Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship

The construct of mindfulness has been of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners within clinical psychology. Much of the literature on this construct has reviewed and critiqued mindfulness-based interventions and techniques that are taught directly to clients. In Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship, the authors suggest that benefits of mindfulness do not lie in these interventions alone, but propose that a therapist's own mindfulness practice can enhance the therapeutic alliance with clients. The present-moment orientation and nonjudgmental attitude cultivated with mindfulness practice may improve outcomes through increased empathy and attention to the present moment.

Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship consists of four sections. Part I investigates mindfulness as a concept in both Buddhist thought and Western psychology, examining both current research and the Buddhist roots of mindfulness. The role of the therapeutic alliance is then discussed, and suggestions are then made on how the practice of mindfulness may enhance this relationship. The authors suggest that therapist mindfulness practice may foster increased empathy and understanding of clients and shift the focus away from rigid diagnosis and intervention technique. Part II extends the discussion, introducing the concepts of compassion, mindful empathy, and the Buddhist notion of nonself, proposed as a concept to help therapists understand their clients as more than the limited self as presented in therapy. Part III moves then to the discussion of these concepts in the context of specific interventions, such as behavioral, psychodynamic, and family systems therapies. This section provides a concrete description of the role of a therapist's mindful practice as it occurs in session and in treatment as a whole. Part IV then provides further empirical discussion of mindfulness' role in facilitating the development of empathy as well as strategies for integrating mindfulness into clinical practice such as listening skills.

Overall, Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship represents an important addition to the literature on including mindfulness principles in Western psychological practice. The authors suggest that mindfulness practice may help therapists increase empathy and disidentify with their own subjective perspective, allowing for the development of a deeper, more effective therapeutic relationship. The book effectively integrates Buddhist theory with Western psychological concepts. It also establishes that other practices, such as compassion and loving-kindness meditations, may be of future interest to Western researchers. One weakness to note is that the authors may be too quick to dismiss the positive client outcomes that can result from mindfulness-based interventions for clients, as it seems to be their position that treatment outcome tends to be more due to the therapeutic relationship than the specific technique used. Overall, the authors effectively establish their position that mindfulness practice may greatly enhance and deepen the relationship between therapist and client, therefore likely improving upon treatment outcomes.