The History and Prospect of the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine

Abstract

Prior to the establishment of the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine a number of pioneers in this field in various parts of Japan greatly contributed to the development of psychosomatic medicine in our country. The Society was established in November, 1959 and its first congress was held in Tokyo under the presidency of Prof. T. Miura in May, 1960. The official journal of the Society has been published since February 1961. The number of members of the Society has amounted to 1974 and the Society has become the greatest psychosomatic society in the world. The society was officially approved as a sectional society of the Japaneses Medical Academy in September, 1979.At present five medical schools have psychosomatic centers (department, clinic or institute) and one has a psychosomatic unit. Several active conferences on psychosomatic research in various disciplines of clinical medicine have been organized. The fourth congress of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine organized by the Society in Kyoto in 1977 has been appreciated as the greatest success in the history of International College of Psychosomatic Medicine. The Society has contributed to other international conferences such as European Conference on Psychosomatic Reserach, Federation International Balint etc.Since the fourth congress of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine, psychosematic medicine in our country has been steadily progressing to the holistic medicine (biopsychosocioethical medical model) with can be a core approach to clinical medicine. Secondarily, the integration of Western and Eastern psychosomatic approaches has become an unique role of the Japanese psychosomatic medicine.Thirdly, the development of a collaborative system between psychosomatic medicine and liaison psychiatry, the application of holistic medical approach to the field of primary care, terminal care and the progress of specialized psychosomatic approaches to psychosomatic disorders in different stages of life cycle etc. have greatly broadened the horizon of psychosomatic medicine in our country. The essential problem of terminal care is how to cultivate the therapeutic self of the medical professional which helps him (her) approach to his (her) own life and death problem from scientific standpoint. "New Science", a new movement for integrating science and religion is recently throwing a light to this difficult problem.As to the mind-body problem, which has been one of controversy problems since the Kyoto Congress, the concept of mind-body non-dualism proposed by us which can be neither dualistic nor monistic seems to be an essential core for the sound development of international movement of psychosomatic medicine.