Eastern modalities for mental health

At 18 years-old I decided to declare Psychology as a major without really considering the implications in terms of careers and how I would make it in the real world. Despite the emphasis on needing (at baseline) a Master’s or PhD, I only went as far as a Bachelor’s. I do have an Associate of Science in Psychiatric Mental Health services but in healthcare it is not a respectable credential as far as Psychiatry goes. Regardless, I did involve myself in research and now I do my best to stay up to date with the current knowledge in the field.

Time and time again I am seeing an emphasis on eastern modalities of healing meaning things such as meditation, mindfulness, and somatic practices being repackaged to fit into western culture and ideology. To name a few similarities DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and Mindfulness borrow heavily from Buddhist practice and ideology. There is no problem with people meditating but it is important to let the consumer know where the type of therapy originally was inspired from.

I do believe eastern modalities have the ability to help people in the west with their mental health despite the ideological and spiritual differences they may pose to the lay-westerner. In my career I have noticed medications and therapy are given immense prominence and self growth, awareness, and actualization are given less prominence. Spiritual development or growth is almost non-existent in the way we address mental health. Furthermore, the healthcare system and the way it delivers wellness is also broken.

So…what can we do or where do we go from here? I think learning from other countries and how they deliver healthcare can be promising.

Take care.