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  • 8/10/2019 Attachment Non Attachment

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    Dramatherapy

    ol

    28 No 2 Autumn 2006 From Bowlby to Buddha

    ^FROM BOWLBYT BUDDHA - an

    initial exploration of the meaning of

    attachment and non-attachment and their

    implication for Dramatherapy

    by Di Gammage

    This Being Human

    This being human is a guesthouse.

    Every morning a new arrival.

    A joy, a depression, a mean ness,

    Some momentary awareness comes

    As an unexp ected visitor.

    Welcome and entertain them all

    Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

    Who violently sweep your house

    Empty of its furniture

    Still, treat each guest honourably.

    He may be clearing you out

    For some new delight.

    The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

    Meet them at the door laughing.

    And invite them in.

    Be grateful for whoever comes.

    Because each has been sent

    As a guide from beyond .

    Rumi

    Introduction

    It

    is many years since my first encounter with Buddhism.

    I vividly recall listening to a speaker, on a wet, windy

    night, telling me that we are nothing, that an egoless state

    is to be aspired to and that until we achieve this we will

    con tinue to suffer. I was appalled and affronted Here

    was I working diligently to develop and shore up m y own

    ego (as well as the egos of my clients) only to be told

    that letting go was the only way to alleviate suffering.

    I experienced the speaker's words as threatening and

    alien, and w ith anything experienced thus, I developed an

    imm ediate aversion to it. A s I reflect upon this encou nter,

    I wonder how other listeners heard him? My friend, for

    instance, had not had such a violent reaction to his words

    responding more openly to the practice of Buddhism.

    A curiosity has grown. I would like to believe that,

    nowadays, there is generally more light and less heat in

    my soul. I would like to think that my ability to respond

    rather than react is deepening . Perhaps a seed was planted

    that fateful evening all those years ago that has slowly

    begun to germinate - 'Th e fruit of awareness is already

    ripe, and the door can never be closed ag ain' (Nhat Han h,

    1993:59).

    As a dramatherapist and play therapist and previously

    a residential social worker, I have been exposed to and

    witnessed much suffering. I consider the work I undertake

    to be a privilege, and yet until fairly re cently, my co re as a

    therapist has harboured an unease. Questions arose such

    as : Wh at is happening here? Wh at is meant to happen?

    How can I facilitate this happening? How w ill I know

    when it does? To a more fundamental question: What do

    I believe is the core of human existence - are we innately

    'good' or innately 'bad'?

    As I discover more about the practice of Buddhism,

    the dharmic path, I am finding responses to my unease.

    In particular, I have been intrigued by the subject of

    Attachment. I have encountered both a resonance

    and a discord with my existing knowledge of Western

    psychology and Eastern philosophy around this concept.

    Attachment theory proposed by John Bowlby and Mary

    Ainsworth and the Buddha's teaching of non-attachment

    seem to reflect and challenge one another and serve

    to illuminate core understanding of what it means to

    be human. What follows is, in effect, an enquiry into

    the development of, and beyond, the ego - from the

    incarnation of the child to an adu lt discovering som e way

    of moving beyond being a product of their conditioning.

    I offer here my cautious exploration on the meaning of

    attachment and non-attachment and its implications for

    dramatherapy.

    W ho isthe Buddha?

    I have found that when Buddhists speak of Buddha,

    there is often a reference to both the Buddha and to the

    Buddha-nature w ithin each of us. The Budd ha, that is

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    Dramatherapy ol28 No 2 Autumn 2006 From Bowlby to Buddha

    He was a human being and he suffered like any other

    human being. Siddhartha abandoned his palatial lifestyle

    at the age of 29 so that he might seek understanding of

    the suffering he witnessed around him and search for

    a way to end this suffering. Siddh artha wandered the

    land for a period of six years, experimenting with many

    practices which included over-indulgence, self-torture,

    trance, yoga, deep discussion and ultimately, fasting. So

    weakened and sick by the fasting, he famously sat down

    under the bodhi tree declaring, 'I will not leave this place

    until my understanding is complete...or I die' (de Bary,

    1969; Nhat Hanh, 19 98; Napthali, 2003). He remained

    sitting there all night and when the morning star ascended

    in the sky, he had an intense breakthrough. He became a

    Buddha, filled with understanding and love. He became

    enlightened. Henceforth, he vowed to do what he could

    to relieve suffering in the world and for over forty years

    this is what he did.

    The word Buddha means quite simply 'awake' or

    'awakened one'; in contact with an inner wisdom that

    is inherent in everyone, which has been described as

    'growing up - being completely at home in our world no

    matter how difficult the situation' (Chodron, 1994: 139).

    This principle resonates with the work of Carl Rogers,

    and forms the basis of his person-centred approach to

    psychotherapy. He believed that every human being

    has an innate tendency towards trustworthiness. This

    view is also shared by a great m any psycho therapists and

    psychoanalysts from differing backgrounds.

    The Buddha's teaching is based upon the Four Noble

    Truths. These Truths offer the individual a means of

    embracing their suffering in order to look deeply into it.

    The First Noble Truth is that suffering (dukkha) exists.

    Buddha taught of the need to recognise and acknowledge

    the presence of suffering, not to deny nor to minimise it.

    The Second Noble Truth is the origin or arising of

    suffering. A deep exploration into how this suffering

    came to be. W hat is it we do, what is it we take in, that is

    causing this suffering?

    The Third Noble Truth is the ending of creating

    suffering by refraining from doing what it is that causes

    the suffering. Suffering can be transformed . Bud dhism

    is fundam entally a practice and it is the practice in ending

    suffering. The Second and Third No ble Truths have great

    significance for the therapist, for they unequivocally

    convey the potential for healing by understanding

    suffering.

    The Fourth Noble Truth is the dharmic path that leads

    to refraining from doing all that causes suffering and the

    cultivation of what leads to happiness and liberation. The

    path of transformation or core change.

    Zen Buddhist and psychodramatist psychotherapist

    David Brazier defines the Four Nob le Truths as:

    1) To accept the afflictions in this world as real.

    2) To accept that associated with these afflictions are

    I 3) To harness that energy.

    4) The nob le life that results from so doing : a life

    led by vision.

    Brazier (2001:24)

    The Four Noble truths are a kind of lens through which

    we can look at our lives and which enable us to move

    towards liberation. Although the Buddha believed

    personal liberation to be the responsibility of the

    individual, there is great onus upon community (sangha)

    and the individual's dependency on others.

    The Four N oble Truths are also a way of un derstanding

    the process of therapeutic change; The personal growth

    of the client is the client's own responsibility, however, it

    is the therapeutic relationship that helps to facilitate this

    growth. The challenge to the dramatherapist is in how

    to harness the client's energy and facilitate its use for the

    benefit of the client.

    The ttachment Theory of John Bowlby and Mary

    insworth

    In the late 1930s, British psychoanalyst John Bowlby

    alerted the psychological world to the significance of

    the relationship between a child's mental health and

    developing character and the child's experience of their

    mother's physical presence and her emotional attitude

    towards her child. Prior to Bow lby's work (with the

    notable exception of the Dorothy Burlingham and Anna

    Freud 's contributions (19 44), 'any connection b etween

    these, in the childcare professions, had been vague and

    inconsistent, refiecting the prejudices of the era and the

    professionals involved. Attachment theory is concerned

    with understanding the nature of bonding established

    between humans arising fundamentally from the need

    for protection, safety and comfort. The human baby, in

    contrast to other mam mals, is bom woefully helpless and

    is utterly dependent upon his caregivers for the early part

    of life (I refer to the baby as male so as to distinguish

    between him and his mother. I am, of course, also

    referring to female bab ies).

    Mary Ainswo rth, colleague to Bowlby and a prom inent

    psychologist in her own right, furthered Bowlby's theory

    by her meticulous documentation of her observations of

    the mother-child relationship, (initially in Uganda, then

    in the USA). It was Ainsworth who created the Strange

    Situation Experiment. The Strange Situation E xperiment,

    one of the most widely-used and reliable psychological

    diagnostic tools, enables professionals to ascertain the

    pattern of bon ding in the relationship established between

    a mother and her child (Bowlby, 1988; Karen, 1994).

    The significance of this first attachment is profound for

    it provides the child with a blueprint that underscores

    that individual's capacity to love and be loved and,

    thus,

    all future relationships they will make, including

    the relationship they will create with their own child

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    The Strange S ituation

    In the experiment, the parent (usually mother though

    fathers, also, take part in the experiment) and one year

    old child are introduced to an unknown playroom and a

    stranger in the role of experime nter. A one-way mirror

    allows the situation to be observed. The bab y s reactions,

    responses and behaviour are noted when mother leaves

    the room , during her absence and on her return. Of

    particular importance to the observers are the ways

    in which the baby separates from his mother, engages

    with the experimenter during the moth er s absence,

    his willingness to be comforted by the experimenter,

    his capacity to be alone and how he reunites with his

    mother. When m other leaves the room a second time, the

    experimenter departs also, leaving the baby alone. The

    experimenter re-enters shortly afterwards, followed by

    the mother. The experiment is concluded,

    Ainsworth and her colleagues carefully observed and

    recorded great numbers of mother-infant pairs and their

    results were remarkably consistent despite wide variations

    in background and experience. From these results the

    researchers were able to categorise the behaviour patterns

    of the children (Ainsworth et al, 1978). Ainsworth

    identified three categories of attachment (a fourth was

    created later). These categories are:

    Secure Attachment

    Secure attachment is characterised by the baby showing

    some degree of distress at the mo ther s departure yet a

    willingness to engage with the experimenter, to allow

    himself to be comforted by the experimenter and to

    show an interest in the toys. On his m other s return,

    the securely-attached baby greets her with smiles,

    chatter, crying or any combination of these. There is a

    desire for physical comfort from the mother, and the

    mother, securely-attached to her child, happily responds

    to him. On mo ther s second exit accompanied by the

    experim enter, the ch ild s level of distress is intensified.

    Reunion with m other involves the same responses shown

    earlier only with greater magnitude.

    This baby is confident that his mother is sensitively

    responsive to

    him.

    He is trusting of his parent to be readily

    available should he need her comfort and protection.

    Insecure Attachment

    Insecure attachment is sub-divided into three further

    categories:

    Anxious Resistant or Ambivalent Attachment

    This baby is uncertain of h is m othe r s availability or

    sensitivity toward s him. He cannot trust that she will

    protect and/or comfort him when he is fearful or in pain.

    This baby is always prone to separation anxiety, he is

    clingy and untrusting of his environment and his own self

    within it. Often, threats of abandon men t are used by the

    other times she is not.

    In the Strange Situation, the ambivalently-attached

    baby will show higher levels of distress than the securely-

    attached baby. He will be less willing to engage with

    the experimenter, and less able to accept comfort from

    the experimenter. On his mo ther s return, he will greet

    her just as the securely-attached baby, however, the

    ambivialently-resistant baby demonstrates an uncertainty

    toward s, his mother (reflecting his experien ce of her)

    and this will manifest as simultaneously pushing his

    mother away from him and a desire to be close to her.

    Contradictory impulses may manifest as hitting, kicking,

    or smacking at the same time as seeking comfort from

    her.

    Anxious Avoidant Attachm ent

    Whereas the ambivalently-attached baby is uncertain

    whether to trust his mother, the avoidantly-attached child

    knows without doubt that he cannot trust his mother to be

    available to him. He has learnt very early on that he is

    unable to rely on her and therefore on his environment.

    Ultimately, he has only himself and yet this

    self

    borne out

    of isolation and despair, is fragile and fragmented.

    In the Strange Situation, the anxiously-attached baby

    demonstrates a low level of distress on his m other s

    departur e. He is very familiar with this scenario and has

    learnt to survive it as best he can. He seem s detached from

    his environment and, largely, from

    himself.

    His capacity

    to play with the toys or engage with the experimenter is

    severely hamp ered. This is a child who does not show his

    distress because no one notices it anyway.

    Disorganised Attachment

    This third category of insecure attachment patterning was

    included by Ainsworth and her colleagues as they noticed

    a small, yet significant, number of children who did not

    fit with either of the other categories as their behaviour

    seemed disorientated and unpredictable. A child with a

    disorganised attachment pattern is likely to demonstrate

    similar characteristics as the ambivalently- or avoidantly-

    attached children, however, this child also engages in

    stereotypic behaviour such as freezing and repetitive

    movem ents like rocking or head banging.

    In the Strange Situation the child with a disorganised

    attachment pattern is likely to show extreme levels of

    distress at his mothe r s departure counteracted by theself-

    comforting behav iours identified abov e. His capacity to

    play with toys or engage with the experimenter is grossly

    impaired.

    The Wider Context

    In

    my view, it is absolutely crucial to include the other

    parent (u sually the father) in the chil d s attachm ent

    patterning if this parent is present in the child s life. This

    is not only for the reason tha t the father develop s a sepa rate

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    include the other parent because the mother's availability

    and her ability to respond sensitively to her child has a

    direct inter-relationship with the father's capacity to be

    available and sensitive to her. If the mother experiences

    a secure attachment with her partner, she is more likely to

    be able to offer this to her child.

    The mother herself was once a baby and experienced

    her first attachme nt with her own mother. As mentioned

    above, all future relationships, including those made with

    her own children, will have this first attachment as their

    foundation.

    It is not a foregone conclusion, however, that an

    insecurely-attached individual will automatically go

    on to create similar relationships in the future. Mary

    Main, colleague of Mary Ainsworth, was forefront in

    researching the longitudinal effects of infant attachment

    patterns and their significance across the life cycle (Main,

    1991). She determined that the insecurely-attached ch ild

    is still open to the possibility of secure attachments with

    other people. In other words , transformation is possible.

    One person who may become extremely significant

    in the life of an insecurely-attached child or adult is the

    therapist. Within the therapeu tic relationship, that part of

    theself however small, that has remained inherently wise

    and awaiting the opportunity to relate in a wholesome

    way may be awakened and nurtured.

    Enlightenment

    Underneath the tree, the Buddha became enlightened.

    Buddhism uses the concept of enlightenment to mean

    ultimate realisation and liberation. Enlightenm ent is the

    complete understanding of how we create suffering and

    then living a life that is free from that suffering. Living a

    life in love, freedom, openness and fearlessness.

    Van Morrison urges m e to 'W ake u p' and tells me that

    enlightenment is non-attachment (Van Morrison, 1990).

    I asked my therapist what enlightenment means and

    straightaway she said, 'It's living without fear'. Fear is to

    mistrust or distrust. Therefore enlightenm ent must mean

    to live with trust. To trust myself and the world I live in.

    To realise my own trustworthiness . In real terms this

    means - not to worry about m oney, my relationships, how

    other people see me, what they think of me, my health,

    the health and well-being of my children, my partner, my

    family, my friends, my clients, the country, the world, the

    lack of water, the amount of pollution, destruction of the

    ozone-layer, exhaustion of the world's natural resources,

    melting ice-caps, extinction of the polar bear, prostitution

    of children, genocide, floods, insatiable human greed

    and corruption, the lack of meaning in people's lives,

    loneliness, violence, alcoholism and drug abuse, HIV,

    poverty, children diagnosed with Attention Deficit

    Hyperactivity Disorder, cancer, ageing, disease...death.

    I understand there to be a difference between worry and

    concern . It isn 't that I lack concern for all the above,

    liberation allows a much more open, authentic concern for

    all that is precious in life.

    To live such an enlightene d life? Wh o would refuse

    this? So, in Buddhism, if enlightenment means to live

    without fear, without suffering, and enlightenment is non-

    attachment, what does non-attachment mean?

    Non attachment

    The whole of Buddhism has, at its core, the practice

    of non-attachm ent, of letting go. Here , however, the

    concept of attachment has meaning beyond relationships

    with others. We can become attached to almost anything;

    for example, our body (our beauty, our youth, our vigour,

    our unsightliness, our limitations); our feelings ( 'I'm just

    an angry person', 'I'm always anxious'); our beliefs ('I'm

    right, you're wrong', 'There is only one way and that's

    my way '); the roles that we play in our lives (victim,

    aggressor, martyr, rescuer, hero/heroine, carer, the wise

    one); our material possessions, wealth and the illusion of

    security that frequently accompanies these. Often implicit

    in these attachments is a lack of choice, freedom and an

    inability to change ('This is me...jealous/a perfectionist/

    scared of comm itment/unable to see the dirty dishes piled

    up in the sink/withdrawn). When we cling so tightly to

    something, we are closed to the possibility of anything

    else.

    There is a common belief that non-attachment implies

    disconne ction, aloofness or aversion to som ething. This

    is an inaccurate

    belief.

    Avoidance of (moving away

    from), ambivalence for (pushing towards and away

    from) and clinging to (pushing towards) are all forms

    of attachment (in the Buddhist sense of the concept) and

    all involve suffering. The re are resona nces here with the

    insecure-attachment patterns identified by Bowlby and

    Ainsworth. Unlike the states of avoidance, ambivalence

    and clinging, each of which has a foundation of fear and

    a quality of closedness, non-attachment has a virtue of

    heart and a quality of openness. It is possible to feel your

    heart literally opening and closing when you are moved

    or when you are feeling threatened or hum iliated. This

    experience is real and felt in the body.

    Letting go is not the same as getting rid of, rather it is

    about relaxing around, finding a spaciousness with, the

    object or subject we are in relationship with.

    Ego

    Who or what is getting attached? Who am I? In the

    Bowlby mod el, it is ego. Body-centred psychotherapist,

    Ron Kurtz, originator of the Hakomi Method, maintains

    that effort, an ego function, fundamentally obstructs the

    healing process as it creates an 'I' and a something that

    the 'I ' wrestles with. In this strugg le, a separate self is

    created: an ego . Whe n there is no struggle, effort fades

    and ego loosens. It is this loosening of the ego that Kurtz

    believes is essential for transform ation. This relaxation

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    beyondtheego (Kurtz, 1990).

    t h e suffering arises through the ego's attachment to

    an objectorsubject,notso much the eventsinour livesas

    the relationshipwecreatetothese events.

    Co arising

    Whatif ego is sofragile and fragmented, howthencan

    itbe let go of? Agreat manyof thechildren I worked

    with as a residential social worker, and some of my

    dramatherapy and play therapy clients, I believe, have

    extremely fragmented object relations. Surely, before one

    can relinquish

    ego, one has to

    have

    had a

    good enough

    senseofit ?

    Everyone has an ego. Som etimes, however, ego

    is contracted and wounded and self crystallises into

    something rigid and negative . Before an individual

    is in any position to relinquish ego, ego needs to.be

    strong enough

    and

    this

    can

    only

    be

    achieved through

    the experience of secure attachment. Thetherapistcan

    become a crucial figure in the creation of this secure

    attachment. In Buddhism, there is a concept called

    co-arising, which means 'coming about together'.

    Attachment isparadoxical in thatone is simultaneously

    connected to others and separate from them. This

    paradox wasfamiliar topsychoanalyst Donald Winnicott

    as illustrated in his observation thatweleam totolerate

    our aloneness through relationship with others (1971).

    Secure attachmentandnon-attachment havethecapacity

    to

    be

    co-arising.

    As the

    client becomes more secure

    in

    themselves, they simultaneously develop the capacity

    to let go of them selves. Crystallised self loosens into

    something much m ore fluidandresponsive.

    Once enough buoyancy of being has been reached,

    whena secure-enough attachmenthasbeen created, then

    clientandtherapist gradually begin exploring theclient's

    patterns of attachment; With compassion and non-

    judgment they make theenquiry-whoisgetting attached

    to what? The therapist encouragesandsupports the client

    in their discovery,indevelopinga capacityforawareness,

    in noticing what's happening in any given situationand

    for living

    in

    the moment.

    The

    therapist helps the client

    to

    notice whether the heart is tightening, or op ening; whether

    the breathing

    is

    shallow

    or

    deep

    and

    unobstructed.

    The

    bodyis adelicate barometerfor ouremotional statesand

    the therapistcanhelptheclient become more attunedto

    their physicalself.

    'The greater the degree of awareness, the less the

    degree

    ofgrasping. It s

    psychological physic s'

    Levine (1994:110)

    Asthe Sufi poet Rumi advocates,the therapist reassures

    the client in their welcoming of every emotional

    state.

    Much

    can be

    leamt

    by

    inviting

    a

    sadness

    or

    a despair to sit at the table' with one. Welcoming,

    aboutitthat I amangry'. 'Thereisanger' has even more

    spaciousness as it is totally lacking in any reference to

    self. Thedramatherapist is naturally equipped with the

    skills to facilitate theclient in visualising, personifying

    and conversing with emotions. Frequently in sessions,

    my clients invite Frustration, Anger, Lust

    or

    another

    emotion to a 'dinner party'so as to converse with their

    guests. Asdramatherapistswehaveaninvaluable means

    of supporting our clients in creatively connecting with

    their suffering without threatofoverwhelm.

    Healthy attachments

    Healthy attachments are simply those attachments that

    do not cause or create suffering for the individual,

    others or theenvironment. In Buddhism, terms suchas

    'wholesome'or 'unwholesome', 'helpful' or 'hindrance'

    and more commonly used asopposedtodualist terms like

    'good'or 'bad' .

    'When thecauseofsuffering hasbeen seen, healingis

    possible'.

    N ha tH anh(1998 :39 )

    With deepening awaren ess, the client learnstodistinguish

    the attachments that are healthy or harmful to their

    wellbeing. When I think this, saythat,act in thisway,

    my suffering incre ases. Very often ourperceptions are

    clouded by emotional states such as craving, anger,

    ignorance and prejudice w hich cause great suffering.

    Such emotional states are described as afflictions (the

    seedsofwhichare thethree kleshas - greed, hatredand

    deep misunderstanding) inBuddhism. It isimportantto

    facilitate theclient in looking deeplyat their perceptions

    and to dothis with kindnessandcompassion. It iswhen

    the client knows the sourceofthese unhealthy p erceptions

    that they will have a choiceinwhethertocontinue using

    them or toexplore alternatives. Authentic responsibility

    (response-ability) arises from choice.

    Choice

    nd

    Empowerment

    When the client is becoming more authentically

    responsible, they

    are

    able

    to

    make more informed choices

    in their life. What do youwant/need and how can you

    take responsibilityforyour partincreating this life? This

    isa periodofawakeningjoy andknowing whenyou are

    experiencing it. Thich Nhat Hanh describesit aswatering

    the seeds of joy (1998 ). Thisis thecessationof suffering

    and

    the

    presence

    of

    wellbein g. Pem a Chodron identifies

    the sourceofwisdom aswhatever isgoing tohappento

    you today and your response to this creating the future

    (1994).

    Current Western teaching

    in

    Buddhism

    Within current Western teaching

    in

    Buddhism there seems

    to be a wide range of ideas regarding non-attachment.

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    in his understanding of the dharmic path, I can't judge.

    What I do know, how ever, was my aversive reaction to his

    words wh ich I experienced as violent and threatening.

    I am fortunate to have encountered a more

    compassionate interpretation of Buddhist concepts.

    One that holds the position that to be noti-attached

    does not automatically mean to throw something out.

    It means having a healthy attachment to something that

    does not cause or create suffering. Non-attachment in

    dharmic practice is the building up of a reservoir of

    love, compassion, clarity, wisdom and patience and to

    be healthily attached to these. The Budd ha had a healthy

    attachment to meditation. He had a healthy attachmetit

    to teaching. He even had a healthy attachment to being

    the Buddha (Nhat Hanh, 1988). Formyself my journey

    is to look at where and to what I am attached, and to

    enquire with kindness and compassion whether these are

    healthy attachments. This, I believe, is also the task of the

    therapist.

    Conclusion

    As a naive and enthusiastic dramatherapist, I once

    believed it was my place to affect change within my

    clients. I was heavily influenced by many of the

    environments in which I practised (mainly health and

    education) where I was fully expected to direct my

    clients in their healing process. Their 'h ealing ' entailed

    implementing a programme or action plan specifying

    what the client needed to do and when they needed to

    do it by. My credib ility and my professional status as a

    dramatherapist depended upon my success with clients,

    and should my clients fail to co-operate with the 'master

    plan' then they were seen as resistant and challenging.

    Many inexperienced dramatherapists are subjected to

    this covert (and sometimes overt) pressure within their

    workp laces. They may also experience this from the

    clients themselves, who are so used to handing the

    responsibility for their wellbeing over to someone else

    and, of course, when it does not work out, someone else

    can always be blamed.

    Buddh ist psychotherapy is non-violent in its approach.

    It offers the client an opportunity to change according to

    their own innate wisdom and trustworthiness. It is not

    about the therapist effecting change in the client, nor is

    it about the therapist taking the credit for any change the

    client does make. Any healing that happens is co-arising

    between client and therapist.

    I understand the therapist's task as one of helping

    the client let go of those obstacles that are preventing

    them grow and become all that they can become. Carl

    Jung said patients do not get cured, they simply move

    on (Kurtz, 1990). Irvin Yalom comments that the single

    most valuable concept he learned as an inexperienced

    psychotherapist was that all humans have an innate

    propensity towards self-realisation (Homey, 1950). He

    have thus far served to restrict the client's psychological

    growth (Yalom, 200 1). Ron Kurtz stresses, 'This is very

    special work. In this proces s, violence is not only useless,

    it is inevitably harm ful' (K urtz, 1990: 6).

    Over the years of practice I have become increasingly

    aware of a disquiet within

    myself.

    At times this disquiet

    has manifested as an out-and-out rebellion. Yet when I

    tried to give voice to my uneasiness, it was generally met

    with blank expressions and something along the lines of,

    'Well, that's just how it is' . Rare, precious, encounters

    with some more enlightened beings persuaded mie that it

    did not have to be this way. It seems it is never too late

    to accommodate alternative ways of meeting the world.

    Their trust in me and my capabilities encourages me

    to believe in

    myself

    and this quality of the therapist is

    crucial if she is to authentically con vey to her clients that

    she believes in them and their own capacity for healing

    and growth.

    Buddhism teaches that life is constantly changing

    in a dynamic way dependent on both internal and

    external processes and cond itions. It has much to

    offer dramatherapy, and dramatherapy lends itself very

    generously to the exploration and transformation of the

    client's attachment patterns; obstacles which may have

    served some function at some time but now prevent the

    client from growth and self-realisation.

    As a Buddhist dramatherapist my intention is to

    create and maintain an unconditional acceptance of my

    client based on Buddh ist confemplative practice. The

    deep respect I have for my client, for their innate wisdom

    and their ability to work with the organisation of their

    own experience is encapsulated in the Rumi poem, 'This

    Being Hum an'. Together, we create the conditions that

    allow the client to harness their energy and to effect core

    change in their life.

    References

    Ainswo rth, M. Wittig, B. (1969) 'Attachmen t and

    exploratory behaviour of one-year-olds in a strange

    situation' in B.M. Foss (ed) Determinants of infant

    behaviour,vol. 4, London: Methuen.

    Ainsw orth, M., Blehar, M ., Waters, E., and Wall, s. (1978)

    Patterns of attachment: assessed in the strange situation

    and at home,

    Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Ainsworth, M. (1982) 'II Attachments across the life-

    span' . Bulletin of New York Academ y of Medicine, 6 1 :

    791-812.

    Bowlby, J. (1988) A Secure Base - Clinical applications

    of attachment theoryLondon: Routledge.

    Brazier, D. (2001) The New Buddhism -A Rough Guide

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    DramatherapyVol28 No 2 Autumn 2006 From Bowlby to Buddha

    Burlingham,D. and Freud, A. (1944) Infants without

    families London: Allen and Unwin.

    Chodron,P.(1994)

    Start WhereYou reAt-How to accept

    yourself and othersLondon: Harper Collins

    Homey, K. ( 1950) Neurosis and Human Growth New

    York: W.W.Norton

    Karen, R. (1994)Becoming Attached - First Relationships

    and how they Shape our Capacity to Love

    Oxford: O xford

    University Press.

    Kurtz, R. (1990) Body-Centred Psychotherapy - The

    Hakomi Method CA: LifeRhythm.

    Levine, S. (1979) A Gradual Awakening- A Guide to

    GreaterAwakeningDublin: Gateway.

    Morrison, V. (1990)

    Enlightenment

    from the Album

    'Enlightenment' Caledonia productions Ltd.

    Napthali, S. (2003)

    Buddhism for Mothers

    NSW,

    Australia: Allen Unw in.

    Nhat Hanh, T. (1988) The Heart of Understanding

    Berkeley: Parallax Press

    Nhat Hanh, T. (1993) Call Me By My True Names: The

    Collected Poems ofThich Nhat Hanh Berkeley: Parallax

    Press.

    Nhat Hanh,

    T

    (1998) The Heart of the Buddha sTeaching

    - Transforming suffering into peace, joy and liberation

    London: Rider.

    Rumi (1995)

    Selected Poems - translated by Coleman

    BanksLondon: Penguin.

    Winnicott, D. (1971) Playing and Reality London:

    Tavistock.

    Yalom,I. (2001)The Gift of TherapyLondon: Piatkus

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