This is a revision of my address at the panel discussion of the 26th Annual Conference of the Japan Naikan Society. The subject of the discussion is “Scrutinizing the starting point of the Naikan method and Naikan therapy.” The subtitle “discussing Naikan from the point of view of psychotherapy” is the author's approach to the subject. Naikan basically has two different names depending upon who is using it and how it is being used; the Naikan method in Naikan centers, and Naikan therapy in hospitals and other clinical settings. Examining the difference of these two names seems to be indispensable for this discussion. In this paper, however, the term Naikan includes both the Naikan method and Naikan therapy. I will discuss Naikan from a psychotherapeutic point of view as classified by Hayao Kawai, a clinical psychologist.

What is the most important point of view to maintain mental health? In order to reply to this question, I formed a hypothesis from the view point of brain science and psychological point about happiness that a rise of the feeling of gratitude to others makes the mind quiet. As a result of STAI (State―Trait Anxiety Inventory) before and 2 months after Intensive Naikan, the feeling of gratitude was improved in more than 80% of subjects, and the average of trait anxiety was remarkably decreased. It was considered that Intensive Naikan has effect to raise the feeling of gratitude to others and to mitigate anxiety continuously. Utilizing 3 views of Naikan in daily life can be mental training to lead happy life with smooth human relationships, and "specific" to prevent psychogenic disease.

During the intensive naikan, it often occurs that client cannot continue naikan because of his (her) bad feelings (such as grudge, anger, and so on) to naikan object. Although ‘note of grudge’ is very effective in the case, we think that its application shoud be deliberate. Also we are often in two minds as an interviewer whether that response to client was right. We tried to examine how to interview through reflecting this case.