Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: mkeshava@bidmc.harvard.edu.
2 papers in the library · 16 citations · publishing 2024-2025
Ancient Eastern philosophies, including Vedic, Upanishadic, and Buddhist traditions, have long argued that the individual self is illusory, proposing either a no-self or a universal Self, and that the perceived universe is an illusion (Maya) with only the knower (Brahman) as real—a view that resonates with modern quantum theory. In contrast, Western philosophy, shaped by Cartesian dualism, has pursued an individualist view of the self. Recent psychological research converges with Eastern perspectives, highlighting the role of self-understanding, metacognition, and mindfulness in addressing mental afflictions. Several contemporary Western psychotherapeutic models reflect these ancient insights, but further empirical testing and development of such approaches are needed.
Eastern spiritual traditions, including Hindu and other ancient practices, offer pathways to well-being through self-awareness (knowledge), selfless action (karma yoga), and compassion (bhakti yoga). Yogic meditative practices (dhyana yoga) combine ethical behavior, postures, breath control, and meditation to master physiological and psychological processes. These practices require sustained effort (abhyasa) and detachment (vairagya) to overcome ego hindrances. The paper reviews these concepts and connects them to modern psychology and neuroscience, noting that focused attention, open-monitoring, and transcendental meditation show somewhat distinctive neural correlates with brain oscillations and circuits. These approaches may be differentially effective across medical and psychiatric disorders. Gaps in knowledge are identified, and a framework for future research in positive psychology and psychiatry is proposed.