March-April 2015

Creating the Second Wave of Positive Psychology

Editorial
Brent Potter, PhD

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. - E. B. White

What is your meaning and purpose today? Individually and collectively, this is perhaps the most important question that can be raised. With meaning and purpose, almost anything can be accomplished. Without meaning and purpose, life slips into boredom, becomes directionless, and listless.

This newsletter reflects the INPM’s trailblazing work, on multiple fronts, to focus on the question of meaning and purpose today and moving into the future. To this end, you’ll find Paul Wong’s President’s Address discussing the second wave in positive psychology, the announcement of the ‘Safe and Effective Use of Self in Psychotherapy’ certificate program, and the Summer Institute. Moreover, you’ll find announcements about ongoing INPM organizational developments, such as the nominations for board members, a movie review of Unbroken from a meaning perspective, and our featured member, Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, of The Ohio State University.

You will find that these articles demonstrate, in a multifaceted way, the INPM’s dedication to contemporary thinkers in meaning theory and therapy. The INPM represents inclusiveness and multiplicity, with underlying bonds lying in our common interest in discovery, disclosing, celebrating meaning and purpose in the human experience.

The best way to experience the INPM is to get involved! We have a number of different levels of participation in a variety of developing areas. Come, join us!

I hope you enjoy this edition and I am always happy to hear from you.

All the best, Brent Potter
brentpotterma@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/drbrentpotter

You can make a difference!
We hope to hear from you!

Upcoming Events Date
Safe and Effective Use of Self in Psychotherapy April 25 & 26, May 2 & 3, 2015
Summer Institute July 24-25, 2015

President's Report Paul T.P. Wong, PhD

Creating the second wave of positive psychology

Together, we continue to make progress in our mission – we are contributing to the second wave of positive psychology with meaning as its core construct.

Since its inception, INPM has advocated the Big-Tent approach through its Meaning Conferences, workshops and publications. It has always believed that a complete psychology needs to transcend all boundaries and integrate different schools of psychology. I have referred to such an integrative approach as existential positive psychology or the second wave of positive psychology (2.0).

Read Full Article »

Last Chance to Register!

safe-effective-use-of-self-in-psychotherapy-image

Safe and Effective Use of Self in Psychotherapy Certificate

30 hours of graduate-level professional training on the essentials of a successful practice.

Now available via LIVE WEBCAST!

“Self-mastery is the foundation for all professional competencies.”

Dates: April 25-26, and May 2-3, 2015
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: 13 Ballyconnor Court, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4C5
Faculty: Dr. Lilian C. J. Wong, Ph.D., and Dr. Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D., C. Psych.

View Course Details »

Movie Review: Unbroken (2014), Directed by Angela JoliePaul T.P. Wong, PhD

unbroken-image

The positive psychology of grit: The defiant power of the human spirit

This film is a faithful adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It is a biopic of Louis (Lourie) Zamperini’s struggle for survival after plane crash until his liberation from the POW camp.
An Olympic gold runner, Louie Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) enlisted and trained as a bombarbiar after Pearl Harbour. Most of the film revolves around how responded to the litany of adversities after his plane was shut down. After spending 47 days adrift on a raft, he was captured by Japanese military and interned as a POW for 27 months. [...]

Continue Reading »

Nominations and Election for the INPM Board of Directors

The International Network for Personal Meaning’s (INPM) Transitional Committee is opening the 2015 nomination process for the election of its Board of Directors. All members in good standing are encouraged to participate and shape INPM’s future through this very important process. Transitional Committee member Luis A. Marrero has volunteered to lead the election process. He will be assembling a small work team to accomplish this goal.
There are twelve areas of competence required to successfully fulfill the INPM Mission. While there is preference to elect individuals with education and/or experience in the competence areas, the Transitional Team also values readiness to step-in and learn in role, organizational and leadership skills, and commitment to the INPM Mission. The deadline for the submission of nominees is Friday, May 19, 2015. [...]

Click to Download Word Document

Featured Member: Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University

Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, is a tenure-track professor at Ohio State and a member of the Decision Sciences Collaborative. He is also the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Insights Officer at Intentional Insights (intentionalinsights.org), a nonprofit offering science-based strategies for reason-oriented people to empower us to improve our thinking, feeling, and behavior patterns, and thus reach our goals. Get in touch with him at gleb@intentionalinsights.org

The Science of Meaning Gleb Tsipursky, PhD

Have you ever felt like you go through the motions every day but it all seems meaningless? Did you know that you can use science to help you find a sense of life purpose? Wait, but science can’t answer life’s big questions – that’s the job of cultural traditions and religion, right? Well, a wave of recent research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and other disciplines by Dr. Paul Wong, Mick Cooper, Michael Steger, and others has explored how we find meaning and purpose in life! So people who feel a lack of meaning and purpose can use science to fill that emptiness deep in the pit of their stomach. We can use science to answer the question "what is the meaning of life for you?" [...]

Continue Reading »

Save the Date! Summer Institute 2015 is coming!

30 Hours Intensive Training Towards Meaning Therapy Certification in Toronto

Dates: July 24-25, 2015 (Saturday & Sunday)

It is the only place where you can acquire knowledge and skills to be an integrative and complete psychotherapist. It is also a rare opportunity to learn from both Dr. Paul T. P. Wong, the founder of integrative meaning therapy and Dr. Brent Porter, a leader in existential-psychodynamic psychology.

Registration Opening Soon!