Question

Do you think psychotherapy with body orientated methods can help people to understand, accept and overcome specific problems, that may be difficult to find out only with practicing meditation? In which cases would you advocate this?

Answer

I would potentially advocate it, especially in a meditation practice that is not balanced and doesn't have wise reflection to balance it; because if there is only body awareness without the development of the unselfish emotions and the wisdom practices, then it will be difficult to understand, accept and overcome difficulties and problems. Because there will be no understanding of the causes of it.

Unless we learn ways to transform our views and our intentions with appropriate methods, then body orientated methods, just mindfulness practice does not help to people to develop the understanding of how the problems will not arise again in the future, and it is not looking into the true causes of it either. So a lot of these just awareness practices will only see the impermanence, the arising and passing, arising and passing, but they will continue to arise and pass and they don't come to understand the causes and the conditions that bring them about; which is usually based in wrong view.

As far as which psychotherapy I would advocate? I would have to know the type of psychotherapy. A lot of modern psychotherapy is using Buddhist ideas, so if they use it well, I would imagine they could help. However, for example, if the psychotherapy is going against the 2nd Noble Truth, seeking the cause of the suffering externally, then I don't think in the long run it will help. It may actually perpetuate the "victim mentality" in that person. So it really depends on the type psychotherapy, and whether it is skilful or not.

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