Description:

What if our therapeutic goals of improving self-esteem, developing a stable and coherent sense of self, and expressing our authentic feelings all turn out to be misguided? What if they inadvertently feed the cultural enthusiasm for celebrity and success that makes so many of us miserable? This presentation will examine how mindfulness practices can be harnessed in psychotherapy to reexamine our conventional sense of self, leading both us and our clients toward greater well-being, wisdom, and compassion.

Educational Objectives:

1. Describe how seeking good self-esteem leads to psychological distress.
2. Identify tools to help clients act more skillfully and freely by becoming less concerned with narcissistic concerns.
3. Describe how mindfulness practices help clients to integrate disavowed or split-off aspects of our experience.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*