Samurai Japan’s victory of yesterday moved the whole nation with resounding joy and excitement. What an accomplishment, indeed! Since my Nara workshop was closed for the day, I was allowed to root for the Japanese team. I watched the nail-biting game under strong pressure myself. Each player fought under insurmountable pressure and our team eventually beat the team of the Republic of Korea.
When the whole game came to an end, I wondered what had helped the Japanese team cope successfully with the pressure. To be sure, it was of course the talent of each individual player, but there was something more. It was their spirit of unity and perseverance. Mr. Hara, the manager of the team, said at the press interview, “We won with the Japanese power, which means the power of spirit and perseverance.” The team took advantage of the Oriental spirit.
Many players, including Matsuzaka, complimented each other for the fine jobs done by each. This was a remarkably commendable attitude, because, all of them being top-notch players, they could have succumbed to more egocentric self-esteem. This was not seen or felt in the victory of the team. They fought for the victory of Japan. Each of them was dedicated to the dream of reinvigorating the whole nation. Their comments reflected their common dreams.
Ichiro, above all, said something that impressed me: “Personally, I should say that this made me experience an inconceivable hardship and severity of pain.” He handled many surprisingly crucial situations successfully and burned unforgettable performances of a top-notch professional player into our hearts and minds. His absolute dedication to baseball is unrivaled.
As I said sometime ago, in order to sustain mental stability, Ichiro kept eating for seven long years exactly the same type and amount of lunch consisting of only vegetable curry prepared by his wife. He knew that eating and the state of mentality are inseparable. Eating the same kind and amount of food for such a long time day after day must be extremely difficult, but it was his way of building up his power of overcoming mental pressure.
Watching the historic baseball game, I realized that both national and individual challenges can be successfully coped with by means of spiritual unity and perseverance. The same can be said about fighting against sickness as well. Again, watching the unforgettable game strengthened my belief in the boundless power of our souls like the one evidenced by the players of WBC, the power that seeks to fight for the happiness of all people and help their vitality to surmount any difficult circumstances and environments.
Common sense being re-evaluated:
Not long ago, NHK presented a documentary program centering on re-evaluation of the efficacy of drugs against depressive psychosis. The program threw light on the fact that reduction of drug dose helps the recovery. A patient began with three tablets a day, but because they were not efficacious enough, the doctor increased the number of the tablets to 19 per day. As a result, the patient suddenly lost consciousness and fell. Flustered at it, the doctor cut down the dose and, as a result, the patient’s depression became less serious, and he even got back to his workplace.
A visitor came to consult a doctor at a hospital, complaining about a severe headache. Before asking questions, the doctor gave an injection to the patient and prescribed four different drugs.
These instances made me think that the current medical treatment procedure needs a fundamental re-evaluation and reconsideration. One doctor who sat as a panelist on the program openly wondered if the current medicine existed for the good of the patient or simply as quick measures to make money.
From drugs to counseling:
In the UK, it is said, people who have a health problem seek psychotherapy before asking for medicines in general. The patient is advised to think and detect the cause that brought about the depression. Through their conversation, the patient is made to face his/her negative trend of thought that underlies the problem. The British government invests an equivalent of 30 billion yen to foster capable psychotherapists, thus keeping doors open for people who have a psychological problem to consult about. The rate of relapses is much lower among those who benefit from consulting a specialist than among those who concentrate on seeking the efficacy of drugs only (27% vs. 44%).
Excessive tension:
A number of sufferers of depressive psychosis come to my clinic, their ages ranging widely from high school students to grown-ups. Some of them are not patients themselves but have somebody in their family suffering from manic-depressive psychosis. As family members, these people suffer no less than the sufferers themselves. Thus, no small number of people are suffering from not only depression but other kinds of psychiatric problems. Many of those who come to my clinic suffer from such mental problems as obsessional neurosis or claustrophobia as well, obsessed with cleanliness or fear of being placed in a place out of which they cannot get out at will, such as traveling on a limited express train.
These people unexceptionally are spending most of their time in an environment of excessive tension such as attending to sensitive work from day to day or having no experience of being commended either by their boss or parents. These are environments in which they have no satisfaction at all. Thus, being praised or recognized by others is an essential condition for relaxation, which in effect brings about self-confidence and trust in one’s own capability. Unfortunately, however, the fact is that faultfinding seems to be the sole business in politics and in the mass media today.
Guard against excessive emotions and use dialogue
Most of the people who I attend to are the victims of continued tension. Oriental medical terminology for this condition is Shichijo Fuwa, literally meaning excessive emotions doing harm in seven areas: excessive anger harms the liver, excessive negative thought harms the spleen, excessive sorrow harms the lungs, and excessive fear harms the kidneys, etc. Thus, sustained excessive emotions break the physical and mental balance in our bodily functions.
Hokushin-kai, of which I am a member, is an association of acupuncturists. Its major principle is to hold an interview with those who come to consult the first time they visit. This interview takes 30 minutes to an hour, discussing the visitors’ living habit including their eating pattern. Such an interview plays a very important role in psychotherapy in the UK. Unfortunately, however, consulting a specialist in Japan costs a lot, the average rate being 10 to 20 thousand yen. The patient, therefore, has no other alternative than depending on medicines, while ironically cutting down the amount of the medicine is said to improve the condition.
To cope with the increasing psychiatric cases and other health problems, my acupuncture/moxibustion clinic will keep trying to sincerely listen to the voice of patients and to have continued dialogue with them, aiming at satisfactory recovery of their health.
