Application of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements in An: Self-counseling Intrapersonal Communication Perspective in Japan.

In recent years, mental deterioration has been a serious problem in Japanese society, and the skills for applying therapy to oneself have been gaining a great deal of attention. One theoretical approach popularly used among therapists is the ABC Theory proposed by Albert Ellis. The ABC Theory derives from "Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy" (REBT) and provides procedures for changing one's irrational beliefs into rational ones. This therapy is not only adopted by counselors but is also used as a skill for self-counseling. So that REBT can be more applicable to Easterners, the author proposes the usefulness of adopting the perspectives of Yin and Yang into the recognition of irrational beliefs and points out that we can learn from Yang to acquire Yin. Furthermore, when a dispute arises in one's mind when correcting irrational beliefs, adopting the idea of Five Elements into the dispute, following the natural law, helps one experience peace of mind by recognizing one's own mind as it is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]