Naikan Therapy Explained: An Interview With Binod Aryal

16th November 2020 • Sticky Post

Naikan Therapy was developed in Japan in the 1940s by a Buddhist monk named Ishin Yoshimoto. A member of a devout sect, Mr. Yoshimoto developed the technique to make mishirabe, a grueling method of introspection, meditation, and self-reflection, available to all, a softer yet equally effective approach.

Naikan is based on continually asking oneself 3 questions: what have I received from _____; what have I given to _____; and what problems and difficulties have I caused _____? The questions allow individuals to reflect on the nature of their relationships and connections with others, and to view their own actions and behaviors through the eyes of those around them. In Japan Naikan Therapy is used in many areas of society, ranging from prisons and drug treatment centers to businesses and schools.

Naikan is still largely unknown in the West. At Iboga Tree Healing House we’re delighted to welcome Naikan Therapist and founder of the RIC-Rose Foundation Binod Aryal to our team. Mr. Aryal has spent years studying Naikan therapy in Japan, Europe, and Nepal. He also has a host of certifications and a wealth of experience working with the addicted in Nepal and the UK.

We sat down with Binod Aryal to ask about the unique benefits this promising treatment can offer to the addicted...

An Interview With Binod Aryal

For those unfamiliar with Naikan therapy, how would you describe the practice?

It is human nature that everybody seeks peace and harmony to live in this world. We often experience dissatisfaction, anger, unhappiness etc in our day-to-day life. When we suffer from these miseries, we distribute them to others as well. Unhappiness transforms the atmosphere around someone miserable, and those who come in contact with such a person also become affected. So, Naikan is an easy method to eradicate all types of negative emotions and to solve relationship problems. Naikan is a Japanese word that means “looking inside,” or “seeing oneself with the mind’s eye.” It helps us to understand ourselves, our relationships, and the fundamental nature of human existence. “This is the easy process to enter in the unconscious and deep unconscious mind. It is an observation-based, self-exploratory journey that focuses on deep interconnections between the mind and body. Naikan a is non-sectarian technique that aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and helps practitioners to express gratitude for those people, places, situations, and things that gave direct or indirect support for us to live in this world. It is natural for the mind to wander off, and the best way to stay focused on what’s truly important is to ask the three simple questions that are the essence of Naikan:

What have I received from _____?
What have I given, what have I done for _____?
What troubles and difficulties have I caused _____?

First question: Gratitude:

The questions themselves seem rather simple. That’s because they are. The depth of experience, insight, and realization that can come from the practice of self-reflection is not a result of intellectual analysis. Our challenge is simply to see reality as it is. These questions are simple inquiries that allow researching our life’s mysteries, miracles, and the hidden feelings of our deep unconscious mind. This process will help us to achieve freedom from all kinds of cravings and aversions through non-judgmental observation of ourselves and those around us.

Through the Naikan experience, the nature of how a person grows or regresses, how one produces suffering, or frees oneself from suffering is understood. This process will help to increase gratitude, self-realization, self-respect, self-control, and peace. We forget the many kinds of support, love, and help we receive through our life’s journey. We focus only on those things we have not received. This attitude makes us frustrated, unhappy, angry, and resentful. We begin to blame those around us. We expect many things from others but we forget what we have received. The desire or expectation is the source of anger. If we are able to recognize the source of anger, we are able to generate love, concern, and compassion which lead us to peace and happiness. Gratitude makes us feel good when we experience it. It helps us notice what is already good in our lives instead of what is bad, which helps us develop positive feelings about ourselves and our lives. Gratitude makes us aware of the good other people do for us. As a result, we feel loved, cared for, and appreciative, which makes us feel better about ourselves and improves our self-esteem. Our emotional and physical health aren’t the only beneficiaries of our gratitude. The people around us benefit too, in multiple ways. Naikan meditation increases the amount of love and kindness in the world.

Second question: Our service to others:

When we know that we have done something to help another person, we develop a more positive view of ourselves. Our negative feelings will be eradicated and self-esteem will be increased. We will find meaning in our own lives. We will realize we are in this world not simply to survive but also to bring joy and peace to others. This feeling will develop our sense of spirituality. The self-centered behavior will cease. We will feel peace and joy helping others even without any expectations. Having people we admire and look up to in our lives can be a great resource for learning and motivation. How much we help others generally determines how much we can help ourselves. When we help others, we can live with self-respect. Self-respect helps us to develop trust in ourselves.

The law of karma teaches us that all of our thoughts, words, and actions begin a chain of cause and effect and that we will personally experience the effects of everything we cause. It is a cosmic law, which means that it applies to everyone, everywhere, all the time. So, if we help others, we will be helped by others. We don't need to receive rewards and gratitude from those we have helped. Naikan can help us to be aware of our own good and bad actions, and teach us to live a karmically healthy life.

Third Question: Self-Realization:

The third question helps us to realize our mistakes and transgressions and to take responsibility for our unethical deeds. We should spend most of our time reflecting on how we have caused others trouble. If we are not willing to see and accept the instances when we have caused others’ suffering, then we cannot truly know ourselves or the grace by which we live. It is also a part of the karmic process and will help us to overcome feelings of guilt and shame. Self-realization is the recognition of one’s true self. Self-Realization is considered the gateway to eternal happiness. Self-realization means removing negative layers of one's personality to understand the true self and the nature of reality.

Self-realization begins from the following questions,

What is my relationship with myself and the process that will lead me to salvation?
What is my relationship with other people and other beings today?
What is my relationship with the environment and the world around me? Have I caused any difficulties or problems today for other people or the world?

These questions provide a foundation for reflecting on all relationships, including those with parents, friends, teachers, siblings, work associates, children, partners and nature. In each case, we acquire a more realistic view of our conduct and the give-and-take that has occurred in the relationship.

How did you first learn about Naikan, and what led you to connect so deeply with the practice?

I have been a spiritual seeker since my teenage years. I was always praying and worshipping God. As a Hindu, we have many different Gods. I believed there was some supreme power who would reward us if I repeated his name again and again. I was not aware of my actions and deeds. I was not internally satisfied with this belief system. When I became a young man, I was experimenting with different traditions in search of real satisfaction. But I never got real satisfaction in my life, even though my spiritual practice was always there.

I got an opportunity to learn scientific meditation techniques in 1997: Vipassana and Aanapana . It satisfied me and I felt I had finally reached my real destination. I finally felt I had achieved internal purification. I could generate good Karma to get real peace, both emotionally and materially. I believed that good Karma would lead me to happiness, but my actions and thoughts were selfish. Meditation helped me to overcome my deep unconscious guilt, shame, resentment, and anger. I corrected the self-righteous attitude I had mistakenly adopted. I realized nobody else was responsible for my misery. My actions were the sole cause of my unhappiness and misery.

I was working with addiction and related mental health clients in Nepal. I found that some of them could not follow the Vipassana meditation method because of its rules, regulations, and complex methods. I tried to search for easier methods than Vipassana meditation for these groups of at-risk clients. I came in contact with Naikan, the Japanese art of self-reflection in 2014. I invited two Japanese and German teachers to Nepal. I hosted them in my home for a month. I rented an Ashram in the mountains for two courses. My wife and I joined as participants in the first course. The second course prepared us to lead Naikan therapy groups. There was a famous Naikan teacher in Japan named Professor Akira Ishii. He knew my passion for the subject and invited me to China to attend another course. I completed a very intensive course in China. I invited Prof. Ishii to Nepal to conduct Naikan sessions every year. Now we collaborate to conduct a few training sessions each year in Nepal.

In what ways is Naikan different from mindfulness practice or keeping a journal?

To answer this question properly, I would begin by saying that there are two kinds of Naikan Therapy.

Weekly Intensive Naikan retreats: With this option, it is the process of observing our conscious and unconscious mind to clean all the negativity out and gain freedom from our cravings and aversions. Analyzing present and past events plays a significant role in this process and allows for future planning based on purification and wisdom.
Daily Naikan practice: This is the process for living fully in the present reality with full self-awareness in our daily life. Of course, it is similar to keeping a journal but not on paper. Our experiences will be recorded in our minds and souls. Daily Naikan is a way of life. We use Naikan practice in everyday life by asking the three questions to cultivate awareness of our behavior, attitudes, to build gratitude, and to realize the impact of our deeds and responsibilities. In addition, we establish a daily practice in which we remind ourselves of the gifts, grace, benefits and good things we enjoy in our daily life.

Why do you think this therapy is especially beneficial to those in recovery? Do you use it in tandem with the 10th step of making a self-inventory, or do you think it should be kept separate from traditional modalities?

I think Naikan is a more in-depth method for the 10th Step. The 10th step allows you to recognize your problems but not to work on solutions. So I think Naikan should be kept separate from traditional modalities. There are some similarities between Naikan reflection and the self-inventory addicts are encouraged to take daily if they use the 10th step of 12-step program. But instead of emphasizing past wrongs and making amends, so that we feel better about ourselves and therefore don’t need to drink or use again, the Naikan approach challenges us to think selflessly about what we can do for others. Naikan pushes us to change our actions for the sake of acting considerately and correctly, rather to achieve a specific outcome or emotional state.

Addiction starts as a pleasant experience, chasing pleasant feelings and running away from the unpleasant. It becomes an addiction when the experience is no longer pleasant, but the person compulsively attempts to repeat and even intensify the pleasure produced by drugs. Addiction becomes a lifestyle. This produces strong feelings of guilt and self-hate associated with the addiction which causes the addict to rely more heavily on his or her drug. The vicious circle keeps rolling. To gain freedom from addiction, one has to eliminate its deep-rooted causes. It is impossible to break the cycle through an exercise of willpower or self-control. We need to investigate our unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is like a hard disk where all of our memories are stored. The addiction has gone to the deepest level of the mind, and there is every likelihood of it becoming rooted in the deep unconscious. We have to clean our Sanskar of the unconscious mind. This can be done by participating in a Naikan retreat. Naikan therapy

Which aspects of the recovery process do you think Naikan therapy is particularly helpful with?

The practice of Naikan has been applied successfully in Europe and Japan to issues like substance abuse, depression, anxiety, criminal behavior, and family discord. The approach differs in many ways from traditional western therapy approaches. For example, traditional treatment approaches focus on feelings, while Naikan focuses on facts and the reality of relationships. Western approaches may place more emphasis on looking at how the client has been hurt or mistreated by others, while Naikan encourages more focus on how the client has been cared for and supported.

I have already mentioned that Naikan can lead deep inside the mind where addiction and its causes are rooted. There is no other way to enter into the deep unconscious mind. The Naikan approach will help us to dig deeper and keep awareness of daily activities and supports to treat unconscious deep-rooted cravings and memories of the addiction.

How important do you think awakening a sense of gratitude is to the recovery journey?

Of course! If we are grateful for being sober, it is more likely we will stay that way. By being grateful we will continue to work toward our goals in recovery. Each day is a gift and each day sober is a new chance to appreciate those things and people in our lives that bless us. Gratitude helps to reduce selfish thoughts and the ego. The ego creates defense mechanisms for the person with substance use disorder. This is a major barrier to recovery. Naikan will help us to think less about ourselves and more about the efforts of those trying to help us. It develops humility and gratitude. Service does take some level of humility and you will find that being humble is a strong foundation for cultivating gratitude in our lives. When we are continually grateful for our recovery it will begin to bless us in ways we never would have imagined.

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” In other words, if we change the way we think about life, if we change the way we think about the world around us, we can change our lives, too. By thinking positively and being grateful for what we have, we can live a more fruitful, favorable life.

We know that Naikan is informed by the Buddhist spiritual tradition. Have you noticed any roadblocks while working with members of other faiths, or people who don’t consider themselves spiritual?

Of course, Naikan is developed by Yoshimoto Ishin, He was a devoted Buddhist of the Jodo Shinshu sect in Japan but Naikan has no relationship with any religion. We meditate only on three questions. Mr. Yoshimoto discovered an easy method that could be more widely practiced. So, everybody with another faith or those who don’t consider themselves spiritual can participate in this course. Naikan is used to discover the true nature of our lives through a spiritual awakening, which commonly entails the realization of how we live due to the care of others and how we suffer because of our own self-centeredness.

Have you noticed Naikan working in tandem with iboga treatment? Do you feel that the two treatments are stronger when combined?

Of course, it will be a powerful treatment procedure after Iboga treatment to attend a weekly NAIKAN retreat. Intensive Naikan [weekly] is commonly done to solve a specific problem, such as drug /alcoholism, gambling addiction, a psychosomatic disorder, or a bad relationship with a family member. It cultivates greater self-awareness with regard to how our minds work. This final purpose of Naikan is a method for learning how to live happily regardless of one’s life circumstances.

At Iboga Tree Healing House we are committed to utilizing holistic therapies in order to heal minds and bodies ravaged by addiction. We’re extremely excited about the potential of Naikan therapy as a complement to iboga treatment, and a method for furthering mindfulness and spirituality among our clients. Gratitude and meditation are both extremely powerful tools for helping individuals along in their recovery journey, and we feel that Binod’s presence will be a boon to all of our current and future clients!