The Japanese philosophy of ikigai, often described as a reason for being, invites us to discover where our deepest passions intersect with what gives our life meaning, understanding how our roles and values are vital to achieving life satisfaction.
CATHERINE DEEKS GNOCCHI (GMBPsS)// IKIGAI COACH
REGION: TOKYO
In today’s world, the challenges we face can often feel overwhelming, with pressures from societal expectations, the constant striving for ‘perfection’, conflicting belief systems, the influence of technology, and the pervasive impact of social media, for example, all testing our emotional boundaries.
Through vulnerability and shared experience, we begin to build bridges of compassion, or safe spaces where others also feel seen and accepted. This mutual empathy fosters social harmony and strengthens our collective capacity for understanding.
Therefore, I believe that embracing anxiety with empathy, accepting and facing challenges, and practising kindfulness through the combined lenses of Japanese ikigai and mindfulness-based psychotherapy, can help us to cultivate emotional balance and to strengthen our sense of self.
Catherine Deeks Gnocchi (GMBPsS) is a mindfulnessbased psychotherapist, educator, and Japanese ikigai practitioner with extensive international experience supporting emotional wellbeing, selfawareness, and life satisfaction. Her therapeutic approach is valuesbased and deeply reflective, integrating ikigai (The Kemp Framework), mindfulnessbased psychotherapy, and evolutionary psychology to help individuals understand anxiety not as pathology, but as meaningful information and a natural defence mechanism.
Catherine holds an MSc in Psychology from the University of Essex, where she received a distinction for her research paper on the evolutionary relationship between anxiety and empathy. She is an Associate Member therapist at the International Mental Health and Counselling Clinic in Tokyo and the founder of ‘estibasho’ (IG: @estibasho), a community dedicated to cultivating emotional balance, selfcompassion, and a sustainable sense of purpose and belonging.
With a background spanning psychotherapy, education, mentoring, and humanitarian work across Europe and Asia, Catherine brings cultural sensitivity, empathy, and ethical professionalism to her work. She supports clients in clarifying values, strengthening selfesteem, regulating the nervous system, and developing mindful, compassionate responses to life’s challenges.
Catherine is currently based in Tokyo, working with her clients online so that she can meet them wherever they are living. Her family and work are her ikigai sources, as is being led on mindful walks by her dog.
To contact Catherine, please write to: catherine.gnocchi@therapyjp.com
For therapy, please book directly with Catherine on the platform: https://therapyjp.setmore.com
