This continual cycle results in a vast spectrum of mental and emotional reactions ranging from ecstasy to unbearable pain, with varying levels of intensity and duration. Our understanding of, and response to, the continual contact with pleasant and unpleasant experiences either promotes emotional and mental wellness or intensifies mental and emotional suffering.

Buddhist Psychology offers an alternative lens that examines and seeks to gain insights about this human experience. The Five Hindrances framework explores understanding and recovering from mental and emotional pain by delving into the intricate interplay between mental processes, emotions, and external conditions. It empowers those suffering from mental and emotional pain by normalizing their experiences. By emphasizing the dynamic nature of mental and emotional states, Buddhist Psychology encourages individuals to explore the underlying causes of their suffering and develop strategies for coping and resilience.

Contemplative practices in Buddhist Psychology encourage observing mental and emotional processes to gain insights about them. This involves recognizing patterns that foster mental and emotional well-being while compassionately addressing those that do not. For instance, the mental process of analyzing can be beneficial when solving an algebra problem, but it may not be helpful in coping with emotional pain following the death of a loved one. Acceptance of the loss, as difficult as that might be, is a more adaptive response. Similarly, the mental process of planning helps up to set goals and prioritize. However persistent worry about future events can lead to anxiety and stress. A contemplative approach refrains from pathologizing and instead focuses on understanding and cultivating conditions that promote emotional and mental well-being. As contemplation deepens, a type of “treatment plan” often begins to emerge as we learn to distinguish between non-beneficial and beneficial mental processes, their causes, and conditions, and how to cultivate positive mental and emotional patterns and responses.

The Five Hindrances contain alternative concepts for understanding mental health and well-being as well the causes and conditions which create mental and emotional distress. The Five Hindrances include:

Sensual Desire. This hindrance refers to the almost constant drive to seek pleasure and comfort while avoiding pain and discomfort. Pleasure-seeking varies in intensity, from slight cravings to irrational obsessions and compulsions. We often believe that obtaining a particular object (girlfriend, new car, new figure, recognition, fame, etc.) will bring contentment. However, once we obtain the object, contentment is fleeting, and dissatisfaction soon returns. Hyper-consumerism, coupled with hyper-competitiveness, clouds our ability to see what truly brings us peace, joy, and contentment. It is easy to lose sight of what brings stillness and joy when we are bombarded by enticing advertisements defining that for us. This constant cycle of craving and dissatisfaction can lead to significant emotional and mental distress.

A basic mindfulness strategy is to recognize the hindrance as it arises. Sometimes desires are apparent, such as intense cravings for a particular food; others are subtle and experienced as a slight irritation. The constant cycle of wanting and dissatisfaction can undermine our mental and emotional well-being. If you look at this hindrance carefully, you might find that in every moment, there is a desire arising. The present moment contains X, but you don’t want X; you want Y. We are either grasping for a completely different condition other than the one that ‘IS,’ or the present moment might be generally pleasant, but we can think of one or two things we might like to change.

Mindfulness of desire may also reveal cravings that are healthy, such as for nutritious food or exercise. However, even healthy cravings may disrupt our focus on the present moment, causing frustration if unfulfilled.

Ill Will and Aversion. This hindrance encompasses a vast array of experiences that range from finding something slightly distasteful, or off-putting, to intense hatred. Ill will and aversion can be seen as the opposite of sensual desire. While sensual desire pursues, ill will and aversion pushes away. Ill will and aversion can be directed internally (negative self-talk, self-harm) or externally (hurtful words, violence). During high intensity levels of ill will and aversion, the potential for impulsive, irrational, or illogical thought and emotional patterns emerge. Like the previous hindrance, ill will and aversion are pervasive experiences of the human condition. Therefore, mindful awareness when faced with challenging conditions—those we dislike or even hate—is a powerful coping skill to regulate and cope with distressing thoughts and emotions.

The practice of mindfulness, particularly attention regulation, helps us recognize when ill will and aversion arise. Understanding that the aversive mind is not the rational mind allows us to detach from these thoughts. This recognition supports the ‘mindfulness pause,’ which encourages postponing impulsive actions driven by ill will and aversion. For example, if someone feels intense anger towards a colleague, mindfulness can help them acknowledge this anger without immediately reacting. This pause allows for a more measured and rational response, reducing the potential for conflict.

While ill will and aversion can be seen as the opposite of sensual desire, they share a significant similarity: both are persistent and experienced almost constantly. In varying levels of intensity, the present moment is either lacking something we crave, or contains something we don’t like. The lens of Buddhist Psychology offers invaluable insights into recognizing and understanding conditions, objects, or phenomena that we find disagreeable. However, through contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation, we can illuminate our awareness. By doing so, we gain a deeper understanding of when ill will and aversion arise, allowing us to restore equanimity in both body and mind.

Sloth and Torpor. Sloth and torpor refer to the hindrance of physical laziness and mental laziness respectively. Like all the hindrances, sloth and torpor manifest in various levels of intensity. When sloth arises, contemplative practices encourage recognizing the conditions that give rise to it, as well as noticing its qualities such as duration and triggers. For instance, when feel lazy and don’t want to exercise, I’ve noticed making a small effort, like putting on my tennis shoes often dissipates the feeling of sloth. Torpor, or mental laziness, manifests as an aversion to mental activities perceived as challenging or uninteresting. While lack of interest can reach pathological levels, it’s not always harmful.  Buddhist Psychology urges us to turn our awareness to the conditions giving rise to these hindrances and to cultivate healthy responses. Sloth might dissipate with proper nutrition, rest, or exercise, while torpor may fade by engaging in novel experiences, finding purpose, or enhancing concentration. Overcoming sloth and torpor requires the right effort and pushing through discomfort, forming a foundation for overcoming all hindrances.

Restlessness and Worry. This hindrance consists of both physical and mental aspects. The physical aspect of restlessness presents on a spectrum ranging from slight unease or fidgeting to hyperactivity, tenseness, and nervousness. The mental aspect is worry, which results in mental processes such as rumination and negative thinking. Both restlessness and worry can vary in intensity, from mild unease to overwhelming distress.

Buddhist Psychology recognizes restlessness and worry as normal biological responses to danger or uncertainty. When restlessness or worry arise, examining the previous hindrances can be helpful. The present moment, as we currently perceive it, contains conditions we don’t want (aversion), is lacking something we want (desire), or is without passion or purpose (sloth and torpor). Awareness of this and all hindrances also reveals their transitional nature. Hindrances appear, gain intensity, peak, and then gradually fade away. They are not gone permanently, as they can arise again when the conditions are right.

Awareness and contemplation of this hindrance reveal how it can precede positive mental states, such as when mild worry results in problem-solving. However, it is generally necessary to recognize the hindrance at low intensity levels to take advantage of the beneficial motivation and redirection it may provide.

Doubt. This hindrance reflects not knowing or knowing wrongly. Not recognizing the full scope, characteristics, causes, and conditions of reality results in doubt or knowing wrongly. For example, while my senses tell me I am sitting in a chair, this perception does not recognize the full scope of reality, which includes the fact that I am moving around the sun at 67,000 MPH. Most of what we “know” comes from input derived from our sense organs. The reality derived from our limited sense perception is vastly incomplete.

In Buddhist Psychology, the brain is considered a sense organ. If the eye provides sensory information about color and form, the sensory input derived from the brain includes thoughts, memories, perceptions, predictions, and more. If our eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and skin provide limited data about reality, the sensory input of the mind is similarly limited. Of the approximate 60,000 thoughts I have every day, I wonder if any of them are completely accurate.

Examination of doubt in psychotherapy presents notions of sensory input of the brain—thoughts, perceptions, memories—and casts suspicion on their validity. It then becomes much easier to challenge firmly held beliefs. This dialogue can proceed to include discussions of a new reality, hopes, and possibilities.

Buddhist Psychology presents a simple yet profound template for recognizing the biological, emotional, and mental reactions that result in mental and emotional pain. This pain exists on the spectrum, from slightly noticeable to intense and overwhelming. Contemplative and awareness practices encourage a disciplines examination of the hindrances, exploring their presence, absence, the conditions that make them arise and dissipate, and the adaptive levels of their intensity. The Five Hindrances add additional depth to our understanding of experiences that create emotional pain. This approach to recognizing the human experiences that lead to mental and emotional suffering feels kinder and may promote a less stigmatizing identity than one arising from an official diagnosis.

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