ABSTRACT
Psychotherapy is the Western expression of a practical exploration of emotion. Cognitive behavioural psychotherapy consists of approaches that attempt to alleviate distress and dysfunction by identifying distortions in thinking, formulating alternative ways of viewing situations, and testing implications in action. Psychotherapy may provide an enriched environment which can foster the development of emotional, cognitive and behavioural abilities that were lacking in early childhood. This chapter suggests that the specific relevance of Buddhist exploration of mind to the West is stronger than ever: for therapists working practically with suffering human beings, for neuroscientists seeking to find a basis for scrupulous exploration of subjective consciousness, and for ordinary people trying to find happiness in a world of ever-increasing change and uncertainty. Buddhism sees human being not as having a fixed and unchanging essence but as comprising a set of processes which may be developed and transformed.
