Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Buddhism 'mindfullness'

[ChocolateMoose123]

...that he wished there were as many good friends as there appeared to be therapists....

 

[OrangeAppled]

I hate mindfulness as a buzz word. I don't know why they don't just call it consciousness or self-awareness - I guess it wouldn't seem "new" then (because it's not new). Mindfulness, for me, has these connotations of being fussy and critical, probably due to that phrase "mind your manners". I feel guilt tripped everytime I read that word, and it seems to turn spiritual practices into yet another yardstick people can measure themselves with to determine how perfect they are. There's this self-righteous air to it.

I am a fan of CBT. It's simple to learn about and easy to start doing immediately in order to see a fast, positive impact on your life. I easily see the connection with it and "mindfulness", because you can form new mental habits that way (although CBT incorporates deliberate behavioral changes too), and they both impact your emotional state.

The mindfulness thing is really just meditation and emotional awareness that almost all religions advocate in one way or another. Buddhism has no monopoly on this stuff. Whether you call it an affirmation or a mantra or a prayer, it's the same idea when geared for the purpose of building a new, healthier mentality.

 

[Mole]

Originally Posted by @Lark -

...that he wished there were as many good friends as there appeared to be therapists....

Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might get it: almost all good friends offer sympathy, which is consoling, while many good therapists offer empathy, which is uniquely helpful.

 

[Mole]

Following religious gurus is a little different from playing with psychology tests in order to better understand yourself.

Sure, and most are unaware that mbti is based on the work of a New Age guru called Carl Jung, and even fewer know the shocking history of Carl Jung, and even less want to know.

It is only natural that most don't want to know the context of mbti, they want to be able to take the context for granted, for the context gives meaning to mbti, and should the context of mbti be criticised, mbti would become meaningless. And for meaning creating animals like homo sapiens, there is nothing worse.
[MENTION=27129]Litsnob[/MENTION]

 

[Lark]

Originally Posted by @Lark -



Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you might get it: almost all good friends offer sympathy, which is consoling, while many good therapists offer empathy, which is uniquely helpful.

I think a lot of the splitting hairs over sympathy and empathy is bullshit to be honest, I cant possibly be forceful enough about that, its jargon and its also an attempt to revive some really, really old jargon and distinctions, stretching back to Adam Smith when they debated the propriety of sentiment, sympathy, passion, blah, blah.

What Seligman was talking about was attachment, some authors have talked about connectivity vs. loneliness, and its much more plain and simple that way. Its relationships and relatedness rather than counselling, if you've got the former you'll generally not need the later which is, for the less profoundly in need, merely a compensation at best for what's lacking.

 

[LightSun]

Lark, "...sympathy and empathy is bullshit to be honest..."

Incorrect, there is a huge discrepancy between sympathy (which most of the population can have) and Empathy which is a gift in 17.5 % of our population.

Sympathy is feeling for another and is a compassion orientation base.

Empathy has compassion and understanding. It reside in more NF than SJ, SP and NT.