Morita therapy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Morita therapy is a traditional Japanese , today in alternative medicine used sector therapy for the treatment of social phobia , which from 1919 by Shoma Morita was developed (1874-1938), a psychiatrist and head of department at the private Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo . In several phases, beginning with strict bed rest and meditation up to physical work, the patient should learn to accept his fears and to deal with them in order to finally function despite the symptoms.

Morita's experiences in Zen Buddhism have influenced his teachings, yet his form of therapy is not religious.

Morita studied Shinkeishitsu , a Japanese diagnosis of anxiety-based disorders that can best be translated as neurasthenia (weak nerves). The methods of Morita therapy include empathic reduction ( fumon ), experiential learning ( taitoku ), behavioral impulses , and progressive qualification.

The aim of empathic reduction is to draw the patient's attention away from his diffuse, subjective complaints and instead to focus on concrete facts, needs and actions. The therapists do not ignore the symptoms, but they only respond generally affirmative without addressing them. The patient should not wait for improvement, but participate in life without paying attention to the symptoms. In experiential learning , the patient should master everyday tasks of increasing difficulty andgain self-confidence from them, e.g. B. clean up the sewing box. The therapists should give clear instructions and pay attention to discipline and perfection. As the severity increases, the improvement should pick up momentum. Therefore, the therapist should support and emphasize practical progress, not cognitive self-reflection. Positive thinking may be useful, but it's just thinking and doesn't really matter much overall. Rather, motivation comes from practical success. Based on these experiences, the sick can finally cope with dreaded situations, set realistic goals and achieve them.

Morita suggested a four-point therapy plan:

  1. Isolation and rest. Starting with strict bed rest, without media consumption, without visits, the patient should use the loneliness to meditate.
  2. Light occupation. Now the patient begins light and steady work carried out in an environment of calm. By keeping a personal diary, he learns to separate his thoughts from his feelings and to clearly delimit their different influences on his life. In this self-discovery phase , the patient goes out, both by himself and - in the literal sense - out of the house.
  3. Heavy employment. Morita kept his patients busy with hard, physical work outdoors. This section of therapy is also known as the "wood chopping phase". The person develops from a passive to a self-determined attitude. He heals himself through therapy designed to stretch and strengthen the body. The recovering patient is encouraged to express himself artistically.
  4. Extensive activity. In the last phase, the patient leaves the hospital environment to apply what they have learned and to face society. In this last phase the patient learns the new lifestyle, consisting of meditation, physical activity, clear thinking, and a structured way of life.

"Trying to control the self with willpower and manipulation is like trying to influence a die that has already been cast or to push the water of the Kamo River back upstream."

- Shoma Masatake Morita

Various authors have described parallels between Morita therapy and Western methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy and rational-emotive behavioral therapy .

This is the only traditional Japanese psychotherapy that has achieved international importance and is still discussed in scientific psychiatry today. However, the published treatment results steadily deteriorated from 1919 to 1998, possibly due to the increasing departure of the Japanese from their traditional worldview. The main areas of application are neurotic disorders. A Cochrane report that tested the effectiveness against schizophrenia in 2008 found possible successes, the sustainability of which remains unclear.

Sources and individual references

  1. ↑ K. Kitanishi, A. Mori: Morita therapy: 1919 to 1995. In: Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences. Volume 49, Numbers 5-6, December 1995, pp. 245-254, ISSN  1323-1316 . PMID 8726108 . (Review).
  2. ↑ Mario Incayawar, Ronald Wintrob, Lise Bouchard: Psychiatrists and Traditional Healers: Unwitting Partners in Global Mental Health . John Wiley & Sons, March 25, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-74106-1 , p. 172.
  3. ^ Bruce A. Thyer: Cultural Diversity and Social Work Practice . Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2010, ISBN 978-0-398-08445-5 , p. 136.
  4. ↑ James K. Boehnlein: Psychiatry and Religion: The Convergence of Mind and Spirit . American Psychiatric Pub November 1, 2008, ISBN 978-1-58562-813-1 , pp. 100-101.
  5. ^ JG Russell: Anxiety disorders in Japan: a review of the Japanese literature on shinkeishitsu and taijinkyofusho. In: Culture, medicine and psychiatry. Volume 13, Number 4, December 1989, pp. 391-403, ISSN  0165-005X . PMID 2612189 .
  6. ↑ Masatake Morita: Morita Therapy and the True Nature of Anxiety-Based Disorders (Shinkeishitsu) . SUNY Press, April 30, 1998, ISBN 978-0-7914-3766-7 , p. 19.
  7. ↑ Uwe P. Gielen, Jefferson M. Fish, Juris G. Draguns: Handbook of Culture, Therapy, and Healing . Routledge, April 8, 2004, ISBN 978-1-135-61377-8 , pp. 262-263.
  8. ↑ N. Watanabe, W. Machleidt: Morita therapy - an originally Japanese form of therapy for the treatment of neurotic anxiety disorders. In: The neurologist. Volume 74, Number 11, November 2003, pp. 1020-1024, ISSN  0028-2804 . doi : 10.1007 / s00115-003-1601-7 . PMID 14598041 .
  9. ↑ C. Li, Y. He: Morita therapy for schizophrenia. In: Schizophrenia bulletin. Volume 34, Number 6, November 2008, pp. 1021-1023, ISSN  0586-7614 . doi : 10.1093 / schbul / sbn124 . PMID 18852234 . PMC 2632507 (free full text).