Mindful of Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Abstract

This thesis explores the transformation of the Buddhist technique of mindfulness as it is applied in psychotherapy. It is based on primarily on the experience of a Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course as taught in Montreal in 2015, as well as some prior experiences of mindfulness meditation at the Palyul Center and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Ottawa. Written as an auto-ethnography, the thesis provides an intimate first hand immersion experience into mindfulness meditation through a phenomenological approach in anthropology. The sociopolitical aspects of MBSR are also discussed through a related Deleuzo-Guattarian framework. The central argument of the thesis is that while effective in the management of stress MBSR fails to address deeper and more severe forms of suffering, stressing the management of emotions rather than their exploration. This fact coupled with the omission of the Buddhist concept of no-independent self and training in mindfulness results in MBSR being a territorializing force of self-surveillance and a social pacifier .The question emerging from this exploration brings us to revisit the role of ethics in the application mindfulness in therapy.