Integrating Eastern and Western Approaches in the Lothlorien Therapeutic Community

Abstract

　Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Vipassana meditation from India have all been used as stress reduction approaches in Western medical care in recent years. The Lothlorien Therapeutic Community, located in the southeast Scotland, adopts the therapeutic approach of integrating Buddhist psychology into Western psychology. The Community is based on compassion and tolerance for others, both principles of which foster mental health recovery. It adopts Tara Rokpa Therapy among its mindfulness and relaxation methods, in addition to Ronald David (R. D.) Laing's existential phenomenology and Loren Mosher's community mental health activities. Through these therapeutic approaches, residents learn how to build relationships with others along with self-awareness. These rich relational experiences help them form similar future connections in their own communities. The potential integration of Buddhist and Western psychology will be further explored in the future in psychological theory, and integrated approaches will be further applied to psychotherapy in Western clinical settings. This warrants a reconsideration of community mental health care and support networks from the perspective of cultural values such as Buddhist-influenced compassion and tolerance in Japan.