Yuntian Homestead Files IPO Prospectus: Scaling Morita Therapy for Neurosis Treatment Through Integrated Online and Offline Model

Unlike general psychological counseling platforms, Yuntian Jiayuan focuses on the field of neurosis, adopts Morita therapy, and features experts directly recording courses and answering questions on the platform.

Neurosis is a general term for a group of mental disorders, including neurasthenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, phobias, somatoform disorders, and others. Patients experience significant distress and impairment in psychological or social functioning, but there is no verifiable organic pathological basis. The course of the disease is mostly chronic and protracted or episodic. There is a strong willingness to pay.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, there are currently 20 million patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in China, and approximately 60 million patients with other neurotic disorders (such as anxiety and phobias), totaling around 80 million patients. According to foreign statistical data, the recovery period for patients with neurotic disorders is 17 years. Deng Yuntian, founder of Yuntian Jiayuan, stated, “In fact, 10 of these years are wasted due to the inability to find appropriate treatment methods. Compared with pharmacological treatment, the management of neurotic disorders requires long-term psychological counseling.”

Morita therapy, developed in Japan, is primarily indicated for neurosis and emphasizes the principle of “accepting one’s feelings as they are while doing what needs to be done.” Deng Yuntian stated, “Morita therapy is one of the few therapies worldwide that enables patients to gain insights and achieve change through self-directed reading of books and materials. However, there are currently few practitioners of Morita therapy in China, with fewer than 200 nationwide.”

With 200 therapists, each providing a maximum of four one-on-one offline counseling sessions per day, the daily capacity reaches 800 patients, totaling 5,600 patients per week. However, these patients typically require weekly counseling during the initial phase. This results in a severe mismatch between the number of therapists and patients, further exacerbated by the significant geographical limitations of offline counseling.

Therefore, Yuntian Jiayuan has recognized this opportunity and aims to disseminate more knowledge through videos via self-media channels, thereby enabling more patients with neurosis to receive treatment.

Deng Yuntian is among the first generation of psychological counselors in China to practice Morita therapy and was once a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In his early years, while studying psychology at Southwest China Normal University, Deng began self-studying Morita therapy to treat his own condition. “Our textbooks covered only three pages on Morita therapy. So I searched extensively; at that time, there were only a few books available in China, and I bought them all to read.”

“In fact, you will find Morita therapy easy to understand, as it is fundamentally aligned with Eastern culture.” After graduating in 2004, Deng Yuntian dedicated himself to the study of Morita therapy. In 2008, he collaborated with Professor Shi Wanghong from the Fourth Military Medical University to publish Morita Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In 2019, he reorganized his earlier academic work into a more systematic and comprehensive book titled Emerging from the Quagmire of Obsession.

Deng Yuntian told reporters that publishing a book serves two purposes: on one hand, it summarizes and presents his research findings; on the other, much like operating self-media channels, it aims to help more patients. “In fact, we have no shortage of clients for our offline services and are already very busy. Our initial motivation for going online was altruistic (Teacher Deng is a Buddhist). Our online courses are quite affordable—a full course costs only 100–200 yuan, and a single Q&A session costs just 20–30 yuan.”

It is reported that since the launch of Yuntian Jiayuan’s WeChat official account in October 2016, it has accumulated over 30,000 users. Through this platform, Yuntian Jiayuan primarily provides online video and audio courses as well as live Q&A sessions for patients with neurosis, currently achieving a paid subscription rate of 40%.

Deng Yuntian stated that the online courses are systematic, and patients with mild to moderate conditions who have strong comprehension skills can achieve full recovery through online programs; naturally, patients with severe conditions still need to be referred to offline one-on-one counseling.

The cases Deng Yuntian has encountered over the years indeed appear “bizarre” to outsiders. Some individuals lock their doors and remain inside for an entire morning; others use up an entire bottle of hand sanitizer in a single handwashing session. Perfectionists who hold themselves to stringent standards sometimes present with stuttering symptoms. There are even cases where individuals, having been taught in childhood that “eating out is wrong,” find themselves unable to tolerate dining outside the home.

In the treatment of these neuroses, Morita therapy, which emphasizes “accepting nature,” is applied. The process begins with understanding the condition and analyzing misconceptions in behavior and cognition; it then progresses to organizing thoughts, acknowledging the existence of problems, gradually accepting them, and deepening practical application; finally, it culminates in adapting to daily life and receiving reinforced guidance during periods of relapse, thereby constituting a complete therapeutic course.

Taking door-locking as an example, patients often believe that repeatedly locking the door will alleviate their anxiety. In reality, however, the more they engage in this behavior, the more their anxiety intensifies. Therefore, it is essential to guide them to tolerate the distress and gradually reduce the frequency of lock-checking. By accepting their anxiety rather than resisting it, they can progressively achieve cognitive change and ultimately alleviate their symptoms.

Deng Yuntian told reporters that, in fact, inpatient treatment is more effective than one-on-one psychological counseling. The purpose of hospitalization is not treatment, but rather experiential learning—allowing patients to experience that life can continue despite pain, thereby facilitating smoother future living and reducing their tendency toward internal struggle.

In the hospital, patients undergo a period of bed rest during which they refrain from taking medication and engaging in any activities. Instead, they simply sit with their emotions, experiencing them and the associated pain, gradually facilitating the externalization of these emotions. This is followed by a phase of light occupational therapy, where patients begin to perform simple tasks to help attenuate their emotional distress. Subsequently, they progress to intensive occupational therapy, engaging in more substantial activities to learn that work can be accomplished even while carrying emotional burdens. Finally, patients gradually adapt to society and nature. Throughout this process, one-on-one psychological counseling is also provided.

Regarding future planning, Yuntian Jiayuan aims to identify a professional hospital investment management firm to jointly establish a standalone offline psychiatric hospital specializing in Morita therapy.