From Japan to the Caribbean – Ancient Wisdom, Modern Minds, and the Psychology of Sustainable Living
- Brainz Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Written by Lorraine Kenlock, Holistic Psychotherapist
Lorraine Kenlock is a Turks & Caicos-based psychotherapist specializing in trauma, ADHD, and mind-body nutrition. With advanced training in EMDR and somatic therapies, she helps clients across the Caribbean heal through culturally-attuned online and in-person sessions."
At 28 years old, my life did not shift because of a casual decision or a passing curiosity. The change happened when I won a scholarship to Japan. This gave me the chance to live, study, and fully experience a culture very different from my own while I was a student at the Hirosaki School of Medicine.
That experience was more than just an academic opportunity. It changed how I saw the body, the mind, discipline, rest, community, and healing.
Back then, I did not have the clinical words for what I was learning. But I felt it right away. In Japan, productivity, effort, and wellness were not things to force out of the body. Life was intentional, full of rituals, grounded, and humane.
Now, more than 25 years later, I work as a psychotherapist, mental health advocate, and trauma-informed practitioner in Caribbean communities and global hospitality settings. I can say this with confidence. The Japanese principles I learned back then are the same ones I use in my clinical work today. They support the nervous system instead of fighting against it.
With time and reflection, I have realized something even more important. These principles are not new to us as Caribbean people. They are familiar, rooted in our ancestry, and remembered in our bodies.
This article is both a personal reflection and a professional sharing. It connects Japanese philosophy, Caribbean wisdom, and modern psychology.
1. Kaizen: The one-minute rule and the psychology of safety
Start so small your brain can’t resist. Kaizen, which means continuous, incremental improvement, was not presented to me in Japan as just a productivity strategy. It was lived as a philosophy of care, one mindful action, one respectful routine, one steady step at a time.
From a clinical point of view, Kaizen is deeply trauma-informed. Clients dealing with depression, anxiety, burnout, or complex trauma are often wrongly called unmotivated. In truth, their nervous systems are overwhelmed. Big goals can feel threatening, and the brain shuts down to protect itself.
Kaizen helps people regain choice, control, and a sense of safety. In my psychotherapy practice, especially with clients recovering from trauma or burnout, we don’t start with big changes.
We begin with one minute. One breath. One stretch. One compassionate act toward the self.
Caribbean parallel
Our elders never rushed healing. “Tek yuh time.” “Likkle by likkle.” “One step before the next.”
These are not passive sayings. There are ways to regulate ourselves, shaped by real experience. Pressure can harm the nervous system, but gentleness helps us grow stronger.
2. Ikigai: Purpose as a Mental Health Intervention
While studying and living in Japan, I noticed something subtle but profound. People rarely asked, “What do you do?” They asked, “Why do you get up?”
Ikigai, or one’s reason for being, brings together meaning, contribution, skill, and belonging. Modern psychological research now shows what this philosophy has always known. Having a sense of purpose makes us more resilient, motivated, and able to live longer.
In therapy, when clients feel tired, lost, or emotionally numb for a long time, the problem is usually not a lack of discipline. It is a loss of meaning. I do not ask my clients to push harder. I ask them to remember themselves.
Caribbean parallel
The purpose in Caribbean culture was never individualistic. It was relational. You rose to feed others. You rose to tend the land. You rose because your presence mattered.
Colonial systems broke this sense of shared purpose and replaced meaning with survival. Bringing Ikigai back into Caribbean healing is not something new. It is a return to our roots.
3. Seiri and Seiton: Clear space, clear mind
In Japan, clutter isn’t seen as a personal failure. It is viewed as a source of stress in the environment.
A messy space creates mental noise. Neuroscience shows that visual clutter raises cortisol, makes it harder to focus, and drains our ability to manage emotions, especially for people with trauma, anxiety, or neurodivergence.
In my clinical work, we often start therapy by looking at the space around us, not just memories.
What does your body feel like in your home? What is asking to be released?
Caribbean parallel
Think of swept yards at dawn. Freshly washed steps. Homes prepared before guests arrive. This was never just about how things looked. It was about keeping good energy, showing dignity, and being ready.
4. Hara Hachi Bu: Stop at 80 percent
One of the most important lessons I learned in Japan, both personally and academically, was how to practice restraint without feeling deprived.
Hara Hachi Bu teaches us to eat until we are about 80 percent full. This helps with digestion, energy, and mental clarity. In clinical terms, it matches our ability to sense when we have had enough.
Trauma can disrupt this awareness, leading us to overdo things, whether it’s eating, working, seeking stimulation, or even in relationships. This principle is about tuning in to ourselves, not about strict limits.
Caribbean parallel
Traditional Caribbean meals were grounding, seasonal, and shared. You ate until satisfied, not overloaded. Relearning this is not about following diet trends. It is about understanding our nervous system.
5. Kintsugi: Finish imperfectly
Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, honoring the cracks as part of the object’s story instead of hiding them. In therapy, perfectionism often hides a fear of shame, rejection, or punishment. Psychology shows that finishing things helps us move forward, not being perfect.
I teach my clients to finish. To submit the draft. To speak imperfectly. To live visibly human.
Caribbean parallel
Our cultures have always made beauty from brokenness. Music from grief. Joy from survival. Wisdom from pain. Kintsugi reflects the resilience we live with every day.
6. Japanese Pomodoro: Ritualized focus
Twenty-five minutes of work. Five minutes of rest. And there is a ritual. A breath. A sound. A gesture. This is a form of classical conditioning. It trains the brain to connect safety with focus. Regular routines help the body feel safe again, especially for people affected by trauma.
Caribbean parallel
Work songs. Prayer before labor. Rhythmic pauses. Ritual has always been our way of creating structure and support.
Integration: How this informs my work today
My scholarship to Japan and my time at the Hirosaki School of Medicine didn’t just broaden my academic view. They changed how I understand healing.
These principles now shape how I design psychotherapy sessions, retreats, executive coaching, and well-being programs in the Caribbean and beyond. They guide my work with hospitality leaders, trauma survivors, caregivers, and professionals facing burnout.
Japan refined my lens. The Caribbean grounded my soul. A sustainable life is slow, connected, full of rituals, and compassionate. We don’t fix mental health by forcing it. It is restored by finding a healthy rhythm.
A closing reflection
As a psychotherapist, I don’t believe healing is something we have to create from scratch. I believe healing is something we remember. Japan gave me structure and reverence. The Caribbean gave me resilience and spirit. My work exists at the place where ancient wisdom and modern psychology meet. Here, people are supported not just to perform better, but to live well.
Read more from Lorraine Kenlock
Lorraine Kenlock, Holistic Psychotherapist
Lorraine Kenlock is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, ADHD, and the mind-body connection, with a unique focus on Caribbean mental health. Blending EMDR, nutritional psychology, and culturally attuned therapy, she helps clients heal from chronic pain, grief, and shame—both in Turks & Caicos and online. Her groundbreaking work bridges island traditions with modern neuroscience, offering a fresh perspective on resilience.
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