Putting Eastern philosophies into Western psychotherapies.
American journal of psychotherapy July 1, 1991 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1991.45.3.368 via PubMed
Summary
The paper argues that modern physics has moved away from seeking fundamental building blocks of nature toward viewing the universe as a dynamic web of interrelated events, where no fundamental laws or entities exist. This perspective mirrors Eastern mysticism and systems theory, emphasizing self-consistency and the interconnectedness of all phenomena. The author contends that society needs a higher form of consciousness and a new stage of psychological development—global awareness—which Eastern philosophy has long explored, and suggests this should be integrated into Western psychotherapy.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Modern physics' view of the universe as an interconnected web aligns with Eastern mysticism and systems theory, suggesting a need for global awareness in Western psychotherapy. |
Abstract
This paper examined the multidisciplinary trends in modern society that have given rise to the notion of the interconnectedness of the universe. This idea constitutes a radical departure from the spirit of basic research in physics, which had always been bent on finding the fundamental constituents of nature. The new physics abandons not only the idea of fundamental building blocks of matter, but accepts no fundamental entities whatsoever--no fundamental laws, equations, or principles. The universe is seen as a dynamic web of interrelated events, all following from the properties of other parts. The overall consistency of their mutual interrelations determines the structure of the entire web. It is evident that this idea is very much in the spirit of Eastern thought. The requirement of self-consistency that forms the basis of the new physics and the unity and interrelation of all phenomena, so strongly emphasized in Eastern mysticism, are just different aspects of the same idea, also exemplified by systems theory in psychology. The properties of any part are determined, not by some fundamental law but by the properties of all the other parts. Society as a whole is at a crossroads--at the dawn of delivery or at the dawn of destruction. What is needed for survival is a higher form of consciousness, a new stage of psychological development--one that takes into account new forms of reality. This reality has always been explored by the Eastern philosophers. It is time for this trend to expand into Western forms of psychotherapy by acknowledging the existence of a final integrative stage of development--that of global awareness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)