A clinical psychologist as a beginning Buddhist: a personal reflection on the Buddhist path

Abstract

This article provides a personal reflection on my Buddhist path as a clinical psychologist to illustrate my actual practice, my internal processes, and the benefits of Buddhist practice to my personal and professional life. My practice is primarily based upon the Satipatt.ha¯na Sutta, a canonical text for Buddhist meditation as a means for sitting meditation and daily introspection and reflection. Using my professional experiences as the context, I describe how I have used my Buddhist practice to notice and understand my anxiety, thereby deliberatively making choices that result in less suffering for myself. Summarising these experiences, I also delineate several recommendations for mental health professionals who are interested in applying Buddhist teachings to themselves and their clients.