Naikan began as a method to build mental strength and self-awareness but has been extended for use as a therapy for diseases such as alcoholism, anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder（PTSD）, drug dependence, and eating disorders. We show in this paper that Naikan Therapy is also effective for the following :

1）Conditions in which behavior patterns are related to the disease symptoms, such as bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis., and lifestyle-related diseases including diabetes and obesity. In particular, it is useful for intractable cases for which the standard treatment is not effective; and

2）Cases in which eating disorders are comorbid with another medical disease.

Conventional medical treatments, medical education, and supportive psychotherapy/cognitive behavioral therapy have priority over Naikan Therapy in the treatment of these diseases. We combine Naikan Therapy with these standard therapies in the latter half of inpatient treatment for patients who have endured debilitating criticism and distrust from others. Patients become aware that significant others, including family, support the patient with heart and soul. The patients come to face their denial and the emotions that they had previously avoided. Self-esteem is restored, changes of behavior begin, and symptom control is enabled. In addition, we often experience emotional amplitude recovery after the patient remembers somatesthesia, such as degustation and cutaneous sensations that are important to the patient, in the latter half of intensive Naikan therapy. These points are important for understanding the mechanisms of Naikan Therapy. In conclusion, Naikan Therapy would be effective in the treatment of diseases, including lifestyle-related diseases, in which behavior patterns are related to the symptoms.

  Naikan is a mental discipline that involves thinking of people who are prominent in one’s life, particularly one’s mother. This process involves the ‘three themes of Naikan.’ When taking a week out of their lives to concentrate on Naikan in a quiet place, many people speak of feeling grateful and exhilarated. This sense of spiritual fulfillment allows one to carefully and vigorously reflect on the three important themes of Naikan. In this case, the practitioner of Naikan was me. I was worn out from dealing with crises at work, caring for my parents and other responsibilities. I began practicing Naikan for the first time in 20 years in an effort to escape the rigors of my daily life. Alone in a quiet Naikan training institute, I was relieved of all burdens and immersed in a sense of becoming purified. I had dreams beginning on the third day of my Naikan retreat. The first dreams that I experienced involved a child who had fallen and could not move. A woman stood at a distance telling the child that everything would be okay. This child, who represented me, was in the midst of a struggle, and grew day by day until the last day of the Naikan retreat. The woman calmly watching over the child was much like my real mother, an independent person who does not condone being dependent on others: this was the idealized version of my mother. After some time had passed, I came to realize that the mother represented the atmosphere of the Naikan institute, which respected and accepted me as I was. I rediscovered myself while deepening my interpretation of dreams.

  This paper shares reflections from a Naikan therapist trainee undergoing training at the Yamato Naikan Institute. It focuses on the contents of the supervisor’s guidance and on what the trainee realized. On analysis, Biestek’s Principles and the fundamental aims of social work were practiced in the interview. The training is clearly helping trainees to cultivate the expertise essential to the interpersonal assistance profession.