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Positive Psychotherapy for
Individuals and Couples
by Jon Terrell, M.A
Positive psychotherapy focuses differently than traditional psychotherapy. Rather than focusing on our problems, it focuses on our strengths, our capacity to grow and thrive.
When we focus on problems and "problem solving," we can end up amplifying problems and get even more caught up in them! Positive psychology doesn't ignore our issues, but shifts us to our creative and healing resources to solve them. We learn to reconnect with our wisdom, creativity, goodness, and love that is sometimes hidden within.
We don't ignore the issues; we expand to include resources within you that you may not be in touch with, so you can find solutions.
People often come to psychotherapy feeling empty, bogged down, and confused, unable to find a way out of their predicament.
They've tried to solve their problems rationally, but end up going in circles, repeating the same patterns again and again. Or they avoid the offending person or situation...by moving away, divorcing, etc.
But then the same issues/persons show up in the next person or job.
Some people see the problem "out there" in another person or situation. "It's their fault."
Others see the problem as deep inside of themselves...something that can't be fixed, a fatal flaw or handicap that will forever keep them unhappy and unfulfilled.
Both views hold a seed of truth but keep us stuck in a never-ending repetitive pattern of pain.
The truth is, our problems do show up out there and are held deep within. The solution is also deep within.
The way out of our repetitive cycles of pain is to give space and loving awareness to our struggle, and those parts of us that are hurting. Here we discover the light and love of our true nature. In this discovery, we find healing and an awakening to new aliveness. Here we find peace, deeper understanding, and compassion for ourselves and others.
This is the path to lasting change.
Sometimes the journey in can look frightening or impossibly difficult. This is especially true when confronted with challenging, "dark" emotions...anger, grief, fear, insecurity.
Here is where a good guide can be helpful--to shine a light so you can find your way to your own healing, intuitive, creative resources. We each have a vast but often untapped reservoir of wisdom within us.
A Different Kind Of Psychotherapy
I do not focus on pathology, on what is wrong with you. Nor do I use diagnostic labels I learned in traditional mental health counseling.
Rather than a disease-focused medical model, we turn in the opposite direction to seek out, find, and emphasize what is healthy and life-giving in each person. This is a positive psychotherapy approach. It's spiritual healing in the sense that all we need is within ourselves.
My training in Transpersonal psychology, meditation, bodywork, creativity, and spirituality goes well beyond most counseling approaches. I look at the whole person, including the wealth of resources within you that you may not yet know about.
I view our bodies and minds as interacting, mutually supporting energy systems. Our thoughts and feelings show up and can be worked with, not just in our brains, but in our bodies. This is body-oriented therapy.
Within our issues, within the pain that we feel, is hidden gold.
This gold is a true source of unlimited renewable energy, our own unique resource of pure aliveness.
I've found it helpful to describe positive psychotherapy as a two-part process: Getting Your Act Together and Taking It On The Road.
Getting Your Act Together
Early in psychotherapy, we explore where your life energy is stuck or draining. Your issues are like holes in a bucket, draining your energy and awareness. Unresolved relationships, trigger issues in your life, anxiety and stress—all these can suck your life force out of you.
As we transform these issues, we work together to find new sources of vitality and excitement. We might use tools and techniques drawn from Transpersonal (beyond the "normal" ego) psychology, depth psychology, and spiritual traditions in our exploration.
Taking It On The Road
Then we explore how you can manifest your dreams and live life fully on a daily basis. Here we look at roadblocks, connecting with allies and angels, and practicing the "Skills of Loving." We will work to develop greater inner strength, self-love, and stronger relationships. Our positive psychotherapy work might include grounding exercises, guided imagery, and coaching tools.
Emotional Wellness Is The Key
To Positive Change And Success
In positive psychotherapy, I put a special emphasis on Emotional Wellness. Unexpressed, stuck emotions hold our reactive patterns/belief systems together. They are like glue, tying repetitive thoughts and fixed perspectives about ourselves and others in a knot. Our bodies hold these as tension and pain.
We often suppress our emotions and try to think our way out of problems, but this rarely works; it is too "top-heavy."
Emotional work is so important that a whole section of this website focuses on healing emotions. We explore the alchemy of transforming anger, fear, grief, depression, and other feelings into pure radiant life energy and enlightened awareness.
Transforming stuck emotions is the big work of life, and brings us home to ourselves, to the power of our true Love.
It all comes together at our Emotional Intensive called Breaking Free of the Old Story.
"What Issues Do You Work With?"
- Grief and Loss includes coping with the death of a loved one or loss due to divorce or separation.
- Other Difficult Emotions, such as anger, jealousy, shame
- Anxiety and Stress
For a discussion of Fear, Anxiety, and Change, including 5 Keys to Help With Change, click here.
- Life Transitions--Relationships, Career, Aging
- Spiritual Emergence and Emergencies
How To Set Up An Appointment For Positive Psychotherapy
I offer Positive Psychotherapy at my office in Sunderland, Massachusetts. The initial session lasts about an hour and 35 minutes, costs $250, and includes three parts: an energy assessment and hands-on work done on a body table. Additional sessions cost $200 for an hour session. For clients who are not local, we have several options, including FaceTime, Google Meet, or Zoom.
Contact me using the form below to set up an appointment. I will call you to answer any questions, and we can choose a time together. For the first session, I ask for payment ahead of time, which can be done by credit card, Venmo, or Zelle.
Beyond Talking
The most effective way to work through some issues is to go beyond our normal thoughts and thinking mind and learn to trust the process of our lives.
I offer a variety of approaches beyond talking. As part of positive psychotherapy, I sometimes include Energy and Deep Tissue Bodywork to help us let go of old thought patterns held in the body. Many people can also benefit from meditation, which has numerous positive effects. I also offer an Anxiety Protocol that includes a variety of useful tools for people experiencing panic and anxiety.
For more on my perspective on emotions, visit my Grief Page or How To Deal With Anger Page.
For a positive psychotherapy perspective on relationships, go to this page: 4 Core Relationship Skills. You might also want to view Characteristics of Healthy Relationships.
And don't miss Building Loving Relationships.
For information on intimacy, go to this page.
Return from Positive Psychotherapy to Awakenment Wellness Home
Go to Emotions page
Go to Anger and Depression page
Go to Anger page
Go to Building Loving Relationships Page
Legal Documents for those who want to attend our retreats: Go Here
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"Previous therapists I have worked with took months to grasp my situation and understand the personal hell I was in. Within minutes Jon was able to completely understand the personal turmoil I was in and I felt understood.
Thanks again Jon for everything, I had been meditating, praying, reading for months trying to ground myself and get my empowerment back, but I just couldn't do it on my own. I appreciate your help!"
Sarah M. Pennsylvania