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Analytic Meditative Therapy as the Inverse of Symbol Formation and Reification
Journal of Religion and Health
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: n.d.
Pages: 73-92
Library/Archive: Copyright © 2006 Springer
Sources ID: 21878
Visibility: Private
Abstract: (Show)
Western psychotherapy tends to regard the mind and mental distress in terms of differing theoretical models. Mental distress can be also be usefully viewed as the result of erroneous reification—the confusing of symbols and concepts with reality. This paper describes the theory and practice of analytic meditative therapy. Inspired by non-dual Buddhist and other eastern wisdom traditions, it uses meditative and cognitive processes to control anxiety, deconstruct reified symbols and encourage contemplative resting in non-dual mental space, where reality and its appearance are coemergent and coalesced but distinct, and healing occurs naturally without the need for any specific additional effort.