The Reason I Decided to Go Abroad: A Life-Changing Event That Made Me Want to Save People Around the World②

(Continuation from the previous post)

The parents of a long-time friend’s child were reaching their breaking point. Completely drained both physically and emotionally, they finally made the decision to admit their child to a psychiatric hospital.

However, during the hospital consultation, they were told, “There’s no need for hospitalization,” and were instead sent home with a prescription for a mild tranquilizer. The family’s anxiety only grew stronger. “Will that life start all over again?”

In reality, life didn’t just return to how it was—it worsened. Although the medication had a temporary calming effect, once it wore off, the symptoms became even more intense.

For nearly four months, they had been driving around day and night just to keep their child calm. Seeing the situation, I decided to drive more than 700 kilometers from Tokyo to bring the child back myself.

The child wasn’t in a state to endure long-distance travel—neither by airplane nor bullet train. However, with reassurance from the entire family and by avoiding any stress, we were able to bring the child back to Tokyo by car, slowly and steadily.

“I will absolutely make this work.” With that strong resolve, our challenge began.

✿ Our Approach in Tokyo: A Hybrid of Therapy and Lifestyle Reform

In Tokyo, we committed to an approach that didn’t rely solely on medication but rather emphasized restoring the body’s natural ability to recover.
(*At the beginning, we used a minimal dose of medication to encourage physical activity, even when the mind was foggy.)

• Chiropractic neck treatment twice daily (morning and evening)
• Wake up at 5 a.m. and take a walk around the neighborhood
• Morning room and toilet cleaning as part of a routine
• Use a sleep-tracking app to monitor quality of sleep
• Listen to 5 minutes of world news on a podcast in the morning
• Write a daily action plan and track execution
• Record mood fluctuations, medication dosage, and physical reactions
• Share photo updates in the family’s group chat (all outings done by bicycle)
• Read Zen quotes and sayings to cultivate a sense of calm

Of course, things didn’t go perfectly from the beginning. But step by step, the child adapted to the new routine.

▼ After 10 Days:

• Trip to the ocean for “foot-surfing” at the shoreline as a detox activity
• Practiced mitt-punching for kickboxing in a public park

✿ Remarkable Improvement and Recovery

To our surprise, after just three weeks, the child was able to take on a part-time job for three hours a day.
By the fourth week, the mother came to Tokyo to pick them up, and they safely returned to their hometown.

Now, this young person enjoys fishing, their favorite hobby, and is working toward obtaining qualifications for employment—gradually regaining a normal life.