Zen and Psychoanalysis: Role in Modern Psychology

Zen, psychoanalysis and modern day psychology 

In the following section, I would like to introduce the uses of both Zen and psychoanalysis in modern-day psychology. A main goal of modern-day psychology is to help individuals live more meaningful lives, which can take various forms depending on the individual. For someone whose life is hindered by past events, it might involve reframing and coming to terms with those events. If someone is grappling with anxious attachment to future events, it could mean helping the patient live more in the present moment. Many of these challenges stem from a "neurotic preoccupation that defines and limits subjective reality" (Thomson, 539).

When something occurs, whether consciously or unconsciously, it shapes our perspective on the world by conceptualizing new experiences with past ones. This process contributes to the formation of beliefs, memories, and various aspects of our lives. Additionally, individuals often live in alignment with their biases, particularly confirmation bias—the tendency to affirm ideas that confirm our narrative or belief while disregarding evidence that contradicts our pre-existing beliefs. Placing our individual agencies in this process ultimately distorts our reality, leading us further away from ultimate truths.

In an example involving a therapist-client interaction, confirmation bias and an overdependence on one's narrative are evident. The therapist, speculating if the client felt criticized, interpreted situations on a tape through this lens, even when signs of criticism weren't present. The initial narrative colored the therapist's perception, hindering an accurate understanding of the client. As the author notes, "The therapist became engrossed in his own intentionality of understanding his patroness transference dynamics, and the overemphasis on his small self prevented him from seeing his actual patient accurately" (Thomson, 539).

This situation reflects a common human tendency—personalizing situations, which, on a more intense scale, leads to suffering and prompts individuals to seek psychotherapy for a better life. From a psychoanalytic standpoint, these tendencies stem from the unconscious mind and unresolved conflicts. Through methods like free association, practitioners bring these tendencies to the surface, understand the projections, and address them in therapy. By bringing the unconscious to consciousness, individuals gain insight, helping them avoid repeating harmful actions in the future.

“However, Still another form of trying to heal the suffering of separateness lies in build-ing up one's own Ego, as a separate, fortified, indestructible thing. One then experiences oneself as one's own property, one's power, one's prestige, one's intellect.” (Suzuki, Zen and psychoanalysis) 

In contrast, Buddhism and Zen aim to transcend individual agency, offering a new way according to the truth of the present moment. Zen delves into deeper levels of suffering, focusing on reaching the original mind to eliminate craving and desire. By getting to the roots of the issue, and understanding that these characteristics of human suffering are innate in all of us we understand the fact that Dukkha is inevitable (first noble truth).  We all categories, we all confirm our biases, we all experience adverse emotions at one point or another. This understanding can make it much easier to have compassion for ourselves and others, And with true compassion suffering cannot exist and the individual will hopefully reach a place of peace without the need for other practices. 

This then emphasizes that the goal is not to necessarily cure the narrative of the individual to then live a better life, the goal can be thought of as freeing the agent of “myth of the isolated mind” to then see each situation as it is and live according to the dhamma (truth) which includes suffering and many other characteristics . Attaining the original mind leads to the inevitable cessation of suffering (third and fourth noble truths), in which the craving or desire for specific narratives ceases to be a thought pattern through the acceptance of the present moment (and many other practices).

“He is evidently not he nor is he not he, as we have in the world of opposites, When this not he falls, he does not know that it is he or not he. When all is over the original mind comes back to itself back to its own consciousness and that is the awakening of “one thought” or ``ichinen.”(Suzuki, Zen and psychoanalysis) 

Part II: Implicaions and Precautions

Zen is a spiritual process, and therefore not all of the Zen philosophy can be beneficial for someone seeking psychological help, and should not be reduced to a method in psychotherapy because of its deep teaching and traditions. “Reducing zazen to a therapeutic technique would be like describing the Eucharist as a food: the proposition may be strictly true but without considerable elaboration it would lead to a gross misunderstanding of the subject” ( Thomson, 532). Though there are specific elements to the practice that hold utility in modern psychology. What Zen is trying to encourage the practitioner to drop in to the true empty nature of all things,  and live with this knowledge peacefully without the boundaries of a seperate self.  This might in turn allow a deeper acceptance of things happening, both positive and negative.

 "Before I was enlightened the rivers were rivers and the mountains were mountains. When I began to be enlightened the rivers were not rivers any more and the mountains were not mountains. Now, since I am enlightened, the rivers are rivers again and the mountains are mountains”

In a therapeutic setting, ideas and principles from Zen can be used, however it might be very difficult to try to explain to a person who has little to no understanding of Buddhist philosophy that there is no self and no ego. In some cases, this would do more harm than good to the patient, and could potentially lead them to take on a nihilistic view of existence, making their suffering worse. Because of this, therapists and spiritual guides alike should provide a process that could eventually lead to this understanding by first using psychoanalytic methods to align the individual with their own unconscious, educate them on their tendencies through therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and eventually unfold to them the truth of Zen if the patient is open and prepared to know. One must first build up their identity to eventually free themselves from it. 

The similarities between Zen and psychology are vast, however the differences make the two modalities something that must be carefully assessed in order to merge the principles in a clinical setting. The role of all levels of consciousness on an individual has a very heavy effect on the truth of their life, and  to truly reach a steady state of well being practitioners and patients alike must understand what lies in these different levels. Through all of the methodologies; free association, koans, zazen, these levels of consciousness have the potential to come into the patients awareness and hopefully invoke truth in them which will overcome their intrusive suffering in form of neurosis and other mental health problems by limiting attachments to the causes and conditions created by the illusive self