Into the Mountain Stream : Psychotherapy and Buddhist Experience

The lived relation between Buddhism and psychotherapy finds expression in the Buddhist's practice, the therapist's stance and response to those who seek help. This book contains papers that demonstrate through autobiographical material the relationship between personal religious experience and clinical work.

Into the Mountain Stream represents a natural development in the conversation between Buddhism and psychoanalysis. This fluid, evolving, multi-textured conversation encompasses theory, philosophy, technique and the personal experiences of those involved as patients, as clinicians and as Buddhist practitioners. This edition, which formalizes and furthers this living conversation between Buddhism and psychoanalysis, in the form and style proposed, is not presently available. Clinical material expands and enriches the present rapidly growing theoretical and technical literature. In this sense, this collection bridges the gap between discourse that has impact and language that is informational. Some of the many questions that we examine include: -How does psychotherapy deepen the practitioner''s Buddhist involvements? -How do both practices interact to enrich an individual''s life? -What is the efficacy of a Buddhist informed psychotherapy? -What are the global and societal ramifications of the expanded vision that might derive from the mutual efficacy of both Buddhism and psychoanalysis? The contributors address the issues under discussion cogently, compellingly and succinctly through first-hand accounts both in psychotherapy and in Buddhist practice. We address the question of how Buddhist beliefs and practices become integrated into one''s therapeutic stance. For example, what are the fundamental Buddhist principles of emptiness and dependent-arising and how does an understanding of these foundational cornerstones of Buddhist philosophy and experience influence clinical work? How do the basic psychoanalytic notions of transference and countertransference, when applied clinically, facilitate deepened involvement with Buddhist practice?