From Publisher’s Weekly
Dec. 18, 2000 (review and interview excerpt)
“Bennett-Goleman, a psychotherapist and longtime student of Buddhist meditation, draws on decades of experience to elucidate how Buddhist practices of non-judgmental awareness or mindfulness and the cultivation of compassion can unclasp the grip of the most addictive and deeply entrenched emotional patterns. What sets Bennett-Goleman’s work apart from other contributions to the emerging field of Buddhist-oriented psychotherapy is her particular expertise in “schema therapy”, which applies the consciousness of thought patterns that characterize cognitive therapy to the deep-seated emotional habits that are formed in childhood. She is not given to neat formulations, yet her stories have the persuasiveness of experience, of transformation drop by drop.
PW: “Why do you think that growing numbers of people are buying books and going to workshops to learn about this new kind of psychotherapy?
TB-G: “I think people want to feel empowered through their own inner resources, not to exclude the importance of support from others. Learning that there are tools of awareness that can free the mind is incredibly liberating for people. Mindfulness shows you that awareness itself can be transforming it’s not necessary to think of mindfulness as this spiritual, esoteric thing. It helps you deepen the natural qualities of your mind so that you become more compassionate and clear.”
From New Age Journal
Jan/Feb 2001 Issue (interview excerpt)
NAJ: “You point out that there are analogous themes in Buddhist psychology”
TB-G: Schema therapy is kind of an updated version of Buddhism’s ‘latent tendencies’ habitual patterns of thinking and feeling. And the Buddhist practice of mindfulness meditation is a way to help you see how those emotional patterns manifest in your life”
NAJ: How?
TB-G: You stay present in your awareness as these things play out, and as you’re more aware, you’re able to catch habits as they occur. You start to see reality as it is rather than filtered through distorted patterns of mind.
NAJ: “Is the goal to get rid of these maladaptive schemas?
TB-G: It’s more about bringing increased awareness to what’s actually going on. The schema may still be there, but you’re not reacting to it, not resisting it, not clinging to it–you’re being who you are. The patterns become more transparent in your mind–you’re not as defined by them, and you’re not as controlled by them.”
From O Magazine
Jan 2001 Issue
“The habits we bring to a relationship, come from our past experiences and disappointments. We often try to get those needs met in our current relationship, so we place alot of expectations on our partner. In a way, too many.
“The antidote is mindfulness, which involves being aware of our emotions, without being ruled by them. Mindfulness cultivates a sense of equanimity as we experience emotional states. We recognize the emotion just as it is–without resistance or judgment. When we can recognize our emotions clearly and openly, we can be more flexible in our responses”
Tara Bennett-Goleman
From Shambhala Sun
March 2001 Issue
Shambhala Sun: I was struck by the argument in your book that the concern for others is not simply a natural result of freeing oneself from these patterns, but is also a means to do so.
TB-G: As the Dalai Lama says, “The moment you think of others, your mind widens”. As we free ourselves from these patterns that keep us from our true nature, out of that experience arises natural compassion. You are much less preoccupied with yourself and more there for others. Awareness of these patterns allows you to feel more compassion for yourself and others. You start to understand why people behave in certain ways, and see that they are victims of habit. So where can you really put the blame? Not to condone what people do, but the place to put the blame is on the patterns themselves, which can be passed down through generations. Emotions are a force that can either separate or connect people.
East/West
East/West: How can Schema Therapy be used with Mindfulness?
TB-G: Mindfulness–being present with our experience, training the mind to pay attention is especially useful when it comes to dealing with difficult emotions–which we often want to run away from. It gives us a sense of staying power. Sustained attention enables us to investigate the true nature
of the emotion, allowing whatever meaning there is to be revealed.
East/West: Do the findings of cognitive neuroscience support ancient Buddhist Psychology?
TB-G: According to brain research, there is what is called “the magic quarter second”–between our intention to act on something and when we start the action itself. So that gives us the opportunity to change an emotional habit–we can say no to the impulse to react in the old habititual way. That process is very similar to the Buddhist chain of Dependent Origination–the cause-effect sequence–in between the 5th and 6th link in the chain–between impulse and action. If before we act on something, we are fully present with that impulse, we can see how we do have a choice, and we can change these habits.
Tricycle magazine
Tricycle: What does the title Emotional Alchemy mean?
TB-G: It’s a metaphor of transformation. Buddhist Psychology offers a refreshingly positive view of human nature. Just as gold can be tarnished without effecting it’s inherent nature, our true nature can be obscured by temporary emotional patterns, This path involves removing the tarnish that obscures our true nature.
Tricycle: What was your impulse in writing the book?
TB-G: I think that if we can free ourselves from the afflictive emotional patterns that are so often consuming in our lives, we can be freer to deepen in wisdom and compassion. The less preoccupied we are with our own struggles and emotional habits, the more we can really be there for others.
Psychotherapy Networker
The field of psychotherapy has been slow to integrate the contributions that meditation can make to the process of change. One reason may be that few authors have proposed a true integration of Eastern and Western approaches. Bennett-Goleman does exactly that in Emotional Alchemy, making the wisdom of meditation accessible to western therapists and clients. In doing so, she has produced a warm and readable book that charts an important new path for our field.
June 3, 2000
