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Abstract
Five keywords for understanding the human being were presented. Although the human being is generally understood as the entity of body and mind, the body can be further distinguished into two: the body as material without the mind and the body involving the mind, i.e., "Mi." Likewise, the mind can be distinguished into the mind connected to the body and the mind unconnected to the body. The former is what we call mind, and the latter is what we should call spirit. It is discussed that the concept of Qi can be considered to be a principle which embraces and creates the body, Mi, mind, and spirit.
Key words: body, Mi, mind, spirit, Qi, embodiment, enmindment
Introduction
Michael Mahoney had always been in the forefront of psychotherapy. At the time that behaviorism had reached its peak, and cognitive psychology was generating interest he was quick to write about the budding research on cognitive processes. And before cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies had gained ascendancy he had moved toward a more holistic view of human beings from the perspective of constructivism. From the framework of constructive metatheory he had refused to cling to one school of psychotherapy and advanced the necessity of various therapeutic and health enhancing interventions on behalf of diverse clients/pilgrims (Mahoney, 2003).
As a psychologist with a background in Eastern philosophies I was concerned about the conventional psychology which segments human experiences into analytical parts. I was intrigued by his constructivist view of human nature. In particular I associated myself with his consistent effort to bring body into psychotherapy. (Mahoney, 2000) Mahoney's ideas fit in well with my theory of Embodied Psychology (Haruki, 2002) based on Eastern philosophies. In this article I sketch a holistic view of human nature, introducing five keywords: (a) Mi, (b) Body, (c) Mind, (d) Spirit, and (e) Qi.
Mind and Body
Human beings are generally considered to be made up of mind and body. Amongst critics of this dualistic theory, there is an urgent call for a holistic approach. The issue has been with us for some time with no resolution yet to be found. Setting this aside for a moment we might look back at the long-standing controversy of mind and body. Medical advances have brought about...