Vipassana Meditation and the Psychobiology of Wilhelm Reich
Michael Kahn
Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1985 DOI: 10.1177/0022167885253010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the Vipassana meditation school of U Ba Khin in Theravada Buddhism is remarkably close in theory and practice to Reich's psychobiology, despite opposing attitudes toward life and movement. |
Abstract
Theravada Buddhism and Reich's psychobiology appear at first to be polar opposites. Yet there is a Theravada school of meditation, the Vipassana of U Ba Khin, which in both theory and practice turns out to be remarkably close to Reich's worldview and his therapy. The major differences between Reich and this branch of Buddhism are the attitudes toward life and movement, Reich being strongly pro, and the Theravadas being clearly anti. In spite of these differences, there are remarkable similarities. This seems to be another instance of modern Western views having been known in India at least 2500 years ago.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |