A River to Live By

About the Book

Travel the natural flowing water of A River to Live By to gain a
more powerful and holistic lifeway…

Learn the 12 basic life principles of Morita therapy…


Dr. Brian Ogawa shares the most important principles of an internationally practiced therapeutic approach to an optimal life energized with openness, spontaneity, and gratitude.

With a foundation in traditional Eastern philosophy and modern Japanese psychiatry, Morita therapy has proven to be transcultural, timeless, and universal for achieving healthy relationships, productive self-discipline, and personal meaning.

The river analogy has long been a symbol of the movement toward wellbeing. Dr. Ogawa beautifully presents the 12 Morita principles as the dependable currents to a successful life.

About the Author

Dr. Brian Ogawa is one of the foremost international practitioners and teachers of Morita Therapy. He is a full professor and chair of the Human Services Department at Washburn University, where he also directs the Morita Therapy Certificate Program for students in psychology, social work, human services, and other helping professions. His previous books include the following: A River to Live By: The 12 Life Principles of Morita Therapy (Xlibris/Random House); Walking On Eggshells: Practical Counsel for Women in or Leaving an Abusive Relationship (Kendall Hunt); Color of Justice: Culturally Sensitive Treatment of Minority Crime Victims, 2nd Edition (Allyn & Bacon); and To Tell the Truth: Assisting Child Victims through the Criminal Justice System (Volcano Press). Dr. Ogawa received his education at San Francisco Theological Seminary in advanced pastoral studies: counseling (DMin), where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on Morita Therapy; Fuller Theological Seminary: theology (MDiv); and the University of California at Los Angeles: East Asian cultural geography (BA). Dr. Ogawa has been director of trauma recovery programs and a mental-health researcher, as well as in private practice focusing on Morita Therapy. He has been studying, practicing, and teaching Morita Therapy since the 1960s and is a member of the International Committee of Morita Therapy (Japanese Society for Morita Therapy) and cofounder/codirector of the American Institute of Morita Therapy (AIMT). In 1995, Dr. Ogawa received the National Crime Victims Service Award from the president at the White House for his work with trauma victims and the practice of Morita Therapy.