Growing Up in the Dharma and Psychoanalysis: Watching the Conversation Change

ABSTRACT

The intersection of Buddhism and psychoanalysis has now spanned multiple generations, each with their own emphasis on theoretical meeting points and places of departure. Observing and practicing both traditions from childhood into adult clinical practice has offered a particular vantage point from which to observe this unfolding and lively conversation. Of note, is the developmental trajectory that has ushered in a greater capacity in both clinical and Buddhist communities to sustain curiosity about the differences and resonant methods in these contrasting traditions. From a personal perspective, the author reflects on her own maturational process as she’s sought to bring these traditions into active conversation in both her clinical and spiritual work in ways that reflect the larger evolution of religious and psychoanalytic perspectives in dialogue.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pilar Jennings

Pilar Jennings, Ph.D., has been a Buddhist practitioner for the past 40 years and is a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism in the Sakya lineage. She is a Visiting Lecturer at Union Theological Seminary; Columbia University; and a core faculty member of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science.