What is Positive Psychology?

The human heart wants to sing.
We are all seekers. We are keepers of unsung songs. We all want to fulfill our life's promise.

This is my work. To show you the way.
To guide growth.

Positive Psychology is the heart of my work.

What is Positive Psychology? It is the study of happiness and well-being. It grows out of science ? and reaches into the heart.

Most traditional psychology focuses on your problems and your defeats. Its goal is to take you from -5 to 0. Positive Psychology says neutral isn?t enough. My work is to help people rise from neutral to +5

Look at it this way: Most of us have been taught little about how to grow happiness. (If your parents didn't understand it, how could they teach it?) And our culture doesn?t help much either, huh?

That?s where Positive Psychology comes in. In one study, positive psychology helped 92% of people feel better. Research is pouring out of our great universities (Over 700 studies in the last decade.) Positive psychology is new and yet has roots in the great wisdom traditions and spirit pathways of mankind

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Besides seeing clients, I teach Positive Psych to the med students at UCLA. My clients tell me they see big improvements in their lives ? and it doesn?t take a long time. Besides  that, I believe we should make it enjoyable. Fun helps change.

I start my work with clients by asking, "Where you want to go?" I don't believe we need to spend endless hours talking about the past. We start by setting a course toward your goal(s). The best route possible. We make it real and attainable.

A Few Principle of Positive Psychology

In positive psychology, there are a number of practical and common sense principles.

1. People can be happier and more successful if they are fully engaged, in the flow of activities where they are making a difference, or living a life that is meaningful to them.
2. The complete pursuit of stimulation and pleasure requires more frequent and greater intensity of stimulation and pleasure (i.e. addiction).
3. The effective use of our character strengths can insulate and buffer us against depression, anxiety and other consequences of stress.
4. People experience positive emotions when they recognize, use and share their character strengths and virtues.
5. Happiness and success is not achieved by the elimination of stress or mental health symptoms alone.

John Drimmer teaching at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.