- seCtIon sIx: seLF AnD otHeR
Engler famously proclaimed, ‘you have to be somebody before you can be
nobody’ (1986, p. 49). He studied the effects of Buddhist practice on students with
a wide range of different starting points, and found that those who were attracted
to Buddhism because of failures in self-development or as a way of avoiding
facing themselves ran the risk of further fragmenting their already fragile sense
of self. This suggested that an early emphasis on self-transcendence might be
therapeutically harmful and therefore not help the transcendental aim, either. He
concluded that a sense of both self and no-self are necessary, and in that order.
He later changed his view somewhat, stressing that our motivations and our con-
flicts are so complex that a neat developmental model doesn’t quite work. But
he continued to argue for the importance of ‘ “being somebody” – that is, facing
crucial developmental or life stages head on instead of attempting to avoid them
in the name of spirituality or enlightenment’ (2003, p. 36). This self-related task
is important even though ‘the experience of being or having a self is a case of
mistaken identity, a misrepresentation born of anxiety and conflict about who
I am’ (p. 36).
Interweaving therapy with Buddhism is now fairly common, in various strands of
transpersonal psychology, and in forms of psychotherapy that include Buddhist
methods of practice. Some people argue that although psychological and spir-
itual work address different levels of human existence, spiritual work can have
therapeutic value, and therapeutic methods can help in the integration of spiri-
tual insights into ordinary life (Watson, Batchelor, and Claxton, 1999). Examples
include Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR (Chapter 7), which emphasises paying attention and
developing a non-judging awareness in order to break through the ‘unconscious
consensus trance that we think of as being awake’ (Kabat-Zinn, 1999, p. 231). Crook
integrated therapeutic techniques into his ‘Western Zen’ retreats (Crook and Fon-
tana, 1990), and breathing techniques, mindfulness, and meditation have been
frequently used in schools, prisons, sports, parenting, and many other contexts
(Watson, Batchelor, and Claxton, 1999). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is
an eight-session group intervention programme based on MBSR, designed by
Mark Williams, Zindel Segal, and John Teasdale, and meta-analyses have shown
that it can reduce risk of relapse to depression for those who have experienced
three or more episodes (Piet and Hougaard, 2011). MBCT also seems to be about
as effective as standard cognitive behavioural therapy
at reducing anxiety, depression, and stress, with mind-
fulness levels increasing during the programme and
strongly correlating with clinical outcomes (Khoury et
al., 2013). (But see the website for discussion of the dif-
ficulties of doing conclusive research in this area.)
Those who persevere with spiritual practice claim many
therapeutic effects, in particular that they become
more loving, compassionate, and equanimous. It may
seem odd that letting go of desire, giving up your self,
and treating everything as impermanent can pos-
sibly have such effects. Surely, goes the worry, if you
stop controlling yourself terrible disasters will ensue
(Levine, 1979; Rosch, 1997). This is the same fear that attends the idea of giving
up free will, and indeed giving up the sense of being, or having, a separate self
does do away with the feeling of being in control or of having free will. Yet, as
‘you have to be
somebody before you
can be nobody’
(Engler, 1986, p. 49)
FIGURE 18.2 • The headless view. To others you
are a person in the world. To
yourself you are a space in which
the world happens.