“Whenever we reject a part of our being, we are confirming to ourselves our fundamental unworthiness… Like being stuck in quicksand, our frantic efforts to get away from our badness sink us deeper…As Carl Jung states in one of his key insights, the unfaced and unfelt parts of our psyche are the source of all neurosis and suffering…When we learn to face and feel the fear and shame we habitually avoid, we begin to awaken…We free ourselves to respond to our circumstances in ways that bring genuine peace and happiness.” (Tara Brach)

It is becoming increasingly common to integrate Buddhist teachings and practices with psychotherapy. The use of meditation in daily life helps us to nonreactively face and accept the pain inherent in being human. By bringing nonjudgmentand awareness to our inner experience, we can come to know ourselves, freeing us to move forward in a mindful way. Becoming fully awake and alive in our lives requires the ability to be fully present in each moment. Meditation can offer the opportunity to experience moment to momentpresence, and to deepen our understanding of and compassion for ourselves and our own reactions.

If you would like to read more about integrating meditation and Buddhist principles with psychotherapy, please read:

“Radical Acceptance” by Tara Brach
or
“Full Catastrophe Living”, by Jon KabatZinn