A goal based therapeutic model for integration that greatly interests me is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy which has its roots in the philosophical principles of Buddhism. Mindfulness is considered a core skill in DBT alongside emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. What interests me about this approach is that it suggests the ‘need for change’ associated with traditional CBT can often invalidate our experiences and be too challenging for some clients. DBT holds this concept of acceptance at the very foundation of the work. Zen Buddhists were the experts in acceptance. Other Buddhist themes such as interconnectedness and the wholeness of reality are inspiring concepts too. This idea that there are multiple perspectives of reality that encompass the truth. In DBT, the client and counsellor work together to look at contrasting or opposing views of problems and work to respect the wisdom in each perspective – learning to use the ‘wise mind’. It’s about un-training unhelpful black and white thinking with a move towards new perspectives that involve more of a ‘both/and’ position. I have found these Buddhist concepts deeply transformative in my own cognitive processes and have greatly improved my sense of self. Attached is a photo I took in 2017 of the Buddhist goddess Lok Yeay Mao taken in the Kampot province of Cambodia. I have learnt a great deal about Buddhist concepts since then so am looking back at my holiday snaps with new eyes today.
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