This paper proposes the importance of examining and organizing one’s motivation for meditation practice. While mindfulness research rigorously studies the effects of meditation on human cognition and health, along with the underlying mechanisms of these benefits, the issue of motivation for meditation is rarely addressed. However, based on my experience, I hold that questioning one’s own motivation for meditation is essential for authentic practice. The motivation for meditation originates from the suffering one endures, and the unconscious interpretations of the world that generate this suffering. Through meditation, we can become aware of and transform our unconscious worldview. This transformation is accompanied by a profound realization that can radically change our perception of the world itself. Based on the author’s personal experience, this paper discusses the psychological structure behind the motivation for meditation, and offers an interpretation based on the predictive coding theory proposed in neuroscience. Additionally, a practical method for organizing one’s motivation for meditation is introduced for practitioners.

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This paper presents a perspective that, rather than emphasizing on supporting clients’ focusing, emphasizes supporting clients in meeting their own needs. As a starting point for putting this into practice, this paper also presents a methodology for the therapist to sense what the client’s needs are, wherein the therapists themselves engage in focusing with the client in mind. The two case studies presented herein indicate that the abovementioned perspective and methodology are effective. The perspective and methodology may be significant in terms of broadening (1) the range of clients that therapists can support and (2) the range of approaches that therapists can use with clients.

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