AABCAP Professional Training - Buddhism and Psychotherapy

Module 2 - Personal Reflective Essay on Ethics

It has become clear to me through module two that the teachings of the

Buddha are fundamentally about ethical decision making, about having the wis-

dom and compassion to avoid making choices that lead to actions of body,

speech and mind that create harm for ourselves and others. In this personal re-

flection on ethics as it relates to integrating Buddhism and psychotherapy, I have

chosen to explore two main areas. The first is how Buddhist teachings and prac-

tices related to ethics can be used in psychotherapy to understand client suffer-

ing and to assist clients to address the ethically unskillful choices and actions that

lead to these results. The second and last reflection is on the tension I feel be-

tween the ethics of my professional and personal contribution to individual ver-

sus social change.

I have found it interesting to reflect on how the four noble truths, the no-

ble eightfold path and the five precepts can be applied in psychotherapy to assist

clients work with their own unskillful actions which have contributed to their suf-

fering. Firstly though, it is important to flag that drawing on Buddhist wisdom

and practices to support clients understand the mental roots of their suffering

(Noble truths 1 & 2) so they can free themselves from that suffering (Noble

truths 3 & 4) in any form must not cause harm through disrespecting client’s

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 AABCAP Professional Training - Buddhism and Psychotherapy

own beliefs, religious or not. Where clients are not Buddhist or open to the same

or consent has not been obtained to explicitly incorporate Buddhism into treat-

ment, it is important that when drawing on Buddhist frameworks this is done

skillfully in a secular and purely psychological manner. This issue in psychothera-

py practice relates to the three foundational general ethical principles of respect-

ing the rights and dignity of people and peoples which includes religious beliefs,

propriety which is mainly concerned with avoiding causing harm and instead

benefiting clients, and integrity which in this context is more related to the thera-

pists own ethical conduct (APS, 2007). There are many instances through my clin-

ical work with clients where their choices have led to action or inaction that has

yielded results which have been a significant area of focus in treatment. As I re-

flect on this, many of the examples are consistent with deviations from the spirit

of the five precepts. For example, relationship infidelity, stealing in context of

substance misuse, and violent or abusive verbal or physical treatment of others.

The emotion of regret that relates to being aware of having made choices

that have led to harm for self or others has great value in prompting greater

mindfulness of motivations that led to the unskillful choice associated with their

regret. However, so often in the constellation of client distress is the attachment

of self-aversion to this realisation taking the emotional form of guilt and shame

which only serve as another condition for suffering rooted in wrong view and

ego-grasping. The eightfold noble path and the five precepts can be drawn on

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 AABCAP Professional Training - Buddhism and Psychotherapy

and used either explicitly or implicitly, as appropriate to the client’s own frame-

work, to support with the shift from the latter more self-destructive emotions to

that of regret. I have found that the shift from guilt and shame to regret is the

most challenging aspect of the work and the place in which clients tend to get

stuck. Without the added layer of self-blame and unworthiness, in my personal

and clinical experience, the step of seeing more clearly and with greater wisdom

(panna: right understanding & thought) the process of learning from the regret-

ted experience and setting the motivation and resolve to approach future situa-

tions with right effort, mindfulness and concentration (samadhi) can lead to a let-

ting go of the emotional pain and a sense of confidence and commitment to

make ethical decisions to avoid future repetition of the pattern (sila: right speech

& action [& livelihood if this is the context]) and their unwanted results. My un-

derstanding of this has been informed also by the teachings on the four oppo-

nent powers in purifying unwholesome karma, of which regret is the first power.

One aspect of the module’s training material that I found challenging as it

elicited guilt and anxiety for me was the sense of a call to action, to be an activist

for social change in the service of addressing the many ways in which our society

does not exercise responsible use of power and marginalises minority groups.

The question that this raised for me is to what extent my preference to focus on

individual change, change from the inside out and personal empowerment for

this change, comes from wisdom and how much from an ignorance and aversion

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 AABCAP Professional Training - Buddhism and Psychotherapy

to being involved in addressing the social inequities that impact so many people.

My “truth” so far has been that understanding and applying Buddhist wisdom is a

personal responsibility to address the root cause of suffering in the mind so that

regardless of the outer circumstances we are, to paraphrase Śāntideva, covering

our feet with leather rather than trying to cover the entire earth. Similarly, in psy-

chotherapy my focus is to support this process of inner change for my clients

with the view that in doing so they will be better able to do the work of outer

change in their lives, their families and communities.

Upon reflection, I see that while this view is in line with the four noble

truths and the noble eightfold path there is a risk I could neglect or minimise the

greater disadvantage some of my clients face and that the change they can make

to reduce conditions that contribute to their pain can be seriously limited. Ethi-

cally, it is important to understand that socio-cultural conditions are not equally

difficult for all people. This is not a new insight, but one I think I forget at times

through a blindness to my social privilege as a married Caucasian Australian fe-

male with no children from a loving middle class intact family, doctoral level

eduction and a reasonable income. This recognition deepens my compassion and

in doing so increases my sensitivity to the limitations of “the individualisation and

eurocentricity of therapy” (slide 18, M2 notes “The Ethics of Engaged Buddhism”).

This links with the assigned reading by Carroll and Shaw (2013) on the im-

portance of cultivating compassion and empathy to protect against unethical be-

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haviours. In my practice I do consider which other professionals and services

could be involved to better support clients (e.g., social workers & specific multi-

cultural agencies) and I do my best to understand the systemic factors in clients’

lives which are conditions contributing to greater disadvantage and which miti-

gate the extent of external change that is realistically possible. My knowledge

about available community services could certainly be better so this is an area

commit to develop to enhance the ethical care I provide. I do offer a sliding scale

for my fees and provide long term therapy to clients at a considerably reduced

rate to the extent that is financially viable for me to also make a living. However,

I recognise the cost of therapy still excludes many from being able to afford my

support. I would like to offer group therapy and programs in the future under

Medicare which would improve accessibility for some and this reflection on ethics

motivates me even more to take action to make this a reality.

Through this reflection it occurs to me, and I think it is important to

acknowledge for myself, that my decision to leave my work in the financial sector

to undertake training and work as a psychologist was consciously motivated by

the aspiration to engage in a vocation that would allow me to best fulfill my

Boddhisattva vows to liberate myself and all sentient beings as an act of service

to the greater good. So while I am not a social activist directly working to change

inequities at a societal/systemic level, I am enacting “engaged Buddhism” as a

practicing psychologist at the level that is a good fit for my personality and apti-

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tudes. I very much enjoyed the story and concept shared by Venerable Bhante

regarding the historical Indra who empowered and manifested his divine nature,

his Indra-ness. Extending this concept to myself, I do believe that my motivations

and choices on the whole do reflect my efforts to empower my Julie-ness and I

feel that this is the part that I need to play at this particular time, place and level

of spiritual development. Perhaps in the future this will extend to greater active

involvement in community groups and socially responsible projects, which my

sense is that it will, but for now I am at peace with practicing the Buddhist path

through my work as a psychologist mostly with individuals and in my personal

life.

Word count: 1489

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 AABCAP Professional Training - Buddhism and Psychotherapy

References

Australian Psychological Society. (2007). Code of ethics 2007. Melbourne: Austral-

ian Psychological Society. Retrieved from

https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/d873e0db-7490-46de-bb57-

c31bb1553025/APS-Code-of-Ethics.pdf

Carroll, M. W., & Shaw, E. (2013). Ethical Maturity in the Helping Professions:

Making Difficult Life and Work Decisions. (pp. 150-155 & pp. 257). Jessica’s

Kingsley Publishers.

7 Julie Green