Reframing Mental and Emotional Pain From a Buddhist Psychology Perspective

Author of the Month

November 2, 2026

Diane Chrestman, Author, LCSW, and Mental Health Counselor

Tom O'Connor, Publisher

KEY POINTS

Diane Chrestman introduces Buddhist psychology as a contemplative lens for noticing responses to mental and emotional pain.

She explores the Five Hindrances: sensual desire, ill will and aversion, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt.

Her examples invite readers to notice patterns, pause before reacting, and consider how circumstances influence their experience.

The Five Hindrances add additional depth to our understanding of experiences that create emotional pain.

Consider this scenario: You're sipping a cup of tea on a cold morning, enjoying its warmth and flavor, when it's gone. You experience a slight annoyance because the pleasant experience has ended. Or perhaps your beloved pet has become ill, and you experience overwhelming grief as you observe her health deteriorating. From the minor annoyance of finishing a delicious meal to the excruciating pain of losing something dear, we experience pleasant or unpleasant conditions incessantly, in every moment.

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.

Using Buddhist Psychology to Notice Patterns in Emotional Pain

Buddhist Psychology offers an alternative lens for examining and gaining insight into 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 insight. This involves recognizing patterns that foster mental and emotional well-being while compassionately addressing those that do not. For instance, analysis can help when solving an algebra problem. Still, it may not help cope with emotional pain following the death of a loved one. Accepting the loss, as difficult as it may be, is a more adaptive response. Similarly, the mental process of planning helps us 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 "treatment plan" often emerges 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 as the causes and conditions that 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 (a girlfriend, a new car, a 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 enticing advertisements bombard us and define it 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; other times they are subtle and feel like 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 a desire arises in every moment. The present moment contains X, but you don't want X; you want Y. We either grasp for a completely different condition than the one that 'IS,' or the present moment may be generally pleasant, but we can still think of one or two things we'd like to change.

Mindfulness of desire may also reveal healthy cravings, such as for nutritious food or exercise. However, even healthy cravings can disrupt our focus on the present moment, leading to frustration if we leave them unfulfilled.

Ill Will and Aversion. This hindrance encompasses a wide range of experiences, 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 push away. Ill will and aversion can be directed internally (negative self-talk, self-harm) or externally (hurtful words, violence). At high intensity, ill will and aversion can fuel impulsive, irrational, or illogical thoughts and emotional patterns. Like the previous hindrance, ill will and aversion are pervasive experiences of the human condition.

Therefore, mindful awareness in the face of challenging conditions—those we dislike or even hate—is a powerful coping skill for regulating 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 us to postpone impulsive actions driven by ill will and aversion. For example, if someone feels intense anger towards a colleague, mindfulness can help them acknowledge that anger without reacting immediately. This pause allows a more measured, rational response and reduces 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. At varying intensities, the present moment either lacks something we crave or contains something we don't like. Buddhist Psychology offers invaluable insights into recognizing and understanding conditions, objects, or phenomena we find disagreeable. However, through contemplative practices such as mindfulness and meditation, we can deepen our awareness. As a result, we better understand when ill will and aversion arise, allowing us to restore equanimity in body and mind.

Sloth and Torpor. Sloth and torpor refer to physical and mental laziness, respectively. Like all the hindrances, sloth and torpor manifest at varying intensities. When sloth arises, contemplative practices encourage recognizing the conditions that give rise to it and noticing its qualities, such as duration and triggers. For instance, when I feel lazy and don't want to exercise, I've noticed that 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 that give rise to these hindrances and cultivate healthy responses. Sloth may dissipate with proper nutrition, rest, or exercise, while torpor may fade by engaging in new experiences, finding purpose, or improving concentration. Overcoming sloth and torpor requires effort and a willingness to push through discomfort, laying a foundation for overcoming all hindrances.

Restlessness and Worry. This hindrance consists of both physical and mental aspects. The physical aspect of restlessness ranges from slight unease or fidgeting to hyperactivity, tenseness, and nervousness. The mental aspect is worry, which can lead to 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 arises, examining previous hindrances can help. The present moment, as we perceive it, contains conditions we don't want (aversion), lacks something we want (desire), or lacks passion or purpose (sloth and torpor). Awareness of this, and of all hindrances, also reveals their transitional nature. Hindrances appear, gain intensity, peak, and then gradually fade away. They do not disappear permanently, as they can arise again when conditions are right.

Awareness and contemplation of this hindrance show how it can precede positive mental states; for example, mild worry can lead to 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. Failing to recognize reality's full scope, characteristics, causes, and conditions results in doubt or mistaken knowledge. For example, while my senses tell me I am sitting in a chair, this perception does not capture the full scope of reality, which includes the fact that I am orbiting the sun at 67,000 MPH. Most of what we "know" comes from input derived from our sense organs. Reality derived from our limited sense perception is far from complete.

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

Examination of doubt in psychotherapy examines the brain's sensory input—thoughts, perceptions, memories—and questions its validity. This makes it 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 framework for recognizing the biological, emotional, and mental reactions that lead to psychological and emotional pain. This pain exists on the spectrum, from slightly noticeable to intense and overwhelming.

Contemplative and awareness practices encourage a disciplined examination of hindrances, exploring whether they are present, the conditions that cause them to 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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Read Diane's bio by clicking her icon at the start of this article.

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