We've all seen the psychotherapy jokes, the Woody Allen movies and, if we're human, experienced some internal angst ourselves. Traditional psychotherapy tries to "categorize" what's wrong with us and work from there to heal, and mostly it's done good work; but, what if we didn't work FROM what's wrong with us but TOWARDS what could be right with us and for us? Would we get better results for our life satisfaction and happiness? Some people think so. I stumbled across this group the International Positive Psychology Association . Their website describes their mission : "Positive psychology is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of
- contentment with the past
- happiness in the present
- hope for the future.
Their goals are
- Families and schools that allow children to flourish
- Workplaces that foster satisfaction and high productivity
- Communities that encourage civic engagement
- Therapists who identify and nurture their patients' strengths
- The teaching of Positive Psychology
- Dissemination of Positive Psychology interventions in organizations & communities
This all sounds like a worthwhile alternative to traditional psychotherapy and worth checking out.
