Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and its Therapeutic Applications Series

Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and its Therapeutic Applications.

This programme consists of ten sessions which will explore the basic principles of Buddhist psychology and their applications in therapeutic settings. This page is the place to book the full ten-session series which takes place between November 2025 and March 2026 (with a two-month break). Booking the full series here offers a discount of £50. You can however book individual sessions via our main Eventbrite page if you are not able to make the full series – all sessions work as standalone events too.

In this series, we will explore some of the core teachings of Buddhism and look at their relevance to those of us who are working in a variety of therapeutic contexts such as ecotherapy, counselling and psychotherapy. The course will also be suitable for people with a general interest in Buddhism and therapy. We will particularly focus on those teachings which are at the very heart of the tradition and commonly recognised across different Buddhist schools and will look at ways in which these Buddhist ideas inform different therapeutic approaches and offer an understanding of the human and other-than-human processes which lie behind them. In particular we will look at the therapeutic model Other-Centred Approach which underpins the Ten Directions training and the way in which this approach relates to these core principles. This introductory programme is presented as a sequence and participants will probably gain most from attending the full set of workshops, however, it is possible to attend individual sessions if you wish and each will stand alone in its subject matter.

All sessions take place from 1-4pm (UK timezone). Full descriptions on each session can be found by scrolling down.

5th November 2025 – Space to Practice: Grounding, Presence and Containment

12th November – The Buddhist Psychology Road Map – the Buddha’s story and the Four Noble Truths

19th November - Conditioned Mind and the Creation of Identity

26th November- Other Centred Therapy Road Map

3rd December - Compulsion, Control and Addiction

(Two month break)

4th February 2026 - Reconnection and Interdependence

11th February - Fear & Trauma

18th February - Mindfulness and Other-Centred Approach

25th February - Faith and Refuge

4th March - The Ant Hill

Session One, 5th November 2025 – Space to Practice: Grounding, Presence and Containment:

This first workshop of the series explores the ground of practice from which spiritual and therapeutic exploration takes place. The Buddha's own journey in its early stages involved learning from many teachers, gaining mastery of meditative and other reflective practices, and these provided the foundation for his subsequent insights. As we start to investigate the psychological aspects of Buddhist teachings, we will therefore look at these vital underpinnings in practice and the ways in which they can inform our work. Creating calmness and offering presence allows therapeutic interaction to take place. In particular we will look at the importance of the therapist's groundedness and embodiment in creating the therapeutic container and also at the ways in which these skills can help those with whom we work to be more present to their own material. In this, we will look at ways in which a depth of presence can be experienced and offered to others, but also we can look at the presence which is offered by other features in the therapeutic process such as the environment in which therapy takes place and its importance as a holding space for the work. We will look at practices such as mindfulness, meditation and therapeutic presence and what that might mean within this model.

Session Two, 12th November – The Buddhist Psychology Road Map – the Buddha’s story and the Four Noble Truths:

The core teachings of Buddhism provide a framework for understanding mental process. In particular, the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, was said by the Buddha's disciple, Shariputra, to be the 'elephant's footprint' into which all other teachings can be fitted. This teaching therefore can be seen as explaining the core of Buddhist thought and, as such, offers us a model for understanding the structure of ideas in Buddhist psychology. It can be interpreted as showing the two potential paths between which we find our direction in life. One path reflects the spiritual path to awakening, whilst the other is a path of avoidance in which we try to escape the realities of things which are frightening or uncomfortable through a variety of habitual distractions. In this session, we will look at this core teaching in some detail, seeing how it emerged from the Buddha's own journey and how it can offer us guidance in understanding our patterns of response to life's difficulties. We will look at the way that it shows us points of leverage where choices can be made between engaging and disengaging with life's challenges.

Session Three, 19th November - Conditioned Mind and the Creation of Identity

The Four Noble Truths offer us a road map for the basic principles which underlie the Buddhist understanding of mind processes. Other core teachings expand this understanding these processes and particularly those which are explained in the teaching of the second Noble Truth of 'arising'. These explain the ways in which our senses lead the process of avoidance by getting caught by things which fit into our personal stories and patterns of avoidance. These are repeated, creating a semblance of continuity in the psyche and a protective bubble of familiarity in which we are mostly able to operate. As we come to identify with certain behaviours and preoccupations, we reinforce a sense of self which is both a protection against life's uncertainties and a barrier to those experiences which do not fit with its associated world view. The self is seen in Buddhism as a conditioned phenomenon, based upon many factors including history, present circumstances and accidents of birth, but particularly on the circular processes of becoming represented in teachings such as the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and the Skandhas. In this session we will look at these teachings and the way that they explain our attraction to familiarity in all its forms. We will explore the conditioned nature of the self and ways in which the question of identity can be creatively addressed in therapy work.

Session Four, 26th November - Compulsion, Control and Addiction

The cycles of behaviour and preoccupation which we explored in the last session, described in teachings such as The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and The Skandhas, show how we tend to repeat particular patterns of response when faced with difficult situations. This repetition, driven by underlying anxieties and fears, tends to become increasingly established at times of stress so that the process can become driven and compulsive. In this workshop we will look at the implications of these teachings in particular mental health issues, particularly when they reach this level of compulsiveness. We will explore ways in which the common patterns of clinging and attachment which start as a means by which the mind tries to find an area of control in uncontrollable situations come to dominate attention and narrow engagement still further. As such processes become powerful drivers they can take on an addictive quality, leading us into mind states that are fixed on particular interests, so an understanding of these more pronounced states of preoccupation can help us to understand and work with the psychology of addictive processes in all their forms.

Session Five, 3rd December - Other-Centred Therapy Road Map

As an example of a therapeutic model based in Buddhist psychology, Other-Centred Approach offers a therapeutic framework which is grounded particularly in the understanding of the conditioned self. This model focuses on the understanding that our relating to others, whether human or environmental, is distorted and inhibited by the defensive structures of self-creation. In addressing this, on the one hand, it seeks to enquire into the nature of the protective bubble of identity and, on the other hand, into the possibilities for widening awareness to the space beyond this familiar territory. The model is presented as three fields: the therapeutic container which we explored in the first session, the field of conditioned mind which colours perception with personal associations and frameworks, and finally the field of reality in which we work to move beyond the conditioned view, towards a cleaner, more direct way of relating to others, human and other-than-human. This approach focuses on enquiry into true relationship and exploration of the other perspectives which emerge when we are able to set aside assumptions and encounter others more freely. As the final session of the autumn season, it will ground theory which we have learned in practical methodology and show how our understanding of mental processes translates into our work in the field.

Session 6, 4th February 2026 - Reconnection and Interdependence

In this first session of the spring season, we will return to the basic models of Buddhist psychology as provided by the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and look at the ways in which these inform our practices in therapy and mental health support. Whilst the teachings which we have looked at in previous sessions have mostly described our human tendencies to cut off from aspects of life which are painful and difficult, insulating ourselves from potential threat through selective attention and delusions, there are other teachings which are concerned with discovering and embracing our connectedness. As we saw in the previous session on Other-Centred Approach, it is these teachings which point to ways of connecting to others in all the forms that takes, providing an important route to positive change. Such ideas are founded on a recognition that we are not as separate or independent as we might like to imagine and despite the illusion of the self-bubble, we are deeply interconnected with others in all aspects of life. In this session we will explore the Buddhist notions of dependence and interdependence which are central to the understanding of the conditioned arising of all things including ourselves. In recognising the fundamental state of interdependence, we will revisit the importance of other-focused connection and its importance in fields of psychotherapy and ecotherapy. We will also look at the ways that such ideas underpin an ecosystemic perspective which can offer a frame for ecotherapeutic working.

Session Seven, 11th February - Fear & Trauma

According to the Buddhist understanding of human process, our relationship to dukkha, the first Noble Truth, is the driving force in the creation of the ordinary mentality. Dukkha, often translated as suffering or affliction, describes both the painful existential events associated with loss, change and mortality to which we are all subject and the layers of fear and reaction which arise in reaction to these. The teachings suggest that the difficulties and traumas which we face in life can themselves be, on the one hand, a source of pain and psychological difficulties, and also, on the other hand, if approached appropriately, offer the possibility of positive transformation. Indeed, this becomes particularly apparent when we read the Buddha's account of his own enlightenment experience in the Sutta on Fear and Dread (Majjhima Nikaya 4) which followed on from his direct confrontation with fear. Since much of the work of the therapist centres on exploring anxieties and the painful effects of past trauma, this suggestion that working with our relationship to grief, loss and existential crisis can be key to the therapeutic process is an important one. Such work is, of course, often painful and difficult and needs careful handling, however, Buddhist psychology does suggest that by facing and working with such material, a possibility for transformation emerges.

Session Eight, 18th February - Mindfulness and Other-Centred Approach

The last few decades have seen the establishment of mindfulness as an approach within many branches of therapy and mental health provision. As such it is used in a variety of ways, mostly focused on here and now awareness and calming techniques. In this, it draws directly on some of the Buddhist teachings and methods used in meditation in various Buddhist traditions. These connections to the Buddhist tradition are not always acknowledged, however, despite Jon Kabat-Zinn's own Buddhist roots, and it is not always clear in secular mindfulness contexts that the teachings go well beyond this simple awareness. The roots of mindfulness are found in many Buddhist texts and particularly the Satipatthana Sutta, the Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Majjhima Nikaya 10 and Digha Nikaya 22). In this session we will look at mindfulness in both its commonly used form as awareness and embodied experiencing, but will also look at other important material which is found in the Satipatthana and we will discuss different ways in which these ideas might influence our thinking in therapeutic contexts, and how it can be related to Other-Centred theory.

Session Nine, 25th February - Faith and Refuge

In a world beset with insecurities, where change and unpredictability are constantly unsettling us, craving for permanence and reliability drives many of the processes which we have been exploring in these workshops. People long for stability and often find it in unhealthy ways by limiting their involvement in life to the familiar things which support a sense of identity. At the same time, in order to engage more fully people need to have a sense of confidence in things which go beyond their limited frames. This is as true in therapeutic work as in spiritual settings. We all need to experience confidence and trust in order to function in the world, whether it is placed in the people supporting us or in the larger situation of our lives. Such trust and confidence is also fundamental to the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process itself. Through the therapeutic alliance, the client becomes willing to step beyond previous limits of mind and action and by trusting that what is unfolding is a trustworthy process, becomes more willing to step into the unknown. Although Buddhism is often seen by Westerners as emphasising independent practice and self-reliance, in fact, the role of faith and entrustment are central to the tradition. The act of taking refuge through which a person commits as a Buddhist is often recognised as the first step on the spiritual path and underpins all subsequent practice. In this workshop we will look at the role of trust and faith in Buddhist therapeutic practices and the importance of it both in the immediate therapy situation and more broadly in establishing a basis for good mental health.

Session Ten, 4th March - The Ant Hill

In this final workshop of the series we will review the core models of Buddhist psychology with which we have been working and the ways in which they inform a therapeutic approach. In doing this, we will explore the rich material found in The Ant Hill Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 23). This text is fascinating for anyone interested in psychology both in that it describes a dream interpretation and also because this interpretation offers a succinct model of the mind. It describes the layers of conditioned process through which we distance ourselves from difficult experiences, showing in detail how these layers build the defensive bubble through a whole series of behavioural and perceptual responses. As such, this text gives us an overview of the complexity of human process which in many ways predicts understanding coming from modern western psychological models. As we explore the Ant Hill model, we can relate the content to other materials which we have studied and so consolidate and expand our understanding.

About Caroline Brazier: Author of seven books on Buddhism, psychotherapy and ecotherapy and many chapters, papers and articles. Caroline has taught Buddhist psychology, ecotherapy and psychotherapy for more than thirty years, latterly through the Tariki training programmes. Alongside this, she has worked as a therapist and supervisor; work which continues now that she is semi-retired. She has also worked in a number of community settings over the years including community education, women's health projects, community arts and running residential retreats. A Buddhist for many years with experience in a number of traditions, Caroline took Tokudo ordination in the Jodo Shinshu school in 2018. She is also a mother and grandmother and enjoys plenty of family time.