When West meets East: Contributions of Eastern traditions to the future of psychotherapy

Traditional Eastern approaches to mental health have an important contribution to make to the future of Western psychotherapies. Common to these approaches is a recognition of the importance of the causal connection between mental and physical self-regulation and emotional and physical well being. The authors describe several applications of Eastern, and especially Japanese approaches to psychotherapy to a variety of Western psychotherapeutic paradigms. A central focus is on the important role that Eastern approaches to psychotherapy play in helping clients regain human feeling (ninjyo) and a sense of community while overcoming feelings of individualistic separateness and agentic isolation.