The Sunny Side of Therapy :) :) : ) :) Positive Psychology

This is an FYO on a popular news item in today's Wall Street Journal.

There's a feature story called, "The Sunny Side of Therapy." It's about focusing only on the positive, a person's true resources, strengths, etc. I was surprised the article didn't refer to "blessings."

Now you know I'm a pretty positive person, but I just have to tell you.
This is bunk with a capital B.

It's all well and good to try to stay there, to try to stay happy and to think pleasant thoughts. I heartily recommend it and in family therapy whack bubble bursters over the head with a newspaper (WSJ?).

But when a person is suffering from depression or any of the disorders in the DSM-IV, for that matter, it's going to take a lot more than positive psychology to get well.

Positive psychology is nothing new. Therapy docs have been relabeling problems for years, ever since family therapists (plug, here) found that symptoms were functional for people. People like their symptoms. They not only get attention for them, but they communicate with them.

Even support for "everything's relative" has been around for decades. Broke your ankle? At least you didn't break both. (thanks Y.)

It's actually good to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again. Once you can.

Real therapy, good therapy gets in there and resets the bones, cleans out the infection. It requires a little more than applying a Band-Aid.

Those snake oil salesmen made it all up to advertise in the Journal.

There. I've said it. Have a happy day!

Copyright 2006, TherapyDoc