Abstract

The current systematic review examines how the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi can be applied in contemporary psychotherapeutic practices, namely mindfulness-based therapies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Morita Therapy. Using the Daoist principles of wu-wei (non-striving), ziran (naturalness) and psychological non-attachment, the paper examines the conceptual, epistemological and therapeutic convergences with contemporary models of psychology. The study was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines, 2020, and reviewed the databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and PubMed that were published during the years 2020-2025. The results indicate that there is a high thematic overlap between the Daoist wisdom and the main components of the model of mindfulness, the model of ACT, and the one of the Morita Therapy. Findings indicate that the philosophy of Zhuangzi provides a cultural contextual approach to the comprehension of acceptance, experiential openness, emotional control, and meaning oriented psychological functioning. The review also brings out the contribution of Daoist epistemology to the non-dualistic cognition, self-transcendence and therapeutic decentering processes as applicable to modern clinical psychology. The current research work assists in advancing the transcultural psychotherapy research field since Zhuangzi is no longer seen as a historical figure, but as a living philosophical source of contemporary therapeutic innovation. Daoist wisdom integrates into epistemic enrichment of psychotherapy models, clinical frameworks that are inclusive of diversity in culture, and the development of theoretical foundations of integrative mental health practice. The research concludes that the Daoist philosophy offers an excellent conceptual framework upon the formulation of a culturally adaptive, ethically based, and psychologically integrative, therapeutic paradigm in the modern mental health systems.

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