Buddhist-informed coaching
Buddhist-informed coaching draws on ideas and practices from Buddhist traditions, such as attention training, impermanence and non-self, and applies them to goals and everyday difficulties. It is not a religious practice, and no belief is needed to take part. Meta-analyses of meditation and mindfulness-based programmes exist (Goyal et al., 2014; Khoury et al., 2013). No outcome study of Buddhist-informed coaching as such turned up in the sources checked for this page, so the evidence here is adjacent.
What it is
A session brings attention to the present moment, to how a difficulty feels from the inside, and to the assumptions that keep a pattern going. Ideas from Buddhist teaching shape the questions. Impermanence asks whether a difficulty is as fixed as it feels. Non-self asks what is being held as a fixed identity, such as 'I am a failure'. The link between craving and suffering asks what is being grasped at.
The traditions differ in emphasis. Theravada practice centres on concentration and insight, Zen on direct and often wordless inquiry, and Tibetan lineages on compassion and mind-training. Secular programmes take the attention and compassion practices and leave the doctrinal frame aside. A Buddhist-informed coach usually draws on more than one of these, and is clear about which.
Where it comes from
The ideas come from Buddhist traditions that are more than two thousand years old. Their use in secular mindfulness programmes and, more recently, in coaching is more recent. A 2007 article by Passmore and Marianetti in The Coaching Psychologist, 'The role of mindfulness in coaching', is one source for applying mindfulness to coaching (see Sources).
The principles underneath
Impermanence
Experience changes from moment to moment, so a difficulty is not a fixed fact about the person who has it. Noticing change is itself useful.
Non-self
Identities such as 'I am a failure' are treated as constructed and held loosely, rather than as fixed truths about who you are.
Attention training
Steady attention to the breath, the body or a single object trains the mind to notice what is happening without being swept along by it.
Compassion
Kindness toward oneself and others is treated as a skill that can be practised, and that makes it easier to look honestly at a difficulty.
How a session runs
- The session begins with a short pause, and a statement of what you want to bring to it.
- You notice the difficulty as it arrives in the body and the mind, without deciding yet what it means.
- The coach helps you examine one assumption that keeps the pattern going, such as a belief about yourself, and how firmly it is held.
- You practise a brief attention or compassion exercise together, and notice what changes.
- The session closes with one small step, and a note of what to watch for in the week.
When it tends to fit
- You keep identifying yourself with one bad day or one failure, and you want to see that more clearly.
- You feel driven to fix or control a difficulty, and you notice the effort creates more tension.
- You already have a regular meditation or mindfulness practice, and you want a way to bring it into your goals.
What the research shows
Evidence: Practitioner tradition — little or no outcome research
Meta-analyses of meditation and mindfulness-based programmes are the nearest research. Goyal and colleagues (2014) systematically reviewed meditation programmes for psychological stress and well-being. Khoury and colleagues (2013) published a comprehensive meta-analysis of mindfulness-based therapy. A study of mindfulness at work (Hülsheger et al., 2013) examined its links with emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Each of these tests mindfulness-based programmes, not Buddhist-informed coaching. Passmore and Marianetti (2007) describe mindfulness in coaching; that is a description, not a trial.
Where the evidence is thin: The sources are about mindfulness and meditation programmes, not Buddhist-informed coaching. The descriptions here rest on titles and bibliographic records, not full texts.
Sources
- Khoury, B., et al. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review.
- Goyal, M., et al. (2014). Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being. JAMA Internal Medicine.
- Hülsheger et al. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology.
- Passmore, J., & Marianetti, O. (2007). The role of mindfulness in coaching. The Coaching Psychologist.
Where it stops
Meditation and attention practices can raise distress for some people, including after trauma. If sitting with difficult feelings makes things worse, stop and work with a qualified clinician.
Taking part does not mean joining a religious community, and no belief is required. Teachings are not a substitute for medical or psychological care.
A spiritual or philosophical frame can become a way to avoid practical decisions or to bypass feelings. Keep at least one concrete action in each session.
Practices for this approach
- Anicca: Working Practically with Impermanence
Seeing change directly, not just believing it — and why that difference is everything
- Anatta: The Buddhist Teaching of No-Self in Practice
What the no-self insight actually means — and the practices that make it useful, not nihilistic
- Zen Koans: Inquiry Beyond Reason
Rinzai inquiry practice — how koans work, how to approach them, and honest limits
- Shamatha: The Buddhist Practice of Calm Abiding
Training the mind to rest: the nine stages and their modern neurological parallels
- Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation
The phrases, the widening circles, and the honest evidence on warmth practice
- RAIN Meditation: Tara Brach’s Four-Step Practice
Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture — meeting difficult emotions with mindful presence