Naikan psychotherapy in the West: A survey of Naikan participants

This article explores the experiences of participants in Naikan Retreats that were offered by certified American Naikan guides in the United States; Naikan Retreats were first practiced in the United States in 1989. Fifty-three people have attended them so far. The subjects for this study are forty participants who attended such retreats in the United States between 1989 and 1994. The survey, which consisted fo forty-eight questions, was mailed to ail fifty-three Naikan participants in the United States and Canada. The response rate was 80%. The study examines variables such as age, sex and religion ;and how these variables affect the subjects' Naikan experiences. It also compares the subjects' experiences of Western therapy with the subjects' experiences at Naikan Retreats. The objective of this study is to examine whether the core values of Naikan retreats are meaningful to people from different cultures.