Introduction to
Positive Psychotherapy

Positive Image
of Men Metacommunication
of Contents Metatheory
of Process Nine Thesis

The method of Positive Psychotherapy belongs to the humanistic, transcultural and psychodynamic psychotherapeutic methods. This conflict-centered and capability-oriented method has been developed by Nossrat Peseschkian since 1968 in Germany.

Positive Psychotherapy features specific methods which generate developments in the theory of psychotherapy, demonstrate new aspects in the understanding of human nature, and lead to the ways of treatment and intervention.

Positive Psychotherapy's
new Positive Image of Man

The method is based on the new positive image of man that man is good by nature and endowed with four kinds of capabilities: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Illnesses and disorders are therefore interpreted in a new and positive way, and through the use of stories, anecdotes and examples from other cultures the patient is encouraged to play a more active role in his own healing process. Positive Psychotherapy believes that every human being is an entity of body, mind, emotions and spirit. The aim of the therapeutic process is to help the client to develop his inborn capabilities and to find the balance in his daily-life. The patient is encouraged to become a therapist for his own family and environment. Elements of other psychotherapeutic methods are used in order to be flexible in the treatment of the patient: Positive Psychotherapy is an interdisciplinary approach.

Through starting with the so-called "basic capabilities" (the capacity to love - representing emotion and the capacity to know - representing cognition), Positive Psychotherapy is in a good position to speak to peoples of all languages and social strata, as well as coping effectively with transcultural issues. Through the positive interpretations of symptoms used in Positive Psychotherapy, the patient should be enabled to find and assess his basic capacities.

Stages of Human Development and Social Interaction:

a) The Stage of Closeness

The stage of closeness is based on the unborn child's dependence on his mother. It is loosened by social symbiosis after the child's birth. The child is now dependent on the care and attention he gets from his social environment. He demands patience, time and attention and requires physical and social contact. The parents feel tied to the child through love, hope and responsibility. But the need for closeness is something man feels his entire life. This accounts in large part for his search for a marriage partner, his desire to be with other people, and the cohesiveness of the group, as represented by the family.

b) The Stage of Differentiation

Differentiation is basic principle of both physical and mental development. In socialization, the stage of differentiation is marked by the acquisition of socially desired behavior. This happens in the differentiation of the person's ability to recognize and learn and in the formation of the secondary capabilities that enables him to control nature and to assert himself socially. At the same time, there is differentiation in one's ability to love. Through differentiation our feelings take on a social shape.

c) The Stage of Detachment

Within the development of the individual, a specific unity can be achieved at each developmental level. Unity refers to the integration of the capabilities into an individual personality. Associated with it, is an autonomy that takes on more and more importance until the individual reaches maturity. At the early stages of his development, a person is quite dependent on closeness and later on, he needs to be guided by certain rules. But as he grows older, he needs this outside information to a lesser degree. He has adopted this information as concepts and makes his decisions with them in mind. At the same time, this means he can detach himself from other people, can find for himself the information he needs, and can then take on responsibility for himself. Here we are referring to a stage of detachment that characterizes the maturation.

Detachment does not just mean that one turns away from an object or a person. The success of detachment and closeness makes it possible to establish personal contact with other people and groups. This enables him to widen his field of values and try new decision, but perhaps also reevaluate old values.

Positive Psychotherapy's
new Metacommunication with Regards to Contents

a) Actual Capabilities

Frequently, symptom functions and conflict dynamics are focused on in psychotherapeutic, psychological, and pedagogical literature. We critically and systematically examine the contents of education and upbringing, inner conflicts, and conflicts between people. People generally tend to ask, "How something happens" (emphasizing on conflict processes). However, one can also ask, "What precisely happens?" The contents that determine a conflict are usually neglected or at best treated as arbitrarily selected examples. Our inquiry into the content causes and conditions for disorders, led to the formulation of the actual capabilities (inventory of conflict contents).

b) The Balance Modell

When we have a problem, feel upset, burdened, or misunderstood, live in constant tension, or see no meaning in our lives, we can express these difficulties with help of the following four domains. These four domains are also linked to the four modes of learning and knowing. They enable us to see how man perceives himself and his environment and in what way reality is tested:

These four modes of reaction are modeled in the concrete life situation as typical conflicts and concepts. Each person develops his own preferences for dealing with problems that arise (the four modes of conflict resolution), e.g. escape to disease, escape to work, escape to contact, or escape to fantasy.

Example: The father reacts by escaping to his work (achievement); the mother reacts by withdrawing, and hence by avoiding social contact (contact); the child reacts with physical complaints (body). These various reactions can then lead to communication problems.

Positive Psychotherapy's
new Metatheory of Therapeutic Process

The five-stage integral treatment strategy in Positive Psychotherapy is a therapeutic strategy in which psychotherapy and self-help is intertwined. An additional goal of our work was to establish a conflict oriented form of psychotherapy that is as efficient and effective as possible. This resulted in a strategy divided into 5 Stages:

I. Observation/Distancing:

The patient summarizes (if possible in a written form) his subjective view of his current conflicts. The therapist applies positive interpretations of symptoms, using metaphors and folk knowledge. This should enable the patient to get more distance to his problems and finally lead to an expansion of his view on the problems.

II. Taking Inventory:

Using the four domains of life quality (balance modell), the patient is asked to elaborate on ten events that have happened to him in the last five years (micro-trauma theory). Then explain how he or she handled or solved these problems and where he or she learned the strategy of resolution. In this stage, the patient should move from symptom to conflict. The patient's psychosocial and spiritual point of view is scrutinized here.

III. Situational Encouragement:

Taking a resource-oriented point of view, and wanting to encourage the patient to find solutions to yet unsolved problems, we ask in this stage, "Which problems have you already solved and what did you learn while solving them?"

IV. Verbalization:

The goal of this stage consists of working out the patient's motivation behind the conflicts. The patient is asked, "Which conflicts are still unsolved and which four problems would you like to handle in the next eight weeks?" In addition, the conflict contents are treated and specific techniques are taught to the patient, which should help him actively solve his problems.

V. Expansion of Goals:

Wanting to evoke the patient's future orientation in life, after he or she has solved the problems, the patient is asked, "What would you like to do, if there are no more problems left to solve? What goals do you have for the next four years with regard to the four domains of life quality? Please name three new goals."

These "five stages" constitute a model with which different psychotherapeutic schools, even those that differ greatly can work together.

Nine Thesis of Positive Psychotherapy

Positive Psychotherapy provides new aspects in the understanding of human nature. Taking cross-cultural aspects into consideration, not only offers a foundation for understanding individual conflicts, but also has an extraordinary social impact for other urgent problems of mankind. (E.g.: problems of immigrants, problems related to social and developmental aid for developing countries, multicultural relationships, transcultural marriages, overcoming prejudices, handling alternative models which evolve within the framework of other cultures and political issues, which result from transcultural situations). Nine thesis characterize the approach of Positive Psychotheray.

The principle of 'self-help': The word 'positive' in the name Positive Psychotherapy is derived from the word positum, e.g., from what is factual and given. Disorders and conflicts within a patient are not the only things that are factual and given. The patient also brings with him the capacity for dealing with conflicts. Patients not only suffer from the conflicts and disorders they have, they also suffer from the hopelessness, which the diagnosis triggers in them. This one-sided view is historically and culturally conditioned. In the framework of Positive Psychotherapy, the patient learns to give up his role as a patient and become a therapist for himself as well as for his or her environment.

The micro-trauma theory: This approach focuses on the conflict dynamics as well as on the conflict contents. The traumatic experiences which an individual undergoes, along with the sum of everyday hassles, leads to a one-sided pathology. With regard to the content aspect, an inventory of conflict contents pertaining to the individual, was developed. This inventory can also be applied to interaction in the family as well as in society. The conflict contents represent the theoretical basis for the therapeutic instruments used in Positive Psychotherapy.

Transcultural aspects: The transcultural frame of thought is the basis of Positive Psychotherapy and Positive Family Therapy. This approach is applied for analyzing the person as a group member and as an individual. Every person is situated in and therefore influenced by the cultural setting where he grew up. In addition, the specific family he was born into also influences him and is many of the individuals he encounters on his way through life. All these interactions contribute to an individual becoming a unique person. This uniqueness can lead to intra- and transcultural problems in dealing with his fellow man.

Uniqueness of the person: The therapy must consider the needs of the patient and be adapted to each patient's uniqueness. Universal character: Positive Psychotherapy views illness as being more than a mere feature of the individual person. Illness also reflects the quality of relationships within the family and society.

Concepts, mythologies, oriental stories and folk wisdom are applied in specific therapeutic situations, hence including the use of intuition and imagination in the therapeutic process. Stories, which can be used as mediators between therapist and patient, are important tools. Without attacking or devaluating the patient or his concepts and values directly, we can suggest a change of position to the patient with the help of these tools. This change of position finally allows the patient to see his one-sided concepts in relation to others, to reinterpret them, and put them into perspective through counter concepts.

Positive Family Therapy is a special construct of therapeutic ideas. Although the family stands in the center of attention, the therapy does not restrict itself to viewing the family as the only therapeutically relevant unit. Rather, it also tries to look at the family members as individuals and in addition, considers social factors relevant for treatment. Finally, we encourage our patients to use the tools they acquired in Positive Psychotherapy to actively shape their own environment.

The terminology of Positive Psychotherapy was developed to be comprehensible for everyone, regardless of social class, education, etc.
Positive Psychotherapy offers a basic concept for treating all diseases and conflicts.

Metatheoretic aspect: Positive Psychotherapy offers a comprehensive concept within which various therapeutic methods and schools can be used to supplement each other.