Belinda Siew Luan Khong

on Buddhism, Mindfulness, and Psychotherapy

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Show Notes:

Mindfulness has Buddhist roots, but most Western mindfulness trainings make no mention of the Dharma and fail to incorporate basic Buddhist principles such as impermanence, generosity and ethics. So, how can we better integrate a more full understanding of Buddhist teachings into Western understandings of mindfulness?

In this episode, Belinda Siew Luan Khong shares her thoughts about the connections between secular mindfulness and its Buddhist roots. She describes the training that teachers and therapists need to skillfully introduce the Dharma to a Western audience, offering examples from her own clinical work. Listen in to learn about Dr. Khong’s work integrating existential and Buddhist psychology and find out what’s missing from our Western understanding of mindfulness.

Dr Belinda Siew Luan Khong practiced as an attorney before moving into psychology. She holds a doctorate in psychology from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia where her research focused on the role of responsibility in Buddhist Psychology, Heidegger’s philosophy and Daseinsanalysis (Existential psychotherapy). Currently, she practices as a psychologist. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the College of Counselling Psychologists. Australian Psychological Society. She also lectures at the Department of psychology, Macquarie University and is an adjunct fellow of the University. She counsels individuals and families on a range of mental health issues including personal growth, meditation and mindfulness.

Dr Khong serves on the editorial boards of The Humanistic Psychologist and Mindfulness journals. Her practice and research interests include integrating Western and Eastern approaches to psychology, health and well-being, and she has published extensively in these areas. She was the guest editor of several special issues on mindfulness, Buddhist psychology and Heidegger’s philosophy. In 2021, she guest edited a Special Double Issue on Revisiting and Re-Envisioning Mindfulness: Buddhist and Contemporary Perspectives for The Humanistic Psychologist (APA). Dr Khong conducts talks and training workshops on psychotherapy, meditation, and mindfulness in Australia and overseas. 

For more of her work and publications, please visit her website at www.belindakhong.com

Key Takeaways:
  • Dr. Khong’s concerns about divorcing secular mindfulness from its Buddhist roots
  • Why mindfulness teachers, facilitators and therapists need training to skillfully introduce the Dharma and other Buddhist teachings to a Western audience
  • The limitations of mindfulness-based interventions and why a mindfulness-based approach is more consistent with Buddhist teachings
  • How Dr. Khong introduced meditation to a devout Catholic patient with cancer
  • Dr. Khong’s insight on the self-focusing nature of mindfulness in the West and how it’s missing the generosity and ethics central to the traditional Buddhist definition
Connect with Dr. Khong:

Resources Mentioned:



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Hosts:

Katherine King, PsyD


Katherine King, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at William James College. She was trained in evidence-based treatments within the Veterans’ Administration and has a private practice specializing in geropsychology. She is also a member of the Boston Shambhala Center Board of Directors, a vajrayana student of Buddhism, and has practiced meditation for over 20 years. Learn more about Kate at www.drkateking.com.

Alex Gokce, MSW


Alex Gokce, MSW has a master’s degree in social work from Salem State University and an undergraduate degree in Comparative Government from Harvard University. He has led psychotherapy groups on topics including mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mind-body approaches to pain management. He has co-led programs at the Boston Shambhala Center on the topics of trauma and self-compassion. His personal and professional interests center around the individual, societal and intergenerational impacts of trauma, as well as the sociocultural roots of interpersonal harm.


Disclaimer: Please note that the information shared in this podcast is strictly for educational purposes only, and is not intended as psychological treatment or consultation of any kind.

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The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and training of mental health professionals in the integration of mindfulness meditation and psychotherapy.

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