Blood Washing Blood: A Zen Perspective of Psychotherapy

Using a model of the ego as a defense mechanism, this investigation looks at ways of facing and solving problems without using behaviors or tools that initially caused the problems. A near-death experience provided the author with the inspiration to explore the nature of consciousness-shifting, defense, and survival. His moment of giving up hope and having his survival dictated by his unconscious has informed his life, career, and the meditations and explorations in this text. Personal anecdotes and Zen teachings further illustrate the nature of the problem-solving problem. The book points out that the crux of the human struggle is that the negative things in life are created by the ego and thus cannot be solved using the ego. Only by stepping out of the cycle through meditation and psychotherapy can answers be discovered.