This paper explores mindfulness as a therapeutic tool in the field of psychology and its historical origins in Buddhism. Over the past thirty years, mindfulness has become an area of growing interest and the subject of much research in psychology. Mindfulness, as a method for providing therapeutic benefits, has a long history that dates back to at least the time of Siddhartha Gautama (563 B.C.E.), who later became known as The Buddha. The story of the Buddha is used to frame the origins of mindfulness. The relationship between Eastern thought and Western psychology has been discussed by several of the early authors in the psychological traditions, particularly in the post-Freudian psychoanalytic schools, and this is explored here. The later cognitive psychological schools of thought that arose from roots in behaviorism would ultimately give rise to the current wave of mindfulness-based therapies we see being applied today. Finally, ethical dimensions are discussed in order to better understand whether or not mindfulness-based therapies can be effectively applied outside of the normative framework of Buddhism.
