While the idea of Positive Psychology has been around for decades, Martin Seligman is probably the most well-known and outspoken proponent.
I heard Dr. Seligman speak on Positive Psychology about 10 years ago. He told the story of his daughter Nikki. They were both in the garden and she chastised her Dad on his grumpiness. At the tender age of five, she told him that if she could change her habits, he could stop acting like a grump. Dr. Seligman went on to tell us that he then realized that we had done a good job at looking at mental illness (the weaknesses) but we had not looked at the strengths side of psychology.
In a speech in 1998 Dr. Seligman reported:
“The most important thing, the most general thing I learned, was that psychology was half-baked, literally half-baked. We had baked the part about mental illness; we had baked the part about repair of damage…The other side’s unbaked, the side of strength, the side of what we’re good at.”
Later in 1999 he said, “We have discovered that there is a set of human strengths that are the most likely buffers against mental illness: courage, optimism, interpersonal skill, work ethic, hope, honesty and perseverance. Much of the task of prevention will be to create a science of human strength whose mission will be to foster these virtues in young people.”
The concepts sounded solid. I decided to experiment and did some of the exercises Dr. Seligman suggested.
1) Every day for a month I wrote down the three best things that happened to me and why they happened. I noticed a trend and that exercise began to influence my decision making. For me, there was a central theme in the “why the best things happened each day.” I began to think about that every time I had a decision to make. As a result, I found myself happier with my choices and happier in general.
2) As another exercise, I wrote a ‘gratitude’ letter to my Dad which caused both of to create a shortage of tissues in our respective cities. It drew us closer together and created a fond memory we have ten years later.
So, armed with these results, I introduced them to my clients struggling with depression. But I ran into a brick wall. They either ignored my suggestions or got angry with me for what they decided was my minimization of their problems.
Bill O'Hanlon
I continued to use the happiness exercises for my own personal growth but stopped in my practice. That made me sad but I couldn’t figure out how to share these techniques with my clients who needed them the most.
But then Bill O’Hanlon began to speak of this issue. He recognized there is a gap between simple exercises and using the concepts of positive psychology with our clients.
That is why I asked Bill to speak on “Positive Psychology to Effective Psychotherapy” at the Therapist Leadership Virtual Conference this April. I believe this presentation will help you fill the gap.
Click here to listen to a 15-minute conversation with Bill O’Hanlon as he gives us a hint of his presentation “Positive Psychology to Effective Psychotherapy.”
