[Buddha-l] Personality disorders and anatta

[Stefan Detrez]

Hi,

Psychotherapy based on Buddhist understandings of the workings of the mind
look promising from a scientific point of view. However, I have often
wondered how such therapeutic approach works on patients who suffer from low
self esteem, have no stable sense of a self, don't 'know how they really
are', etc. Wouldn't the notion of anatta be 'nothing new' to them, or the
very problem itself, being that the sense of the absence of a self IS a
contributing factor to the existence of the personality disorder?

Thank you,

Stefan