Information about the life discovery society

Perhaps now you have the above troubles and make effort to conquer them by yourself. You think that you will try to eliminate anxiety and to become more courageous. But your desires aren't fulfilled and your troubles get deeper and deeper. Then how can you solve your problems? The answer is to take action while considering your purpose that fits the occasion. For example, you should speak in public even though your heart is pounding very fast, you should ride trains with fear as it is. You will gradually realize that your true desire is "to be loved, to have approval, and to live a healthy and full life." The Life Discovery Society helps you solve your problems and have a healthy daily life. It is a society to study Morita Theory and practice it in daily life in order to solve problems. It works both for older members, who overcame their problems, and for new members who have similar problems. The Society is based on Morita's psychotherapeutic theory (the abbreviation is Morita Theory) developed by Dr.Shoma Morita (a former professor of Jikei University School of Medicine, 1874-1938)

The Life Discovery Society started in 1970. Since then it has been managed and promoted by many members' voluntary and independent activities. Today it has more than 150 meeting groups across the country and about 6500 members. Members of all ages study and practice Morita Theory in order to solve their various problems. The members with experience in Morita Therapy live a healthy, bright and full life.

What is the neurosis that Morita Theory study focuses on?

You are troubled by such problems as mentioned above. You think that they prevent you from living better. You have a strong desire to cure them by all means. That is to say, you regret your condition, and you try to cure it. This functions negatively and actually deepens your problems. Mental effort like this causes conflict and causes a fixed, chronic disorder called "neurosis." Basically it may happen to anyone.
If you continue your daily life, even though you suffer from your problems, just by studying and practicing Morita Theory you will succeed not only in overcoming neurosis but also in making progress as a person. If your symptoms are very serious and you have difficulties in living your daily life, we recommend that you stay in a medical facility which carries out Morita Therapy.
If your doctor diagnosed your illness as manic-depressive psychosis or depression, you need medical treatment. Please ask your doctor whether you can join the Morita Theory group study which is conducted by the Life Discovery Society.
If you have hallucinations, auditory hallucinations or delusions, or if you are not aware of the nature of your illness, Morita Theory study won't work with you and you need immediate medical care.

Our activities are as follows:

District meetings

Group meetings for the members who live in the same area. It is the activity base of the Life Discovery Society. At meetings which are held in more than 150 districts across the country, the groups independently study Morita Theory. You can freely join the nearest meeting if you speak Japanese and live in Japan.

Beginners' meetings

Group meetings for new members who don't know much about Morita Theory or about the district meetings.

Study meetings

Study meetings are for members who want to study Morita Theory more intensively and systematically. Further information, such as dates and places, is in our magazine, "Life Discovery."

Counseling activity

We have counseling rooms (Tokyo, Kyushu, Sapporo) and conduct private counseling. An appointment is necessary, so contact us by phone in Japan. We also have letter counseling services (for a fee) for members who can't attend meetings for some reason. Please contact us if you are interested.

Our magazine "Life Discovery" is published monthly.

"Life Discovery" is sent to members every month. It has information and explanations about Morita Theory, and members' experiences in overcoming their symptoms. It is a handy textbook for members, and it encourages them.

About some of the medical facilities that carry out Morita Therapy in Japan
Jikei University School of Medicine
Morita Therapy Center
TokyoTel. +81-3-3480-1151
Kyushu University Hospital Department of PsychiatryFukuokaTel. +81-92-641-1151
Mishima Morita HospitalMishimaTel. +81-559-86-3337
Tsurui HospitalFujisawaTel. +81-466-22-5617
Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry
HamamatsuTel. +81-534-35-2111
Sansei HospitalKyotoTel. +81-75-541-3118
Morita Therapy ClinicTokyoTel. +81-3-5996-6646
Tokiwadai Psychiatric ClinicTokyoTel. +81-3-3960-0088

Copyright (C) 1999-2009 The Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation