Abstract

The rise in the prevalence of anxiety disorders in the Chinese population and in particular with university students and young professionals creates the need to come up with culturally specific and integrative treatment interventions. Even though the current interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and acceptance-based therapies have been found effective in alleviating anxiety symptoms, they tend to be founded on the Western psychological framework. This generates a disparity in culturally sound mental health practices in the Chinese environment. The current literature review discussed how the concept of the Daoist wuwei (non-action) presented in the Zhuangzi can be integrated with the modern anxiety management strategies. The concept of wuwei emphasizes the idea of effortlessness, non-striving and adapting to the natural processes and encourages individuals to reduce the excessive control of the mind and to allow the flowing nature of inner experience. All these principles are extremely aligned with contemporary therapeutic constructs such as mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and acceptance. The review is an overview of the existing tendencies in mindfulness-based and acceptance-based interventions, which have already demonstrated their effectiveness in assisting to regulate the emotional, reduce rumination, and build resilience. It also explains how the Daoist philosophy can be used to provide a culturally based model that would add insight into these therapeutic processes conceptually. The traditional Chinese philosophy and the current psychology practices will be incorporated in this paper to develop a conceptual integration model that will enhance the cultural suitability and effectiveness of anxiety treatment in China. Its outcomes are that wuwei use in therapeutic practices may result in adaptive coping, reduction of experiential avoidance, and enhancement of holistic psychology. This integration presents useful implications to the development of culturally sensitive mental health interventions, and future empirical studies in the Chinese setting.

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