Morita
Therapy is a more than seventy year old purpose-centered, response-oriented therapy
from Japan.
Dr.
Shoma Morita (1874-1938), the founder of Morita Therapy, was a
psychiatrist and department chair at Jikei University's School of Medicine
in Tokyo. Morita's personal training in Zen Buddhism influenced his teachings,
yet Morita practice is not Zen practice.
Morita
formulated his psychotherapeutic principles in Japan as a program for
the treatment of neurotic tendencies at the same time that attention in
Europe was given to Dr Sigmund Freud's discovery of the unconscious and Jung's
development of archetypes.
Morita
Therapy directs one's attention receptively to what reality brings in
each moment. Simple acceptance of what is allows for active responding
to what needs doing. Most therapies strive to reduce symptoms. Morita
Therapy, however, aims at building character to enable one to take
action responsively in life regardless of symptoms, natural fears, and
wishes. Character is determined by behavior, by what one does. Dogmatic
patterns of collapse are replaced with the flexibility to call upon courage and
empowerment. Decisions become grounded in purpose rather than influenced by the
fluid flow of feelings.
In
Morita Therapy, character is developed by cultivating mindfulness,
knowing what is controllable and what is not controllable, and seeing
what is so without attachment to expectations. Knowing what one is
doing, knowing what the situation is requiring, and knowing the
relationship between the two are quintessential to self-validation,
effective living, and personal fulfillment. Character
is developed as one moves from being feeling-centered to being
purpose-centered. A feeling-centered person attends to feelings to such
an extent that the concern for self-protection reigns over decisions and
perceptions. Given the human condition, change, pain, and pleasure are
natural experiences. Indeed, emotions are a rich type of experience and
a valuable source of information. Feelings are acknowledged even when
what is to be done requires not acting on them. Constructive action is
no longer put on hold in order to process or cope with symptoms or
feelings. The individual can focus on the full scope of the present
moment as the guide for determining what needs to be done.
