EPISODE · Aug 5, 2025 · 1H 4M
Psychologist talks mental health issues faced by foreigners in Japan
from Unpacking Japan · host Produced by ZenStudio
Meet Mira, a Serbian psychologist practicing in Japan, treating foreign residents and travelled Japanese patients. She sits down to talk with us about mental health in Japan, and her work with traditional and RTT therapy.--0:00 Intro0:54 Meet Mira 1:08 What brings you to Japan 1:30 Were you interested in Japan before coming 3:38 Expectations of Japan 4:20 Psychology in Japan vs Overseas 6:24 Studying in Japan 8:21 Noticing differences in how research is understood in Japan 10:34 Pursuing a PhD in Japan and goal afterwards 12:42 Mental health in Japan vs the West – what stood out? 14:25 Mental health stigma in Japan and the role of collectivism 17:00 How did you establish yourself in Japan? 20:17 What is Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT)? 25:17 How common is hypnosis in Japan? 25:49 Bringing RTT to Japan: licensing and legal requirements 28:12 Common mental health challenges among foreigners in Japan 31:53 What does it mean to process unresolved issues? 33:36 How do you define depression? 35:38 Distinguishing clinical depression from everyday lows 38:13 Do language and cultural concepts affect therapy? 41:14 Does therapy change across cultures and languages? 43:15 How fast does Rapid Transformational Therapy work? 45:18 How does online hypnosis work? 47:50 Can it put you to sleep at night as well? 48:30 What are you teaching now? 49:11 Improving how therapy is taught in Japan 49:54 What cultural topics do students compare most? 52:53 Where do you keep your focus as a therapist? 54:46 Shifting attitudes toward mental health in Japan 59:32 Is tech making mental health worse? Can therapy keep up? 1:02:25 Long-term vision for therapy and mental health in Japan--Follow Mira:https://mirasimicyamashita.com/https://www.instagram.com/dr.mira.simic.yamashita/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mira-simic-yamashita-phd-b322331a9/https://www.facebook.com/MindYourHead.mmhttps://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCaUHiChi49OUbXKCk0kVddgFollow us on our social media:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2158416https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
What this episode covers
Meet Mira, a Serbian psychologist practicing in Japan, treating foreign residents and travelled Japanese patients. She sits down to talk with us about mental health in Japan, and her work with traditional and RTT therapy.--0:00 Intro0:54 Meet Mira 1:08 What brings you to Japan 1:30 Were you interested in Japan before coming 3:38 Expectations of Japan 4:20 Psychology in Japan vs Overseas 6:24 Studying in Japan 8:21 Noticing differences in how research is understood in Japan 10:34 Pursuing a PhD in Japan and goal afterwards 12:42 Mental health in Japan vs the West – what stood out? 14:25 Mental health stigma in Japan and the role of collectivism 17:00 How did you establish yourself in Japan? 20:17 What is Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT)? 25:17 How common is hypnosis in Japan? 25:49 Bringing RTT to Japan: licensing and legal requirements 28:12 Common mental health challenges among foreigners in Japan 31:53 What does it mean to process unresolved issues? 33:36 How do you define depression? 35:38 Distinguishing clinical depression from everyday lows 38:13 Do language and cultural concepts affect therapy? 41:14 Does therapy change across cultures and languages? 43:15 How fast does Rapid Transformational Therapy work? 45:18 How does online hypnosis work? 47:50 Can it put you to sleep at night as well? 48:30 What are you teaching now? 49:11 Improving how therapy is taught in Japan 49:54 What cultural topics do students compare most? 52:53 Where do you keep your focus as a therapist? 54:46 Shifting attitudes toward mental health in Japan 59:32 Is tech making mental health worse? Can therapy keep up? 1:02:25 Long-term vision for therapy and mental health in Japan--Follow Mira:https://mirasimicyamashita.com/https://www.instagram.com/dr.mira.simic.yamashita/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mira-simic-yamashita-phd-b322331a9/https://www.facebook.com/MindYourHead.mmhttps://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCaUHiChi49OUbXKCk0kVddgFollow us on our social media:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2158416https://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
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Psychologist talks mental health issues faced by foreigners in Japan
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