Abstract
Our approach is to integrate both psychosomatic and somatopsychic approaches like the two wheels of a cart for reaching the goal of healthy self-realization in the true sense of the term by introducing new concepts and techniques of humanistic psychology. in addition to traditional somatic treatment. To my understanding, the Oriental approach to life can contribute to the development of psychosomatic medicine in three major ways, revolving around its realization of the illusion of mind-body dualism, it's development of practical somatopsychic techniques for learnnig self-control, and it's orientation towards realizing our true nature. Students of psychosomatic medicine have long propagated the unity of the mind and body, and unitary concepts are nice ways of speaking, but in fact, the Cartesian dualism is still with us and is the basis of our thinking in psychopathology, psychophysiology, psychopharmacology and even in psychosomatic treatment. In Western culture, the development of which has rested on the foundation of Cartesian mind-body dualism, the spirit (psyche) has been separated from the body, the human body being degraded to the level of animal body or machine. In Oriental thought, the body has been considered to be the sacred seat of the soul or spirit, and the "wisdom of the body" has been highly appreciated. Mind and body have been viewed as two phases of a single process, not as independent entities. The basic principle of traditional Oriental Medicine is the maintenance or stimulation of the natural "wisdom of the body". According to Oriental thought, self-identification is a process that is based upon an awareness of body feeling which is directly in touch with nature under it's command. Such a self-identification helps the maintenance of lucid sensory awareness and an actual feeling of the law of nature in one's own body, an understanding which is qualitatively different from conceptual understanding. This attitude does not contradict the concepts of natural science.
