Positive Living in Difficult Times
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
INPM’s July Summer Institute on Transforming Trauma to Resilience Through Meaning Therapy is fast approaching! (If you missed the early bird deadline, there are still group rates available.) With that in mind, this issue has a special focus on trauma. Mega Leung suggests that tragic optimism can offer a sort of roadmap for trauma therapists because of its transformative power to shift a negative condition into an opportunity for growth. Geoff Thompson’s article on trauma and meaning highlights the work of Ed Tronick, who sees trauma as a failure of our inherent meaning-making processes. Chieh Hsu’s article on building a safer community for suicidal teens proposes that we can help these troubled youth by educating adults on what youths feel are important in their lives. Finally, my addiction column points out our current struggles to understand the link between addiction and trauma, and offers some observations from a residential treatment facility on working with clients suffering both disorders.
Paul Wong’s President’s Column provides us with personal details of his life journey to discover how to live a personally meaningful life in spite of suffering. Far from a mere intellectual pursuit, his journey is rooted in existential struggles that first arose in his teenaged years and which propelled him to search for answers in literature and philosophy, as well as psychology. After 50 years of rigorous scholarship, Dr. Wong is convinced that the “timeless universal values that have governed the human heart since time immemorial” are the key to flourishing in difficult times.
Daniel Jordan describes his personal struggle to make sense of Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, wondering aloud whether Frankl promotes a sort of radical individualism as the way to a meaningful life, while apparently neglecting the role of chance and relationships.
Our new member’s section features Dr. Gökmen Arslan, former editor of the Journal of Happiness and Wellbeing, and Dr. Maheswar Satpathy, who has a long and distinguished resume for a 35-year-old scholar.
Finally, we’ve decided on a new name for the newsletter: Positive Living in Difficult Times. This new name better captures the spirit of INPM. Thanks to all who submitted suggestions.
I hope you the articles help you—or, at least, confirm for you—some ways to live positively in difficult times.
 Geoffrey Thompson, Ph.D.
Editor
Positive Living in Difficult Times
INPM Newsletter
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P R E S I D E N T ' S C O L U M N
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How I Cracked Nature’s Code for Positive Mental Health: Introduction and My Search for Meaning
Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D.
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The answer to my lifelong search for meaning and happiness in times of suffering seems surprisingly simple: To live a meaningful life regardless of circumstances is to have the courage and responsibility to become what you were meant to be, to become your best self as a gift to others.
Just as birds are born to fly freely in the skies, human beings are born to belong to loving relationships, develop their potentials, and serve the greater good. In a nutshell, this is nature’s way for positive mental health.
This discovery is neither a stroke of genius, nor an act of serendipity, but the result of more than 50 years of laborious research to answer an existential question that has troubled me since my teenage years: What is the point of living, when life is so painful? Is there any meaning in life, when it ends in death after a long struggle?
I am grateful that I was able to answer in the affirmative by discovering...
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F E A T U R E D M E M B E R S
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Gökmen Arslan, Ph.D.
I am a researcher in the field of counseling psychology, with a core interest in children and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. My works explore how best to provide meaningful programs and resources that promote positive youth development and wellbeing. I have a Ph.D. in Psychological Counselling and Guidance in Turkey. During the Ph.D., I developed a strong interest and enjoyment in studying youth resilience, wellbeing, and mental health, and I continue working on positive psychology topics...
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F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E S
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Tragic Optimism: A Roadmap for Trauma Treatment
Mega Leung, M.A., R.C.C., C.T.T.S.
From personal tragedies, such as accidents, illnesses, deaths, and relationship violence, to larger scale catastrophes, such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, communal crimes, and violence, psychological traumas and losses could befall anyone in unpredictable ways. Yet most of us assume that whatever we encounter tomorrow will more or less be consistent with what we’ve encountered before in our routine daily experiences. For those of us who are more fortunate, our...
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Trauma and Meaning
Geoffrey Thompson, Ph.D.
A remarkable amount of writing and research has been done since the early 1990s on psychological trauma—its etiology, biopsychological effects, and forms of therapy. Because this intense focus on trauma is relatively new, it isn’t a surprise that we don’t yet have a generally agreed upon framework to guide our understanding of what trauma is (or how to treat it)...
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Maheswar Satpathy, Ph.D.
I am an emerging scholar engaged with planetary health and well-being (global health, mental health), trans-disciplinary gender and sexuality studies, and critical development studies focused on politics and ethics of social justice, and aim to nurture peace and harmony. I earned my B.A. in psychology, Master’s in clinical psychology, M.Sc. in global health and development, and Ph.D. in health and social sciences. As with many psychology graduates, I was trained in clinical psychology. But, as I grew more in line with my passion and vision...
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F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E S
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Building a Safer Community for Suicidal Teens
Chieh Hsu, M.A.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds (Heron, 2018, July 26). According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System in the United States (Kann, McManus, Harris, et al., 2018, June 15), 7.4 percent of youth in grades 9 to 12 reported that they attempted suicide at least once in the past 12 months; an additional 13.6 percent reported that they made a suicide plan in the past 12 months. With such alarming statistics, how can we help these high-risk teens?
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Is Personal Responsibility a Sort of Radical Individualism?
Daniel Jordan, M.A. Candidate
When I read Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, I wrestle with the idea that an individual is solely responsible for his or her life, a sort of radical individualism: “You are the only one responsible for the success or failure in your life” (Cohen, 2017, April 8), which seems to neglect the influence of positive relationships and of chance. For those unaware of the...
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A D D I C T I O N C O L U M N
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Treating Comorbid Addiction and Trauma
Geoffrey Thompson Ph.D.
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As the public becomes more aware of the impact of trauma and addiction, therapists are feeling an urgency to find better ways to help those suffering from both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder. Outcome studies confirm that clients with both disorders struggle in therapy more than do those with either disorder (Flanagan, Korte, Killeen, & Back, 2016). Dropout during treatment, relapse, and other factors hindering recovery are routinely greater for those with comorbid problems.
We can say with confidence that trauma and addiction are linked. Most studies report between 17 and 40 percent of those suffering from PTSD have substance use disorders (Gielen, Havermans, Tekelenburg, & Jansen, 2012; Norman, Haller, Hamblen, Southwick, & Pietrzak, 2018). And rates for PTSD found among those seeking treatment for substance use disorders are about 25 to 40 percent (see, for example, Driessen et al., 2008), although Berenz et al. (2017) argue that about half of those seeking addiction treatment qualify for a diagnosis of PTSD. Vujanovic and Back (2019) suggest that 50 percent of individuals with PTSD or substance use disorder meet the criteria for the other disorder...
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Summer Institute 2019
GROUP RATES
Missed the early bird deadline? Good news! There is a group rate available for 2 or more attendees from the same organization, for both online and on-site registrants. Use the code si2019bulk prior to checkout to receive $20 off per person!
(Please note that this does not apply to the already discounted Student Ticket.)
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
For more information, click to enlarge the images below or visit www.meaning.ca/summer-institute
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C A L L F O R P A P E R S
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From Shame to Well-Being
Claude-Hélène Mayer, with Elisabeth Vanderheiden and Paul Wong (Editors)
Shame and its related negative emotions, such as guilt, disgust, anger, and fear, are deeply rooted and existentially-based emotions. They arise from our inherent vulnerability and felt inadequacy in meeting the demands of life, coping with traumatic events, or meeting the standards imposed by the self and society. Our suffering often comes from our unconscious defense mechanisms against shame.
As such, shame is related to several disorders, such as PTSD, addiction, aggression, anger issues, narcissism, anxiety, and depression. From the perspective of meaning therapy, shame is almost always related to self-handicapping meaning and the story we have attached to traumatic events, our inferior social rankings and our inability to coping with the demands of life, or the expectations from others. It is also always related to the brain, because of the interpersonal nature of brain development.
At the same time, the acceptance and transformation of shame is important to facilitate recovery from psychological disorders and transform negative experiences into emotional resilience, character strengths, and human flourishing. In overcoming the self-deceptions and emotional lies, we become mentally healthier, stronger, and happier.
In addition, this topic is also relevant to numerous shame-based social and political issues, such as racial tensions, polarization, black lives matter, me-too movement, and men’s movement.
The theme of the 2020 meaning conference is “Vulnerability, Resilience & Wellbeing: Advances in Existential Positive Psychology.” In this context, we are planning a round table talk on shame, as well as a book project. If you are interested in participating and getting involved, please see the call for papers below.
Important Dates
- Abstract submission deadline (1 August 2019)
- Notifications to authors (1 September 2019)
- Chapter submission deadline (max. 7,000 words) (1 January 2020)
- Review process (1 January - 1 February 2020)
- Revised chapter submission deadline (1 March 2020)
- Roundtable on Shame & Well-Being at Meaning Conference (30 July - 2 August 2020)
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An Inspiration a Day
“An inspiration a day keeps the doctor away” has been a motto for Paul T. P. Wong since his high school days. In order to cope with depression, poverty, and distresses (see his autobiography), he read widely, extracting inspirational statements, as well as composing his own, and writing his way out of depression.
Paul has kept this writing habit all his life. You can find his inspirational statements everyday on Facebook and other social media, with more than 390,000 “Likes” and growing. What makes Paul’s inspirations different from most other inspirational quotes is that he is keenly aware that life is full of suffering for most people. His hope and joy and his wisdom and strength come from confronting the darkest hours of his life and emerging with faith, confidence and compassion to spread the light in a dark world.
If you love Paul’s insights and wisdom, purchase a copy for yourself and send a copy to someone who is fighting a desperate battle with cancer or loss.
 Lilian C. J. Wong, Ph.D., R.P.
Editor, Inspirations for Difficult Times
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Review from Leslie Lyle, MAPP
“This is the book we need to support us in difficult times.
Dr. Paul Wong speaks about the things that the scared and frightened parts of us choose to deny or ignore. Existential Positive Psychology helps us accept the inescapable facts about life and realize that we can learn better ways to cope and find happiness in the darkest places.
This is a book that has long been missing from the shelves of modern psychology and philosophy. If you only take away one new thought, behaviour or belief, it will enrich your life and increase your potential happiness. It is the ‘go to’ book for when ‘real’ life hits you hard and that veneer of happiness you wear begins to crack.
Life would be easier for all of us if we first understood the concepts so beautifully written about in this book. Dr. Paul Wong teaches us that we have to fully experience all aspects of ourselves in order we can live our best lives to the full.”
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Support Meaning Research and Receive Inspirations!
Donate to support meaning research and its applications through Dr. Wong's and INPM's projects, including online training for Meaning Therapy, research on PP 2.0, the IJEPP, the Meaning Conferences, and more.
Donate CAD $100, receive free e-book!
Donate CAD $200, receive free print book!*
*After your donation is received, you will be sent an email confirming your mailing address. For inquiries: info@meaning.ca
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 The INPM is dedicated to advancing health, spirituality, peace and human fulfillment through research, education, and applied psychology with a focus on the universal human quest for meaning and purpose.
If you are interested in becoming a member of INPM, please email info@meaning.ca or click here.
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