Suffering and the Relationship with the Problem in Postmodern Therapies: A Buddhist Re-Visioning

ABSTRACT This article explores ways that Buddhist psychology can enrich postmodern family therapy practice. The discussion focuses in particular on Buddhist ideas regarding suffering and the relationship with suffering. We propose that Buddhist practices of accommodation to suffering offer an alternative orientation to problems that in various ways can be incorporated into postmodern therapeutic practice—specifically solution-focused brief therapy, narrative therapy, and collaborative language systems. The article compares and contrasts Buddhist and postmodern therapy ideas about relating to problems before providing examples of postmodern practice informed by Buddhist psychology.