The "Fasting of the Heart" (Xinzhai 心斋): Zhuangzi , Daoism and Its Transformative Healing Power in Contemporary Psychotherapy.

This article examines xinzhai 心斋, a Daoist psychotherapy practice based on the concept of "fasting of the heart" from the Zhuangzi, which aims to cultivate an "empty heart" (xuxin) receptive yet unaffected by external influences. Xinzhai therapy is often integrated with Jungian Active Imagination and Bosnak’s Embodied Imagination to facilitate a non-judgmental, embodied therapeutic process that emphasizes the free flow of vital energy (qi 气) and the dissolution of subject-object boundaries (wuhua 物化), leading to inner transformation. The article discusses case studies illustrating how therapist and client engage in a shared qi-dialogue, with the therapist maintaining a "mirror-heart" stance to avoid emotional entanglement. While highlighting the healing potential of such Daoism-based hybrid therapies, the article critically addresses risks of over-psychologization and pragmatic adaptation that may dilute the spiritual depth and lifelong self-cultivation integral to traditional Daoist practice, especially within contemporary socio-political contexts in China.