exist then (note)
● Mindfulness and humanistic psychotherapy has so much in common as it follows an
existential, constructivist, and transpersonal approaches (Schneider & Leitner, 2002)\
 ● Buddhist psychology and existential approach are similar in a way that it emphasizes the
person’s inherent capacities to become healthy and fully functioning. It concentrates on
the present, on achieving consciousness of life as being partially pounder one’s control
on accepting responsibility for decisions, and on learning to tolerate anxiety (Shahrokh &
hales, 2003, p.78)

-Behavioral Medicine

● Health benefits of mindfulness derives from less reactive autonomic nervous sytem -
being less stress
● Meditation training can significantly reduce cortisol in response to acute stress,
compared to relaxation training.
● Mindfulness practice may also help patient maintain healthy habits (examples)

-Positive Psychology

● Buddhist psychology is a comprehensive mind training program that cultivates

happiness, and mindfulness is at the core of its program.
● There is a curious paradox in the Buddhist approach to positive psychology: The more
fully we can embrace unhappiness, the deeper and more abiding our sense of
well-being.
● In Buddhist psychology, mental health is seen as complete freedom from suffering,
generally referred to as enlightenment. From this perspective, we are all mentally ill!

- Spirituality

● word to refer to an appreciation of intangible, yet meaningful, aspects of our lives. The
intangibles may be God, a life force, values (love, truth, peace), interpersonal
connections, or perhaps a sense of transcendence.
● Buddhist psychology offers an imminent approach to spirituality. why?
1. To embrace each moment wholeheartedly
2. What we seek is happening within our intimate contact with day-to-day
experience (example)
● Transcendent approach - repeated experience of mythical union (union with God)
gradually make our daily experience more complete (example)
● Through mindfulness perspective, freedom from suffering can occur when no mental
events can snag our consciousness, even ecstatic ones.
● Balance in immanent and transcendent aspect is need to fully live our daily experiences
as we reach for what is beyond

VII. Scenario to incorporate Mindfulness Psychotherapy

Idea 1: Finnigan is a 34-year-old man who has been struggling with self-criticism and negative
self-talk for years. He tends to ruminate on his past mistakes and shortcomings, feeling like he’s
never doing enough. This negative self-talk has been affecting his mood and self-esteem which
makes it difficult for him to take on challenges and pursue his goals.
Technique: Loving-kindness and compassion

Therapeutic process:

As his therapist, one could help Alex to apply the loving-kindness and compassion mindfulness
meditation technique and approach the scenario this way:
1. Introduce the technique: Explain to Alex the loving-kindness and compassion meditation
technique, which involves repeating positive phrases to oneself and others, while
cultivating feelings of love, kindness, and compassion.
2. Begin with self-love and compassion: Start with Alex practicing loving-kindness and
compassion towards himself. Encourage him to close his eyes, take a few deep breaths,
and repeat phrases such as "May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be at peace."
Encourage him to imagine himself surrounded by love and compassion.
3. Expand to others: After Alex has practiced the technique with himself, encourage him to
extend it to others. He can start with people he cares about, such as family members or
friends, and then gradually extend it to people he may have difficulties with, or even
strangers.
4. Practice regularly: Encourage Alex to practice the technique regularly, either as part of a
formal meditation practice or as a mindfulness exercise throughout the day. Over time,
this can help to rewire his brain towards more positive thoughts and emotions, and
increase feelings of love, kindness, and compassion towards himself and others.

By applying the loving-kindness and compassion mindfulness meditation technique in this way,
we can help Alex to cultivate more positive self-talk and self-esteem, as well as more positive
relationships with others. This technique helps to heal past wounds and foster greater feelings
of self-love and compassion.

Idea 2: Claudia is a 25-year-old woman struggling with anxiety and racing thoughts. She often
worries about potential problems she might face in the future and also focuses on her regrets
about the past. These thoughts make it difficult to focus on the present and have in turn affected
her relationships, work, and other aspects of her life.

Technique: Open monitoring

1. Introduce the technique: Explain to Claudia the open monitoring mindfulness meditation
technique, which involves paying attention to one's thoughts, emotions, and sensations
without judgment or attachment.
2. Practice mindfulness of breath: Start with Claudia practicing mindfulness of breath,
which involves focusing on the sensation of the breath as it goes in and out of the body.
This can help her to anchor her attention in the present moment and develop greater
awareness of her thoughts and emotions.
3. Practice open monitoring: After Claudia has practiced mindfulness of breath for a few
minutes, encourage her to expand her awareness to include all of her thoughts and
 emotions. Encourage her to notice each thought or emotion as it arises, without judging
it or trying to change it.
4. Let go of attachment: Encourage Claudia to let go of any attachment to her thoughts and
emotions, and to simply observe them as they come and go. Help her to recognize that
thoughts and emotions are temporary and do not define her.
5. Practice regularly: Encourage Claudia to practice the technique regularly, either as part
of a formal meditation practice or as a mindfulness exercise throughout the day. Over
time, this can help her to develop greater awareness and acceptance of her thoughts
and emotions, and to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
This technique helps develop a greater sense of awareness and a focus on the present.

VIII. Ethical Issues / Limitations

● Does not differentiate between the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’

○ Focuses on wholesome and unwholesome actions
■ Wholesome actions - actions that diminish suffering for oneself or others
■ Unwholesome actions - increase suffering
● Informed consent: Mental health professionals or therapists utilizing Buddhist techniques
must inform their clients about the Buddhist roots of the practice. MBIs are usually taught
without giving attribution to the Buddhist meditative practices from which they are
derived (Levin, 2021).
● Cultural appropriation: Because mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation
practices, some critics have raised concerns about the appropriation of these practices
in secular settings. Hence, it is important for therapists to be informed and respectful of
the cultural origins to avoid misinterpreting, misrepresenting, and appropriating
mindfulness practices.
● Spirituality and religion: Buddhist psychotherapy is based on Buddhist teachings and
philosophy, which may not align with the beliefs and values of all clients. Some clients
may be uncomfortable with the spiritual or religious aspects of the practice.
● Time commitment: Buddhist psychotherapy typically involves a significant time
commitment, with clients expected to practice mindfulness techniques daily outside of
therapy sessions. Some clients may find it difficult to maintain this level of commitment.

IX. Application to the Philippine Context

● Problem: Filipinos tend to disregard mental problems, sort of rub it off the shoulder. The
stigma attached to mental health problems results in people fearful of being labeled as
weak-minded. Perhaps mindfulness techniques in general are a way to ease into the
world of therapy to allow oneself to be more open and kind to themselves.
● Mindful self-compassion is a practice that involves cultivating a compassionate and
non-judgmental awareness of one's own experiences and emotions. This approach can
be helpful in addressing common mental health concerns such as anxiety and
depression in the Filipino context.
X. Why Mindfulness matters?

● Mindfulness is a state of being in which one is fully present and engaged with the
present moment, without judgment or distraction. It involves intentionally directing one's
attention to the present moment and observing one's thoughts, emotions, and bodily
sensations with curiosity and openness.
● Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation practices, but it has been adapted and
integrated into secular settings, such as psychotherapy and healthcare, in recent years.
In mindfulness psychotherapy, individuals learn to develop their mindfulness skills
through a variety of practices, such as focused attention meditation, open monitoring
meditation, and loving-kindness and compassion, as well as through mindfulness
exercises and techniques for everyday life.
● Research shows that mindfulness helps reduce anxiety, depression, stress, and
improves overall well-being. More research looks to provide evidence for its
effectiveness, and its utility in partnership with other therapeutic psychotherapies.

References

Alper, S. A. (2016). Mindfulness Meditation in Psychotherapy: An Integrated Model for

Clinicians. New Harbinger Publications.

Germer, C. K. (2013). Mindfulness: What Is It? What Does It Matter? . In C. K. Germer, R. D.

Siegel, & P. R. Fulton (Eds.), Mindfulness and Psychotherapy (2nd ed., pp. 3–35). essay,

The Guilford Press. Retrieved from https://www.guilford.com/excerpts/germer.pdf?t.

Levin, A. (2021). Ethical Considerations on Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapeutic Interventions.

Oxford Handbook of Psychotherapy Ethics, 590–605.

https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817338.013.48