Mind & Emotion

This is where my two worlds meet most directly.

I'm deeply interested in how emotional patterns form, persist, and change and I study this from both directions: through contemplative practice and through evidence-based psychology.

The Evidence-Based Side

Alongside contemplative practices, I study and integrate evidence-based psychological frameworks, particularly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

To be very clear: I'm not a therapist. My relationship with these modalities is personal and intellectual. I've been on the receiving end, and I've trained in them to deepen my own understanding. What draws me to these approaches is their shared emphasis on awareness, responsibility, and choice, not as ideals, but as skills that can be practiced.

The Hidden Connection

These therapies share more with contemplative traditions than most people realize.

DBT's distress tolerance skills echo Stoic philosophy. CBT's cognitive restructuring parallels the Buddhist concept of "right view." ACT's defusion techniques and acceptance practices draw directly from mindfulness meditation. These aren't coincidences. Many Western therapies were explicitly influenced by Eastern practices, then validated them through clinical trials.

The Questions I'm Exploring

What does contemplative wisdom offer that therapy doesn't? What does therapy offer that meditation alone can't provide? How do we integrate insight with practical tools for emotional regulation?

My book project, States and Actions, explores this intersection, mapping emotional states to evidence-based interventions, drawing from both traditions.

The Practice

I think of emotional work as something that lives in the body as much as the mind.

Learning to notice reactions without being ruled by them, to respond rather than react, and to tolerate discomfort without avoidance, this has shaped how I relate to myself and others. This is where psychology and lived experience meet.