Some Aspects of Empathy in the Process of Psychotherapy: Learning from Indian Tradition
Raghubir Singh Pirta
Psychological Studies December 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1007/s12646-012-0165-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Altruism Affection Intuition Empathy Mental health |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Meditational practices lack convincing evidence for enhancing empathy in psychotherapists, so Indian traditions of intuition and holistic learning should be explored instead. |
Abstract
This article focuses on some practices in Indian tradition as interventions for enhancing empathy among aspiring psychotherapists. In this venture, author after briefly looking into the evolution of pro-social behavior, it defines basic nature of bond formation between therapist and client, and then summarizes findings of studies on Eastern meditational practices in the context of empathy. Since there is not much convincing evidence that meditational practices enhanced empathy in psychotherapists, the suggestion is to explore other processes in the Indian tradition. Intuition ( pratibha ) and holistic learning ( vyutpatti ) are among those processes, respectively, for journeys into the inner world and interventions at community level. They are pragmatic ways to sensitize the aspiring psychotherapists.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Buddha's Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation [In the Spotlight] IEEE Signal Processing Magazine 2008
- Transpersonal Psychology as a Scientific Field International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2002
- Brief History of Transpersonal Psychology International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2008
- A journey into chaos: creativity and the unconscious. Mens Sana Monographs January 2011
- Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
and 6 more in the library