Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression
[Background] Loving kindness meditation and compassion meditation are traditional Buddhist practices that have recently been introduced and investigated in psychotherapy with promising results. Both meditation practices emphasize metta, a mental state of positive energy and kindness towards oneself...
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Online Access: | https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/2529 |
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doaj-73452625a23f4d55816bb0507600f2c52020-11-25T03:04:12ZengPsychOpenClinical Psychology in Europe2625-34102019-09-011310.32872/cpe.v1i3.32941cpe.v1i3.2529Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and DepressionSimona Stefan0Stefan G. Hofmann1Boston University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston, MA, USABoston University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston, MA, USA[Background] Loving kindness meditation and compassion meditation are traditional Buddhist practices that have recently been introduced and investigated in psychotherapy with promising results. Both meditation practices emphasize metta, a mental state of positive energy and kindness towards oneself and other beings, as opposed to the anger, hostility, or self-loathing that often accompany emotional problems. [Method] We conducted a qualitative review of the literature to produce an integrative review. [Results] Metta meditation appears to be particularly useful for treating depression and social anxiety, both characterized by low positive affect and negative attitudes and core beliefs about the self. [Conclusion] Metta meditation can aid therapy by promoting more adaptive self-images, social connectedness, and emotional experiences.https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/2529meditationcbtdepressionanxietyloving kindnesscompassion |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Simona Stefan Stefan G. Hofmann |
spellingShingle |
Simona Stefan Stefan G. Hofmann Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression Clinical Psychology in Europe meditation cbt depression anxiety loving kindness compassion |
author_facet |
Simona Stefan Stefan G. Hofmann |
author_sort |
Simona Stefan |
title |
Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression |
title_short |
Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression |
title_full |
Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression |
title_fullStr |
Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression |
title_full_unstemmed |
Integrating Metta Into CBT: How Loving Kindness and Compassion Meditation Can Enhance CBT for Treating Anxiety and Depression |
title_sort |
integrating metta into cbt: how loving kindness and compassion meditation can enhance cbt for treating anxiety and depression |
publisher |
PsychOpen |
series |
Clinical Psychology in Europe |
issn |
2625-3410 |
publishDate |
2019-09-01 |
description |
[Background] Loving kindness meditation and compassion meditation are traditional Buddhist practices that have recently been introduced and investigated in psychotherapy with promising results. Both meditation practices emphasize metta, a mental state of positive energy and kindness towards oneself and other beings, as opposed to the anger, hostility, or self-loathing that often accompany emotional problems. [Method] We conducted a qualitative review of the literature to produce an integrative review. [Results] Metta meditation appears to be particularly useful for treating depression and social anxiety, both characterized by low positive affect and negative attitudes and core beliefs about the self. [Conclusion] Metta meditation can aid therapy by promoting more adaptive self-images, social connectedness, and emotional experiences. |
topic |
meditation cbt depression anxiety loving kindness compassion |
url |
https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/2529 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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