Naikan Therapy

Many indigenous methods of healing differ from Western notions of healing. Indigenous healing is a culture-specific intervention which is indigenously developed to treat the native people. Naikan therapy is indigenous healing which was created and promoted by Ishin Yoshimoto. In 1953, Yoshimoto established the first Naikan center in Yamato Koriyama, Nara, Japan. Naikan means “introspection.” Nai means “inner” or “inside” and kan means “looking.” Therefore, Naikan literally means “looking inside” or “looking within.” It involves a process of continuous meditation based upon highly structured instruction in self-observation and self-reflection, and its purposes are self-discovery and self-renewal.

In Naikan, we explore our past using the following three themes:

What we received from others.
What we did for others.
The troubles we caused others.
Read the following stages of Naikan therapy, and answer the questions that follow.

Patients are usually placed in a small sitting area and practice their meditations from early in the morning (6:30 A.M. or so) until the evening (9:00 P.M. or so).
Usually, there is a 3 to 5 minute interview after 1 to 2 hours of intensive Naikan.
A typical example of the question is “Tell me please, what relationship and area of your life you examined during this period?”

Patients are instructed to examine themselves severely, much as a prosecutor would examine an accused prisoner.
The patient is asked to meditate on several aspects of his or her relationship with others: (a) what other people have done for him or her, (b) what he or she has done for others, and (c) how he or she causes difficulties to others.
Watching television, listening to the radio, reading books, and talking to others are prohibited during a Naikan intensive. Telephone calls are also not allowed except in the case of emergencies. Stimulation from the outside is kept to a minimum in order to fully concentrate on the therapy.
Discussion Questions

How would you feel if you were a patient who has enrolled for Naikan therapy?
Have you experienced indigenous healing in the past? If you have, describe your experience. If you know someone who has experienced indigenous healing, describe the story you heard from that person.
What are some of the differences between this therapy and Western psychotherapy?
What are some of the similarities between this therapy and Western psychotherapy?

This response should be between 250-300 words and use proper APA Style documentation. Be sure to support your argument with ideas from the textbook or your own independent research.

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