Nakai Hisao: Clinic, Art Therapy, and Politics

In this article, we introduce Nakai Hisao, a psychiatrist who has had a profound influence on Japanese psychiatry and psychopathology. Nakai focused on the process of remission from schizophrenia rather than on the process of its development. Through art therapy and daily observation, Nakai revealed that schizophrenia is not an irreversible process, but rather an oscillatory response that constantly changes. The influences of Jacques Lacan, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Jean Oury, and others are evident in his theory. Finally, Nakai examined the relationship between the clinic and politics in terms of “after May 1968.”