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A Guide to Functional Analytic PsychotherapySelf and Mindfulness1,2

A Guide to Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Self and Mindfulness1,2 Chapter 5 1,2 Self and Mindfulness Robert J. Kohlenberg, Mavis Tsai, Jonathan W. Kanter, and Chauncey R. Parker I think therefore I am. Rene Descartes Descartes’ statement has given birth to countless philosophical theses, books and scholarly papers. In the present context our interest is in the psychological level of analysis, more specifically, functional analysis. From this functional perspective several speculations can be made about Descartes based on his statement. First, it seems he knew who he was and that his experience of ‘I’ the thinker, was stable. Thus we would not expect Descartes to request therapy to discover ‘who he is’ or complain that he feels like a chameleon who changes his persona depending on the circumstances in which he finds himself. Des- cartes’ statement also implies that he was self-observant or aware of the private experience of thinking as an activity or process independent of the content of his thoughts. It suggests that he could step back and objectively observe the raw data of his experience. The act of being non-judgmentally aware of the process of thinking enters into the definition of mindfulness, an increasingly popular strategy in treatments for psychological problems (e.g., Linehan, 1993; Hayes, Follette, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Guide to Functional Analytic PsychotherapySelf and Mindfulness1,2

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Publisher
Springer US
Copyright
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009
ISBN
978-0-387-09786-2
Pages
1 –28
DOI
10.1007/978-0-387-09787-9_5
Publisher site
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Abstract

Chapter 5 1,2 Self and Mindfulness Robert J. Kohlenberg, Mavis Tsai, Jonathan W. Kanter, and Chauncey R. Parker I think therefore I am. Rene Descartes Descartes’ statement has given birth to countless philosophical theses, books and scholarly papers. In the present context our interest is in the psychological level of analysis, more specifically, functional analysis. From this functional perspective several speculations can be made about Descartes based on his statement. First, it seems he knew who he was and that his experience of ‘I’ the thinker, was stable. Thus we would not expect Descartes to request therapy to discover ‘who he is’ or complain that he feels like a chameleon who changes his persona depending on the circumstances in which he finds himself. Des- cartes’ statement also implies that he was self-observant or aware of the private experience of thinking as an activity or process independent of the content of his thoughts. It suggests that he could step back and objectively observe the raw data of his experience. The act of being non-judgmentally aware of the process of thinking enters into the definition of mindfulness, an increasingly popular strategy in treatments for psychological problems (e.g., Linehan, 1993; Hayes, Follette,

Published: Oct 20, 2008

Keywords: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Borderline Personality Disorder; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Private Activity; Borderline Personality Disorder

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