Effects of Morita therapy for anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Morita therapy is a Japanese psychotherapy that is founded on acceptance-based principles and has been used to treat anxiety disorders. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of Morita therapy, used either as monotherapy or in combination with standard treatments, in adults with anxiety disorders. Methods: We comprehensively searched 13 electronic databases on May 29, 2025 to identify randomized controlled trials involving adults diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, or panic disorder. Results: Fourteen trials involving 824 participants were included in the systematic review, of which 13 trials involving 746 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to pharmacotherapy alone, Morita therapy plus pharmacotherapy significantly improved anxiety symptoms (SMD: −0.73, 95% CI: −1.43 to −0.02). Similarly, Morita therapy plus treatment as usual outperformed treatment as usual alone in reducing anxiety (SMD: −2.28, 95% CI: −3.88 to −0.67). Conclusion: Morita therapy may be an effective treatment option for anxiety disorders, either when combined with other interventions or used as a standalone treatment. However, as the certainty of evidence was assessed as low according to the GRADE approach, further high-quality, rigorously designed trials across diverse populations are required to confirm these findings.