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I have recently read interesting article about Morita therapy. I have a hard time finding articles,books or research on this subject, and how it works in the West since this therapy was developed and mostly applied in Japan.

What is interesting about it : this therapy (or just Morita's philosophy) doesn't try to change person's feelings of fear/anxiety. It teaches person to understand his/her feelings and live with them. Doing things that need to be done despite fear/anxiety.

Does Morita's idea have western counterpart? Any free reading on it ? (something I don't have to buy) And is there any research paper on it that is reliable and accessible?

Any idea of something similar is welcome. :)

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Reminds me a bit of existential therapy and humanistic psychology in general. Unconditional positive regard and motivational interviewing both insist on approaching undesirable feelings from the client's perspective without imposing fixes or changes on the person through pressure or blunt confrontationality. Existential theory even presumes major, inevitable negativity in life experience for which no individual could be blamed. There are plenty of terrible realities for every individual to face and accept in the process of adjustment and maturation. The individual must do this freely, idiosyncratically, and earnestly for oneself, or so the theory goes. Focus is not on eliminating negativity but on finding meaning amidst it. I hope these Wikipedia pages give you plenty to read for starters, but I can try to find more if you like.

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  • $\begingroup$ Your answer was great, I've accepted it. :) I didn't study psychology, and it was already very hard to find anything just by mentioning Morita on the web. Thank you for providing links and explanation. I was wondering if you could recommend me a book(s) on this subject that you consider to be good? Many authors are mentioned, but I don't know from which to start. I wish to learn something from this. I hope I'm not asking for too much. $\endgroup$
    – DetectiveShmee
    Apr 8, 2014 at 17:53
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    $\begingroup$ Not at all! I'm glad I've been of help. There are tons of good books on existential and humanistic therapy...There's Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, pretty much anything else by those guys or Carl Rogers, or maybe Abraham Maslow...Kinda depends on where exactly you want to go with it. Check out some of the Wikipedia pages and let me know what concepts appeal to you most. $\endgroup$
    – Nick Stauner
    Apr 9, 2014 at 4:16
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you! Existentialism and humanistic psychology. If book can change my perspective on certain things in life, it'll do. I don't know how these books are structured, and what kind of reader are they intended for ie. for someone who is a therapist, or a just about anyone? :) $\endgroup$
    – DetectiveShmee
    Apr 9, 2014 at 9:58

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