From Dharma to Dialogue: A Scoping Review of Couple Interventions Based on Buddhist Wisdom

Title

From Dharma to Dialogue: A Scoping Review of Couple Interventions Based on Buddhist Wisdom

Creator

Mary, Tresa; Gopal, Baiju

Description

There has been a surge of interest in interventions based on Buddhist traditions in the domain of relational therapy research. Our scoping review aimed to present a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape on this topic. Through systematic selection criteria, we identified 16 studies. We discovered that these interventions predominantly focused on mindfulness or compassiontwo pillars taken from the Buddhist tradition. Although the findings are varied, the collated evidence indicates that Buddhism-based interventions are promising in improving physical, mental, and relational health for individuals and dyads. However, the sustainability of these benefits needs to be examined. A point of concern is the possible dilution of the practices effectiveness when stripped of their comprehensive, traditional Buddhist context. We conclude from this review that while interventions such as mindfulness- and compassion-based programs can positively affect well-being, their efficacy might be constrained when these practices are detached from their broader, original Buddhist context. Therefore, future research should expand the field to develop intervention programs that maintain the integrity of holistic Buddhist wisdom to enhance relationship health and well-being. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Source

Contemporary Family Therapy;Volume;47;Issue;3;pp.354-380

Date

01-01-2025

Publisher

Springer

Subject

Buddhism; Compassion; Contemplative practices; Couples; Mindfulness; Relationship quality; Well-being

Coverage

Mary T., Department of Psychology, Christ University, Bangalore, India; Gopal B., Department of Psychology, Christ University, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISSN: 8922764;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-024-09726-8

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217431129?origin=resultslist