Appropriation of Eastern Notions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Argentina

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, the authors present the appropriation of Eastern notions in cognitive behavioral therapy in theAutonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, inscribing this phenomenon on a wider field of interest for social scienceand psychotherapy. The supply of Eastern alternative therapies and the new developments of cognitive behavioraltherapy in the area of study are introduced. Based on a survey conducted in CBT training institutions of the AutonomousCity of Buenos Aires, three categories are proposed to understand the phenomena: 1) the desacralization of yoga; 2) theincorporation of Eastern traditions into cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, and 3) scopes and limits of therapeuticcomplementariness between cognitive behavioral therapy and Eastern practices. The authors conclude that thisappropriation produces a desacralization of the original contents of the Eastern tradition, because in this fusion the focusis on the practice that produces well-being more than on the Eastern practices.