The use of mindfulness in psychodynamic and body oriented psychotherapy

Abstract

This article summarizes some of the ways that ‘mindfulness’ starts to appear in Western psychotherapy and medicine, showing that it has become a legitimate area of scientific inquiry and that it shares common objectives with Western treatment approaches. It then explores its origin in Buddhism as well as the meaning of the concept and aspects of its practice. Claiming that the use of mindfulness can move psychodynamic therapy from a ‘thinking’ to an ‘observing’ mode, the role and power of the Buddhist concept of an ‘internal observer’ is explained and discussed. Then the author outlines the reasons why body psychotherapy is particularly predisposed to embrace mindfulness as a core concept and shows how, using the example of the Hakomi® Method, it would have a deep impact on the way psychodynamic therapy is conducted. He argues that the therapeutic relationship would have to be shaped according to a radical understanding of ‘acceptance’ and an ‘experimental’ attitude.

Keywords:

• mindfulness
• body psychotherapy
• psychodynamic therapy
• Hakomi
• Hakomi Method
• Buddhist psychology
• acceptance

Notes

Note

1. Here we are at the issue of human change and how to bring it about that goes beyond the scope of this article. A short summary of an underlying concept can be found in Weiss, 2006.