Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

Buddhism, Psychology, and Addiction Theory 115
affect dysregulation, ego pathology and low self-esteem are seen as psychological
substrates to the development of addictive behavior. From a psychoanalytic
standpoint, the addict can be considered to be one who is trapped in infantile, narcissistic
repetition compulsion where immediate gratification of impulses is the
sole method of functioning. These individuals are incapable of exerting delay of
gratification, or any control over these impulses. Caught in the oral phase of
development, the earliest and least mature, they live only for themselves and the
fulfillment of their immediate narcissistic desires. Driving oral incorporate
impulses leave them returning consistently to the dysfunctional behavior to satiate
the craving which can never be met (Dudley-Grant, 1998). Psychoanalytic
approaches have been taken to treat addiction (Yalisone, 1989). It has been suggested
that the psychodynamic theories provide an area of commonality with
Buddhist thought. Metzner (1997) compares psychoanalytical analysis of the levels
of consciousness with Buddhist doctrines, which study the varying levels of
consciousness. Both Buddhism and psychoanalysis seek to understand life and
improve experience by a deepening awareness of subconscious and unconscious
processes.
While there is merit in all of these theories, the argument has been raised that
they are insufficient to understand or address the ever present and growing devastation
of addiction in our society. In a study looking at medical students and
patient attitudes toward religion and spirituality in the recovery process,
Goldfarb, Galanter, McDowell, Lifshutz, and Dermatis (1996) report that there is
an increasing appreciation for the role of spirituality in the recovery process. They
exemplify this assertion by noting in their article that “the Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which in its 1994
Accreditation Manual for Hospitals mandated that the assessment of patients
receiving treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction specifically include ‘the spiritual
orientation of the patient’ ... The patient’s spiritual orientation may affect the
success of this approach” (p. 549). Royce (1995) has suggested that it is a spiritual
bankruptcy, which lies at the root of the unmitigated growth in drug abuse in
our communities. Again, this premise is a major component of the most successful
of the self help interventions, the twelve step anonymous programs, which
have met with unprecedented success in treating alcoholism and other addictions
(Khantzian & Mack, 1994; Warfield & Goldstein, 1996). It is suggested that a
moral and spiritual devastation exists in the individual, which must be addressed
through the twelve steps if recovery is to occur. In the twelve step philosophy,
singular attention is paid to the insurance that no particular religious belief is
promoted. However the message is clearly that a “power greater than ourselves”,
be it God in the traditional sense, a higher power of one’s own choosing, even the
power of the group is the only means by which recovery can begin to occur.
Theoretically speaking, it is clear that whatever the chosen formulation of the illness,
a spiritual intervention is usually perceived as coming from outside of the