Hi All

[DashLunde]

Just did my first post in the forums, I thought I'd drop by and introduce myself here.
I'm a 22-year-old psychology student in New York, and I got interested in Buddhism last semester in an Eastern religions class. What struck me were the similarities between psychotherapeutic practices and Buddhism. Mindfulness is a technique used in both, and psychoanalysis (especially that of Carl Jung) emphasizes finding a wholeness of our self in which all sides, light and dark, good and evil, are seen as one, which reminds me very much of the Buddhist world-view. I wasn't raised in any religion really, and I've recently been looking for a system of belief to fill that void. I've been going through therapy and breaking down a lot of the ways I used to view the world, but I'd now like a new one. I haven't decided to convert to Buddhism as of yet, but I'm very much interested in learning as much as I can about it, if for no other reason than to appreciate a belief system that prefigured so much of what I'm currently studying in my career path.
Best,
Dash

[Jikan]

Hi Dash,

Welcome to the board. Good news: NY is a good place to be if you're interested in finding out more about Buddhism first hand.

I wish you all the best in your path.

[David N. Snyder]

Welcome to Dharma Wheel!

[lobster]

Was intrigued to read of things such as
(MBSR)
here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_psychology
There seems to be some excellent initiatives . . .

Wishing you every success in your studies

[waimengwan]

Welcome and wishing you all the best! Would be interesting to know what how you blend Western medical science and Buddhism together _.