Meditation and psychotherapy.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie October 1989 DOI: 10.1177/070674378903400705 (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 meditation may contribute to psychotherapeutic change and that the contemplative traditions it comes from overlap with, and in some respects complement, modern psychological formulations. Proposes that clearer understanding of meditation will encourage its integration into psychotherapy and facilitate further research. |
Abstract
Meditation has been increasingly recommended as a practice with potential psychotherapeutic benefit. This paper provides a description of meditative practice and discusses selected issues related to the conceptual and technical integration of meditation with modern psychotherapeutic interventions. Evidence suggests that meditation may contribute to psychotherapeutic change and that the disciplines from which meditation arises are in some respects similar to modern psychological formulations, and in other respects are complimentary. It is hoped that improved understanding of meditation will contribute to an increased acceptance and use of these practices as aids to psychotherapeutic change and will facilitate meaningful research regarding meditation.