Dohsa-hou is a Japanese psychotherapy technique for improving psychological problems by using body movements, bodily feelings, and relaxation experience (Fujino, 2013). Dohsa-hou, originally named psycho-rehabilitation, was developed to improve the movements and postures of children with cerebral palsy. Naruse (1973) reported that Dohsa-hou improved movement problems in children with that condition. He suggested that although physiological disorders cause cerebral palsy disabilities, those disabilities are affected by mental activities consisting of various elements such as will, effort, and body movements. Naruse (1997) further asserted that many psychological problems are related to physical problems because the body is perceived as the source of one’s own experiences. Dohsa-hou has also demonstrated clinical utility for the treatment of stress-related disorders that involve autonomic nervous system dysregulation, including anxiety disorders (Ikeda, 2001), depression (Koga, 2001), and schizophrenia (Tsuru, 1993). Applications of Dohsa-hou seem to increase the awareness of bodily states, regulate mood, and reduce distress through the deliberate practice of relaxation (Fujino, 2012; Yamanaka & Tominaga, 2000)./
Kuwashima, R., Sakakibara, M. and Yoshikawa, Y. (2023), Dohsa-hou Relaxation Enhances Cardiac Parasympathetic Activity Assessed by Analysis of Heart Rate Variability. Jpn Psychol Res. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpr.12364
Trauma-informed Dohsa-hou comes from Dohsa-hou which is a Japanese psychotherapy developed by Gosaku Naruse, Ph.D(1924-2019). I have practiced Dohsa-hou since 2008 with Dr. Naruse and also with Takako Mogami (-2021) who was a clinical psychologist in Japan.
Takako Mogami taught me a lot about her original Dohsa-hou and I have practiced Mogami original Dohsa-hou with my clients who have trauma and see how it worked for them.
I believe that I should use her methods with people.
I love and deeply respect Mogami’s method of Dohsa-hou and this is the way I want to practice with people. However, they do not explain by using recent somatic research.
I have practiced Dohsa-hou and Mogami Dohsa here with the explanation of recent Trauma research in the USA.
Only In-person Session / 50 minutes 190-250 USD
References :
Naruse, G. (1997). The clinical Dohsa-hou as psychotherapy. Journal of Rehabilitation Psychology, 25, 9– 16.
Haruo Fujino, Aoi Moritsugu, Dohsa‐hou for unexplained regression in Down syndrome in a 19‐year‐old man: A case report, Clinical Case Reports, 10.1002/ccr3.5827, 10, 5, (2022).
Koga, S. (2001). The application of Dohsa-hou to the aged person with depression. Journal of Rehabilitation Psychology, 29, 45– 52. (In Japanese with English abstract.)
Kuwashima, R., & Yoshikawa, Y. (2020). Usefulness of Dohsa-hou as a stress management: An examination of the effectiveness in a child care support community. Japanese Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, 60(8), 728– 735. (In Japanese with English abstract.)
Kuwashima, R., Sakakibara, M., & Yoshikawa, Y. (2021). Development of psychological reaction scale in relaxation task and central corporeal axis (CCA) creation task in Dohsa-hou. Journal of Clinical Dohsalogy, 25, 15– 25. (In Japanese with English abstract.)
Kuwashima, R., Sakakibara, M. and Yoshikawa, Y. (2023), Dohsa-hou Relaxation Enhances Cardiac Parasympathetic Activity Assessed by Analysis of Heart Rate Variability. Jpn Psychol Res. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpr.12364
Effects of Dohsa-hou relaxation on body awareness and psychological distres / Haruo Fujino Osaka University. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1468-5884.2012.00517.x
The effectiveness of mental– physical relaxation (Dohsa-hou) On Depression, Anxiety and Stress in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). http://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v2(5)/version-3/B250411.pdf