Positive Therapy - Mindfulness

• Positive approach


  Aims to promote human flourishing
• Mindfulness


  • Aims to help people develop characteristics such as natural strengths and psychological well-being
  • Assumes positive human traits are as authentic as negative ones
  • Individuals strive to achieve greater life fulfilment by developing their natural strengths and virtues
  • Aims to enhance a person's positive characteristics (e.g. being optimistic)
• Mindfulness


  • A therapy that one chooses to engage in
  • Helps the individual become consciously aware of their present thoughts and feelings
  • Encourages people to gain control of their thoughts and emotions
  • Helps people move towards living a meaningful life
• Main components of Mindfulness

  1. Gaining control of thoughts

  2. Put yourself in the driving seat
• Positive psychologists believe that a lot of mental problems are due to uncontrolled negative automatic thinking
• Thoughts in Mindfulness


  • Transient (passing through)
  • Do not need to dictate how we feel
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)


  1. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s

  2. Intensive 8 week course consisting of 45minute group sessions

  3. Teaches meditation and mindful breathing

  4. Teaches body scan

  5. Teaches worry or urge "surfing"

  6. Teaches yoga

  7. Teaches informal practices of mindfulness
• MBSR was initially created to aid hospital patients, but has since been used effectively by a wide range of people from all walks of life