The Ecosystem of the Soul: Dr. Shoma Morita on How to Live With Discomfort

In the early part of the 20th century, when Freud was consciously coupling with the unconscious mind, and Jung was creating his archetypes, Dr. Masatake (also known as Shoma) Morita, the head of psychiatry at Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, was developing his psychotherapeutic methods with roots in Zen.

Dr. Morita worked with people suffering from anxiety and mind-body disorders. The name in Japanese for those who suffer from anxiety disorders was shinkeishitsu (which, like the word “neurotic,” is now outdated). A dedicated practitioner, Dr. Morita developed his therapy to address these issues with those patients.

Dr. Morita understood that we live in a paradoxical existence. We want to feel emotionally comfortable and at ease while also wanting to enjoy successful careers, deep and meaningful love, and have families and nurturing friendships.

Achieving any of the latter requires sacrificing the former. One cannot go after one's dreams without pressing up against feelings of discomfort and vulnerable emotions.

And because these sensations are so wildly unpleasant, many of us suppress or avoid the things that give rise to uncomfortable truths. It’s this dysfunctional reaction to psychological suffering that keeps us stuck in place.

Dr. Shoma Morita realized something fundamental about our emotions and developed a method for us to get unstuck. A technique so helpful and straightforward, we still use it today.

Let’s dig in…

My most profound insights don't go in the free version—they're distilled from my 27 years in therapy, decades of independent study, and work as a mental health advocate. These frameworks and perspectives are reserved for readers committed to going deeper.

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