After many days of prayer and serious consideration, we decided to go by faith because my wife wanted to had a reunion with her own friends who, together, started the Clinical Supervision Section in the American Psychological Association more than 20 years ago, and I really wanted to visit my aging sister and sister-in-law in Vancouver right after the Conference.

I was surprised that I was able to walk quite a distance with my 4-wheeled Rollaboard luggage as a walker before I reached the disabled area for a wheelchair. I was also pleasantly surprised that I was able to tolerate the pain and discomfort of sitting on the airplane-seat for about 6 hours. Even without much sleep last night, I was still able to write a draft version of an abstract for the Journal of Positive Psychology (JOPP) on a writing pad.

My Vision For A Positive Suffering

• Do you remember the darkest days of your life, when you found yourself at the bottom of an abyss and the whole world had abandoned you, when God did not seem to answer your urgent cry for help?
• Have you looked at the daily devastation and sounds and sights of human miseries in Gaza and Ukraine?
• Have you thought about all the existential threats to humanity, such as nuclear war and ecological crisis (Wong et al., 2022)?
• Have you considered the how tragic it is that human beings destroy each other as well as themselves with all their greed, pride, and inordinate desires in pursuit of happiness and success?

If we do not overcome and transform the problem of pain and suffering, it will continue to torment us and spread to other people like a virus. With these sad thoughts in my mind, and a fire in my belly, I was inspired to write following draft of the JOPP abstract almost in one breath:

Positive Suffering Mindset, Ultimate Existential Being And Sustainable Flourishing

Treating wellbeing research as an intellectual game of debating opposing theoretical views may not yield immediate pragmatic results. We think that it may be more productive to reorient towards focusing on solutions to real life existential issues and meet people’s basic needs for healing, wellbeing, and wholeness.

This paper is based on meeting the human basic need for agency, community, and spirituality. It provides 3 missing links in positive psychology: (1) The meaning and transformative potential of suffering, (2) How to satisfy our spiritual hunger for sacredness and union with the divine, and (3) How to improve cultural harmony and world peace. At times, our hearts remain restless, constantly in search of healing, liberation, and meaning. We believe that the science of meaning needs to consider how our deep-seated longing for happiness and meaning may be related to our restless soul’s yearning for peace and harmony with the self, others, and God.

The above conceptual framework is called existential positive psychology (Wong, 2021) or PP2.0 (Wong, 2011) because it addresses the inescapable aspects of human existence in wellbeing research. Thus, EPP adds the depths of suffering, the heights of spiritual aspirations, and the breadths of compassion for all people from different cultures to positive psychology as usual (PP1.0). It consists of three pillars: meaning of life, meaning of suffering, and meaning of loving your neighbors from other cultures (Wong, 2023a). In sum, EPP takes a holistic and interdisciplinary approach and differs from PP1.0 fundamentally in presuppositions, objectives, and methodology.

This unique approach is rooted in Wong’s personal history and culture (Wong & Gonot-Schoupinsky, in press) and represents an integration between East and West. Wong (2019) has researched the positive psychology of suffering for more than 3 decades. The development of EPP benefits from all the opposition and resistance that have forced him to dig deeper and wider (Wong & Worth, 2017) in his search for the truth that can really give meaning and hope to the suffering people.

This research program culminates in his Positive Suffering Mindset (PSM) Hypothesis (Wong, 2024a) which answers fundamental existential questions: How can one find happiness and fulfill one’s potential in a chaotic and difficult world? How can we become better and stronger through struggles and suffering? How can we make this world a better place for future generations?

EPP calls for a complete reorientation to the existential crises confronting us (Broderick, 2024; NPPA, 2024): we should not just consider the wellbeing of the individual, but also of society and humanity. Furthermore, it posits that the direct pursuit of happiness will result in unhappiness, and the most promising path to enduring happiness is to overcome and transform suffering into success and triumph. In order to become whole and flourish, one needs to develop a PSM, which represents the ultimate existential resources.

More specifically, PSM consists of a cluster of 5 inter-related mindsets: (1) Mindfulness – How to focus on the present and face life as it is, (2) Meaning – How to discover the hidden goodness and meaning in every situation, (3) Dialectic – How to navigate between two opposites and discover the happy medium. (4) Resilient – How to overcome and transcend adversity, trauma and painful emotions, and (5) Growth – How to grow tall and yield abundant good fruit by developing a deep root system in a fertile land.

We will provide both empirical support from positive psychology research and philosophical insights from classical existential philosophers for the above 5 mindsets and discuss innovative research programs and interventions to resolve a wide range of serious mental health challenges and existential threats.

We will also discuss the unique nature of mature happiness (Wong & Bower, 2019) and existential wellbeing (Wong, 2022) as well as the supporting evidence. Different from current concepts of existential wellbeing (e.g., Ryff, 2012), ultimate existential wellbeing is based on all the available existential resources of PSM and is capable of surviving all kinds of traumas and storms of life. Just as PP1.0 is ideal for peace and prosperity, EPP is best for times of suffering. Together, they provide a more complete account of wellbeing and flourishing for the 21st century.

I felt satisfied that I finally had an undisrupted time to explain why I was compelled to blaze this new trail alone as if guided by an invisible hand. I knew that the above abstract was too long, but at least it was comprehensive enough for my co-authors to understand my views on several major issues.

I am well aware that wise men like William James, Viktor Frankl, and the Dalai Lama proposed similar ideas long before me. My contribution is to expand and translate these powerful ideas into testable scientific principles and useful interventions for the 21^st Century and beyond.

A Big-Tent Approach Towards Integration

Although the above abstract was for an invited paper, I was not confident about how my co-authors and the reviewers would respond to this lone voice from the wilderness because based on my past experience, many of my most cited papers were first rejected for some trivial or trumped-up charges (Wong, 2020), such as: you are unscientific (i.e., you are too religious), your theory is not consistent with mainstream psychology (i.e., Western imperialism), or your views are not exactly what I have in mind for the journal (i.e., personal bias).

Such negative voices still haunt me because even my most of cited papers were rejected first. Why are the reviewers so adversarial and nit-picky? Why do they not focus on more important questions such as whether an article makes a significant contribution to the literature and to humanity? Are they on a power-trip? Do they realize that the days of Western hegemony will soon be over? Do they still evaluate manuscripts with their tribal mentality? That is why one important reason for creating the INPM as a Big Tent, with our own journals and conferences, is in order to survive in a culture of systemic racism.

I take comfort from the fact that even Einstein’s general theory of relativity was rejected for many years for lacking empirical support. Einstein’s deep knowledge of the universe was not based on empirical findings. In fact, it took many years before his general theory of relativity was supported by research. I am not Einstein, but I am encouraged by his experience and believe that the future of scientific progress is towards integration of different factions and different schools.

It is sad that nowadays that most positive psychologists would reject any deep idea or any unconventional hypothesis without empirical support. This blind belief in factualism only leads to superficial knowledge because only simplified and operationalized ideas can be readily tested. Furthermore, there is also the replication problem.

Therefore, how can we accept positive psychology’s findings as the true knowledge for making important life decisions is times of suffering and uncertainly? In times like this, would you prefer to make decisions that are aligned with deeply held values and religious beliefs? This has been my main critique of positive psychology as usual (Wong & Roy, 2017) and my main reason for developing an existentially oriented positive psychology.

God’s New Ten Commandments

I know very well that this is another unpopular topic because Moses’ Ten Commandments have been banned in the US for years, against the Christian values of their founding fathers. Even now, any attempt to revive the ten commandments for the courts and schools would trigger strong condemnations.

Do people realize that their rebellion against their Creator will only bring disasters and miseries to themselves? We are now living in a polarized and broken world, with people fighting and killing each other. Until we learn to obey the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-39), we will continue to be plagued by conflicts and wars. According to Martin Luther King, Jr. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

I have been waiting for God’s revelation for ten new commandments for suffering people since my painful days in Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. After praying day and night for an epiphany so that I could move forward, God revealed a new theory of hope to me (Wong, 2023b), but I did not see a burning bush, nor did hear any voice from above.

I continue to seek God’s revelation so that people can repent and seek redemption and regeneration. Maybe I was closer to God higher up in the airplane: I suddenly understood the PSM with greater death and clarity. Now, I am able clarify how it encapsulates the 10 principles of flourishing according to the Bible (Wong et al., 2024).

Before landing in LAX Airport, I was able to quickly jot down these ideas on my writing pad shown as follows. To make it less offensive to my positive psychology friends, I will frame them in scientific terms.

The 10 Principles Of Living An Abundant Life

Now, at home in front of my own computer, I will expand on these rough notes for my readers. Hope that they can consider and practice them so see whether they can transform their life:

Principle 1: Accept Life As It Is With Gratitude

Acceptance encompasses accepting and affirming both the visible and invisible realities; both the material and spiritual world. In fact, according to quantum physics, the world is invisible (World Science Festival, 2014).

How much you do know about acceptance? Do you know that acceptance is more than self-awareness? One can be aware of something without accepting it or taking it seriously. Do you know the power of acceptance? Do you know that this is the first step towards positive suffering? Consider the following quotes:

• René Descartes: “I think, therefore, I am.”
• Proverbs 23:7: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
• Jordan Peterson: “I suffer, therefore, I am.” (Tiago V Faleiro, 2017)
• Arthur Schopenhauer (1851/2020): “Pleasure and well-being is negative and suffering positive.”
• Friedrich Nietzsche: “I love my fate.” (see Han-Pile, 2011)
• Paul Wong: “I suffer; therefore, I rejoice.” (NPPA, 2024)

Is this ironic? After the huge first wave of positive psychology on happiness, the second wave begins with the affirmation of suffering, fate, and death – no matter how painful – as the foundation for happiness and flourishing (Wong, 2024b). Meditate on Jesus’s prayer at Gethsemane before dying on the cross for our sins:

“Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” (Matthew 26: 38-40)

I have wrestled with God many several times before surrendering my life to God’s will and accepting a painful and impossible mission to be a lone voice in the wilderness, crying out for the need for repentance, redemption, and regeneration. I know full well that this prophetic voice would be met with opposition because people would rather embrace a regenerative positive psychology without the need for repentance and faith in God’s grace.

It is also impossible to experience genuine transformation without accepting our true self. According to Carl Rogers (1961/1995), “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

Acceptance means accepting myself and others as flawed human being as well as affirming that are all made in God’s image with a divine spark waiting to be rekindled. Thus, it is not possible to know our true self without accepting both our bright and dark sides.

Acceptance also means accepting my hard fate, my brokenness, my horrible circumstances with gratitude. This is a much tougher demand that expressing gratitude for the positive things. Existential gratitude asks me to be thankful for being alive and for the precious lessons learned from suffering (Jans-Beken & Wong, 2019).

Yes, no matter how hopeless the prospect, how much the physical pain I endure and how unfairly I have been treated, I can still love my fate and find something to be grateful for, such as for the training to grow stronger and for steeling my faith and confidence in my mission in the crucible of suffering.

Principle 2: Focus On The Present Moment

This is another life principle emphasized by all the best minds and supported by a wealth of research on mindfulness. We all can live a happy and productive life by focusing on the present rather than ruminating on past mistakes which could not be undone, or worrying about the future which is beyond our control.

Living for the present means that you do one thing at a time, and focus on what needs to be taken care first, such as an important deadline for your job, or caring for a sick spouse. It also means that that you organize your time around what matters most.

“Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas and forces surrounding you.” (Covey, 1989)

Whatever you focus on, you will pay full attention and do your best. I am always grateful to any sales clerk, waiter, or office worker who serves their customers enthusiastically, but they are so rare.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23). It is helpful to remind ourselves that we are working for God, so that we don’t get discouraged when our work is not appreciated or recognized.

There is power in acceptance and focusing. If one does not learn the discipline of focusing, one will be easily distracted, switching from one thing to another, without accomplishing anything. One reason why I could be so productive during the five-and-half hour flight on an airplane is because I did not have the usual disruptions and demands for my attention when working in my home office.

Principle 3: Be Curious About What Lies Beyond And What Lies Beneath

There is always some hidden beauty, truth, and goodness in every situation, but we need to discover it. I remember that when I worked in Daniel Berlyn’s lab at the University of Toronto in the late 60s, I watched with fascinating when a white rat would move gingerly on a glass table, driven by both the desire to explore and the fear of hidden danger.

We are motivated by the same conflicting motives. Yes, we have the innate desire of curiosity (Kashdan, 2024), but we are also cautious about hidden dangers or concerned about failures (Wong, 1979).

That is why we need to see the world not just with our physical eyes. To discover more about the world and about ourselves, we also need to see the invisible with our spiritual eyes. Willaim Blake could see a world in a grain of sand. Thich Nhat Hanh also said: “The entire cosmos can sing to us with the voice of a wild flower.”

Over the years, many people have expressed the view that there is no need to search for meaning; all we need is to life fully. This is only half true because searching for meaning is an inevitable process, according to attribution research (Wong & Weiner, 1981).

Those who say that they don’t need to search for the meaning of life most likely have already found their calling or vocation. Another possibility is that they have lived a privileged life and have not experienced any trauma, which will automatically trigger a negative oriented search for the cause or reason for their suffering.

A larger problem is that in a culture that favors a quick and superficial way of life, people have lost the appetite and skills for developing deep relationships or living life at a deeper level.

Principle 4: Consult Your Conscience To Decide The Right Course Of Action

As we dig deeper and wider, or explore new territories lying behind a veil of ambiguity and uncertainty, we are confronted with so may options. We need to decide when to stop searching and what is the right course of action, especially when the Devil makes an offer that is too good to refuse.

That is when we need to consult our conscience and ask: “Does it give me inner peace? Is this the responsible thing to do? Can I live with myself if I choose what is profitable rather than what is meaningful?” Ultimately, your conscience will always lead you to the path which you should follow so you could become what you are meant to be.

A decent person with a good heart will never betray her friends or hurt other people in order to gain some personal advantage. A good person will never bargain with the devil. A true Christian will never willingly do things that dishonour and offend God. Be such a person.

You need to follow your conscience not because you just want to be happy but because your want to be a good and trustworthy person who cannot be bribed or corrupted. With this kind of character and integrity, you always win, whatever the circumstances.

In Part 2 of this article, I will present the remaining principles. The entire 10 principles can be seen in the following table: 

For Part one, I want to conclude on the positive note of suffering with joy: real-life positivity.

Any label is both illuminating and limiting, especially for some holistic fussy concept. Since the label Existential Positive Psychology has been under attack from all sides, as I have described earlier, maybe I should use adjectives, such as Spiritual, Redemptive, Regenerative or Transcendental to describe my approach to positive psychology. I am sure someone will claim credit for any of these descriptive terms. Finally, I have decided to simply call it the Positive Suffering Mindset as a New Paradigm for Sustainable Flourishing. If someone also claims this label, I would say: Why don’t we work together under the same banner?

A rose by any other name is still a rose because of its unique features of beauty and fragrance growing from branches of sharp thorns. Similarly, what distinguishes my approach to the science of wellbeing is that one cannot achieve flourishing without embracing suffering.

References

Broderick, R. (Host) (2024, June 21). Reflections on Living Well Interview with Broderick Rodell | Dr. Paul T. P. Wong [Video]. YouTube.

Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Free Press.

Han-Pile, B. (2011). Nietzsche and Amor Fati. European Journal of Philosophy, 19, 224-261. Doi:10.1111/j.1468-0378.2009.00380.x

Jans-Beken, L. G. P. J., & Wong, P. T. P. (2019). Development and preliminary validation of the Existential Gratitude Scale (EGS). Counselling Psychology Quarterly. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1656054

Kashdan, T. B. (2024). Foreword: The psychology of curiosity, purpose, flexibility, and more. In L. C. J. Wong (Ed.), Undefeatable: The saga of Paul T. P. Wong’s search for meaning and happiness in a difficult world. INPM Press.

National Positive Psychology Association (NPPA). (2024, May 16). NPPA Conference 2024 | Keynote Lecture | Prof. Paul T. P. Wong | [Video]. YouTube.

Rogers, C. R. (1995). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy (2^nd ed.). HarperOne. (Originally published in 1961)

Ryff, C. D. (2012). Existential well-being and health. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for meaning: Theories, research, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 233–247). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Schopenhauer, A. (2020). On the suffering of the world (E. Thacker, Ed.). Repeater. (Originally published in 1851).

Tiago V Faleiro. (2017, March 31). Jordan Peterson – I suffer therefore I am [Video]. YouTube.

Wong, P. T. P. (1979). Frustration, exploration, and learning. Canadian Psychological Review, 20, 133-144.

Wong, P. T. P. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 52(2), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022511

Wong, P. T. P. (2019, November 21). Why and How I Developed the Positive Psychology of Suffering. Dr. Paul T. P. Wong. http://www.drpaulwong.com/why-and-how-i-developed-the-positive-psychology-of-suffering/

Wong, P. T. P. (2020, September 24). The unheard cry of a successful Asian psychologist. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2020.1820430

Wong, P. T. P. (2021). What is existential positive psychology (PP 2.0)? Why is it necessary for mental health during the pandemic. International Journal of Existential Positive Psychology, 10(1), 1–16. https://www.meaning.ca/ijepp-article/vol10-no1/what-is-existential-positive-psychology-pp-2-0-why-is-it-necessary-for-mental-health-during-the-pandemic/

Wong, P. T. P. (2023a). Pioneer in research in existential positive psychology of suffering and global flourishing: Paul T. P. Wong. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18, 2153-2157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-023-10207-7

Wong, P. T. P. (2023b, March 16). Hope keeps us moving forward [President’s Column]. Positive Living Newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/meaning.ca/pldt-mar-11967588

Wong, P. T. P. (2024a). Lesson 5 – AEPP02: ABCDE strategy, effective coping, resilience, and multicultural perspective.

Wong, P. T. P. (2024b, March 30). How to say yes to life in the face of suffering and death [President’s column]. Positive Living Newsletter. https://www.meaning.ca/article/how-to-say-yes-to-life-in-the-face-of-suffering-and-death/

Wong, P. T. P., & Bowers, V. (2018). Mature happiness and global wellbeing in difficult times. In N. R. Silton (Ed.), Scientific concepts behind happiness, kindness, and empathy in contemporary society. IGI Global.

Wong, P. T. P., Cowden, R. G., Mayer, C.-H., & Bowers, V. L. (2022). Shifting the paradigm of positive psychology: Toward an existential positive psychology of wellbeing. In A. H. Kemp (Ed.), Broadening the scope of wellbeing science: Multidisciplinary and interdiscipinary perspectives on human flourishing and wellbeing (pp. 13-27). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18329-4_2

Wong, P. T. P., Davey, D., Mayer, C.-H., &Cowden, R. G. (2024, June 27). The emerging paradigm of existential positive psychology and abundant life human flourishing [Paper session]. Regent University Christian Flourishing Summer School, Virgina, US.

Wong, P. T. P., & Gonot-Schoupinsky, F. (in press). Mental health and meaning: a positive autoethnographic case study of Paul Wong. In F. Gonot-Schoupinsky & J. Carson (Eds.), Positive psychology autoethnographic case studies.

Wong, P. T. P., & Roy, S. (2017). Critique of positive psychology and positive interventions. In N. J. L. Brown, T. Lomas, & F. J. Eiroa-Orosa (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of critical positive psychology. London, England: Routledge.

Wong, P. T. P., & Weiner, B. (1981). When people ask “Why” questions and the heuristic of attributional search. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40(4), 650-663.

Wong, P. T. P., & Worth, P. (2017). The deep-and-wide hypothesis in giftedness and creativity [Special issue]. Psychology and Education, 54(3/4). http://www.psychologyandeducation.net/pae/category/volume-54-no-3-4-2017/

World Science Festival. (2014, August 22). The invisible reality: The wonderful weirdness of the quantum world. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxRfDtaot5U

The post Positive Suffering Mindset: The Key To Flourishing In Turbulent Times appeared first on International Network on Personal Meaning.

Modern human beings face many challenges, whether it be personal conflicts such as an unstable home or more widespread ones such as wars and genocides plaguing the world. Logotherapy has been increasingly found to benefit the victims of many of the world’s displaced: immigrants forcibly displaced from their homes. In 2018 alone, 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced globally (Shirin & Giménez-Llort, 2020) and, by 2023, had increased to a record 114 million people (UNHCR, 2023).

With these growing numbers, it is easy to forget that where there is suffering there is also strength. In the migration process, there is a heightened potential for a reduced quality of life through persecution and loss. Logotherapy proposes that even in extreme circumstances, at their centre, humans can remain resilient. Because logotherapy developed as a multicultural therapeutic approach, it helps to lessen anticipatory anxieties while deflecting negative inner monologues for those struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD). If a terrorist attacked a migrant on public transit, for example, it is understandable that the migrant may have a fear of getting back on a bus or train. However, a logotherapist would point out to their migrant client the number of times the individual used public transportation without any issues (Shirin & Giménez-Llort, 2020). This way of changing a narrative is just one example of why this approach benefits those forced into a new way of life. Embracing the past is the best way to move forward, and once that idea takes hold in someone, rapid growth can follow!

Logotherapy’s foundation of personalizing a shared traumatic experience can help individuals acknowledge the trauma but not dwell on it. In this way, immigrants can release themselves from their trauma and become valued members of society.  For those of us who have never experienced migration-related trauma, we should be prioritizing mental health treatment so that immigrants have the opportunity to share their stories and find communities that benefit them. Not only does this help the persons in treatment find meaning despite their situation, but it helps them feel comfortable sharing their history, customs, and cultures. In this context, being human is the only stipulation for personal growth, and as humans, we should share and celebrate that!

References

Malik, L., & Khurana, H. (2023). Logotherapy: Learnings from the past and relevance in the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Indian Psychiatry, 7(3), 288. https://doi.org/10.4103/aip.aip_156_22

Rahgozar, S., & Giménez-Llort, L. (2020). Foundations and applications of logotherapy to improve mental health of immigrant populations in the third millennium. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11(451). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00451

UNHCR. (2023). Refugee Statistics | USA for UNHCR. unrefugees.org. https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/

The post Embracing Change: Logotherapy and its Impact on Immigrant Mental Health appeared first on International Network on Personal Meaning.

Peacebuilding is work on a community, national, and international level to resolve conflict and address peacebuilding strategies for human security, justice, growth, and development (Schirch, 2013). Peacebuilding includes conflict transformation on five levels: personal, relational, spiritual, cultural, and structural. Peacebuilding that includes spiritual healing and growth education leads to individuals and communities living free from fear, oppression, poverty, violence, and hate. Peacebuilding allows people to live with dignity and empowers communities to work together to improve their quality of life.

The concept of peace is dynamic and connected to experiential energy as an agent for harmony and positive change (Abi-Hashem, 2024). Facilitating peacebuilding education can be done through interviews, community meetings, and workshops that promote common ground and community (Schirch, 2013). Spiritual elements in peacebuilding education include mindfulness, compassion, awareness, gratitude, kindness, and spiritual growth. Instilling peace by drawing upon these components increases the desire for communities to respect each other, maintain group harmony, and strengthen communal goals.

Education in peacebuilding should be community-building and incorporate the humanistic values of self-worth, acceptance, mutual understanding, compassion, and respect (Bowers, 2019). These values cultivate partnerships where people maintain accountability and have opportunities for successful transformation and peacebuilding. Humanistic principles in education lead to mutual agreements and peacebuilding leading to conflict resolution and societal change. Peacebuilding strategies that promote common humanity and personal and spiritual transformation contribute to teamwork and cooperation for lasting change and sustainable peace.

Education focused on fostering spiritual healing helps people to understand the ways the world can change and promotes social justice (Lederach, 2004; Bowers, & Wong, 2018). In peacebuilding work, it is important to analyze conflict and learn what people need for conflict resolution (Lederach, 2024). Ethics and social justice are key areas people need to learn that are crucial for everyone. Some people may not feel they have the freedom to voice their concerns or feel safe to express their needs. Spiritual healing can positively impact societies and promote fairness, equality, and social justice.

Peacebuilding transcends challenges when people can develop community spirit and desire spiritual transformation for themselves and others (Lederach, 2004). Education for peacebuilding that includes compassion building can transcend areas of tension and conflict (Schirch, 2013; Neff, 2023). Through compassionate understanding, people can expand their understanding of peace, and what peace means to them as individuals and as a community. Teaching compassion through peacebuilding empowers people to have peaceful mindsets toward unity and common ground. Instilling compassion and hope is the key to conflict resolution and peaceful transformation.

Educating people on meaning-making allows people to gain new insights, share feelings of common humanity, and have faith in the future (Neff, 2023; Lederach, 2004). Peacebuilding education for meaning-making includes promoting spiritual growth, mindfulness, kindness, and compassion. Through meaning-making practice, people gain greater self-awareness, non-judgment, and openness, and develop feelings of compassion. Through community meaning-making experiences, people learn to value diversity, social justice, human rights, freedom, and peace.

Peacebuilding with a spiritual component for spiritual development opens the door to peace that transcends beyond culture and differences (Bowers, 2019) Instilling education in communities of conflict should promote spiritual development where people gain feelings of common ground with others. Spiritual development heals individuals and relationships. People begin to desire peacebuilding towards wellbeing, happiness, and a peaceful way of life. People who develop spiritually can cultivate compassion and become more open to new ideas and possibilities for change and growth.

Education for peacebuilding that teaches awareness is vital for communities. Awareness leads to mindfulness, compassion, and fostering a culture of peace. These attitudes promote community spirit and nonviolent conflict resolution and help depolarize tensions (Schirch, 2013). Teaching awareness gives people tools to consider worldviews different from their own, and the perspectives of others. This is key for people to reflect on their capacities and how they can be harnessed to help themselves and their community. Peacebuilding is successful when people learn to be aware of how they can have a positive impact as individuals and in their relationships with others.

The world needs people to mobilize towards greater harmony, solidarity, resiliency, and peace (Abi-Hasem, 2024). Peacebuilding work with spiritual elements breaks down barriers and builds bridges between people. Education that instills hope, compassion, and kindness and designs a future of peaceful living for communities. Peacebuilding efforts with education for spiritual transformation heal relationships and transcend suffering by giving people feelings of hope, meaning-making, faith, and common humanity. Peacebuilding is the path to healing individuals, relationships, and communities towards greater human flourishing.

References

Abi-Hashem, N. (2006). The agony, silent grief, and deep frustration of many communities in the Middle East: Challenges for coping and survival. In P. T. P. Wong & L. C. J. Wong (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping (pp. 457-486). Springer US.

Bowers, V. L. (2019). Transpersonal psychology and mature happiness in the context of counseling. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 1–11.

Lederach, J. (2004). Little book of conflict transformation: Clear articulation of the guiding principles by a pioneer in the field. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 74(1), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047

Schirch, L. (2013). Conflict assessment and peacebuilding planning: Toward a participatory approach to human security. Kumarian Press.

Wong, P. T. P., & Bowers, V. L. (2018). Mature happiness and global wellbeing in difficult times. Scientific concepts behind happiness, kindness, and empathy in contemporary society. IGI Global Publications.

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Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Infant Mental Health Specialist, is the Founder and Executive Director of Golden Apple Healing Arts, LLC and its Self-care and Choreosophy Institutes. She is an international expert in salutogenic healthcare and nursing science specifically focused on precision self-care, nurse-herbalism, health culture diplomacy, integrative holistic behavioral health nursing, and healthcare reform. Dr. Libster’s contributions to integrating emerging technologies and healing traditions are demonstrated by two decades of publications, unique educational programs, and inspirational events for thousands of nurses, healthcare providers, and the public on five continents.

In 2006, Dr. Libster founded the Bamboo Bridge Global Tea House in partnership with Sigma Theta Tau  International Honor Society in Nursing. Today, its World Cafés for Conversational Leadership and  Global Tea Houses continue to promote peace through international health culture diplomacy. In 2009,  Mohawk Wisdom Keeper, Mrs. Cecilia Mitchell bestowed upon Dr. Libster the responsibility of “Carrier of the Five Arrows of Hiawatha” which is the story of the Great Peacemaker whose “new mind”  peacemaking solution became the Iroquois Confederacy. She has designed and published four practice models: The Healing Relationship Model for Integrative Nursing Practice, the Cultural Diplomacy Model, the Tao of Integrative Nursing Assessment (TINA) Model, and the Elements of Care^®, which integrates her 27 years of experience in classical Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine and knowledge of the five elements with nursing science in a salutogenic-oriented, energetics first approach to care.

Dr. Libster is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Integrative Nursing and is the author of numerous journal publications, editorials, and eleven books including the award-winning Herbal Diplomats, a history of the women of the 19th-century American botanical healthcare reform movement. Her research and writing demonstrate that nurses’ historical leadership as experts in Self-care and as health culture diplomats in the creation of healing environments in partnership with plants and other elements are well-positioned to address current concerns and advance community health solutions to climate change within and without.

Currently, Dr. Libster is the Director of the state-funded Salutogenesis-Oriented Solutions  (SOS) -Youth Program in Wisconsin, a behavioural mental health workforce development program for nurses who would partner with Asian-American communities using a health culture diplomacy community mental health approach to address the high suicide rates and low sense of belonging in Asian-Wisconsin youth.  Her existentialist approach to this work led her to Viktor Frankl’s and Paul Wong’s inspiring work with youth. She is delighted to join the INPM community and hopes to have a cup of tea with members soon!

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That is when I started to pursue my study of psychology. Currently, I am a counselling psychologist trainee in a gambling addiction centre. Seeing many gamblers and their families struggling in this brutal reality, the pursuit of meaning allows individuals to endure their suffering. Alongside my pursuit as a counselling psychologist, I have also worked in the learning and development field for over 10 years. I also have an interest in human motivation and behaviours. I aspire to advocate the importance of mental wellness, particularly in the corporate field where there are a lot of suppressed emotions and hidden mental health issues. With my experience conducting hundreds of sessions on psychology and mental health, I started an initiative called Mind/Matters to increase mental health awareness in the community.

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I began my career as a training manager and consultant, eventually venturing into the fast-food industry as a store owner. A pivotal moment in my journey came when I met Dr. Brian Stiller, the World Evangelical Alliance Ambassador, who opened doors for me at World Relief Canada and Tyndale Seminary. This connection led to my role as Director of Outreach, where I focused on fundraising and building strategic partnerships.

Following a call to serve, I transitioned to the role of Lead Pastor at First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco. This position allowed me to lead a vibrant congregation, providing spiritual guidance and support to the community.

I later served as Associate Pastor at Bayview Glen Church in Toronto. This experience provided an opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals, contributing to the church’s mission and growth. My work involved developing programs and initiatives that supported the church’s vision and expanded its reach within the community.

Driven by a desire to make a broader impact, I founded Fuller Life Church in Toronto. This new endeavour created a welcoming and inclusive space for individuals seeking spiritual growth and connection. Simultaneously, I served as an adjunct professor of Leadership and Theology at Canada Christian University-College and Theological Graduate Studies. For 14 years, I shared my expertise, shaping the minds of future leaders and contributing to their academic and spiritual development.

In 2016, I sought to enhance my training, speaking, and coaching skills further. I became a Maxwell-Certified independent speaker, trainer, and coach, specializing in leadership development. Additionally, I obtained certification as a DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant and Trainer, equipping individuals with tools to understand and improve their interpersonal dynamics. I also became a licensed MBTI practitioner, helping individuals and teams enhance their personal and professional relationships.

My commitment to elevating leadership practices led me to serve as the Executive Director of the John Maxwell Leadership Enterprise. In this capacity, I endeavour to foster a culture of excellence, empowering leaders to maximize their potential and achieve extraordinary success. Implementing the proven Maxwell Methods of Leadership, speaking, training, and consulting, I help individuals and organizations cultivate their passion for growth and development.

My Friendship with Dr. Paul Wong

I first heard of Dr. Paul Wong during my time at Tyndale University and Theological Seminary. Despite our proximity, we never had the chance to engage in meaningful conversations. It was only until recently, through attending my daughter’s church—which Paul and Lillian also attend—that our paths crossed again. Paul was a founder of the mother church that birthed this current congregation, and our frequent interactions during and after church services have allowed us to develop a genuine friendship.

Our bond has grown quickly, thanks to our open, vulnerable, and transparent conversations. The warm hospitality and graciousness of Paul and Lillian have significantly contributed to the rapid growth of our relationship.

My Delight in Joining INPM

Upon Paul and Lillian’s invitation to join INPM, and after prayerful consideration, I am excited and grateful to become part of such a prestigious organization. I am committed to making meaningful contributions to INPM, leveraging my professional experience and passion for personal meaning to support the organization’s mission. I look forward to collaborating with the esteemed board members and contributing to the success of INPM.

Thank you for considering my application. I am eager to work with all members of INPM and advance our collective goals.

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Social media has become a relentless source of two things: ways you need to improve yourself, and the many accomplishments of your contemporaries. It is eroding our self-efficacy and self-esteem, especially when viewing profiles that have comparatively high activity and indicators of positive health habits (Vogel et al., 2014); it erodes life satisfaction and plunges us into increasing debt (Knight & Gunatilaka, 2009; Christen & Morgan, 2005). Yet, dopamine-driven feedback loops lure us back to those feeds, even after just a few minutes of looking away (Cutillo, 2021).

While SmartFitness technology has shown some health awareness benefits (Hosseini et al., 2023), the fact remains that social media and technology are obscuring positive, purposeful motivation to face new challenges and endeavours. Purpose-oriented psychology, originally crafted by Viktor Frankl, encourages one to seek purpose in life’s challenges and turbulent moments (Frankl, 1966). This brand of therapy, coined logotherapy, is highly effective in boosting self-esteem (Soroush, 2021), and for those in life transitions, such as parents experiencing empty-nest syndrome (Lantz, 1999) and those seeking career guidance (Schulze & Miller, 2004). Frankl envisions this pathway to fulfillment as a paradox: those focusing on happiness will find it elusive; it comes as a function of fulfilling a purpose (Frankl, 1966). Paul Wong expands on this purpose-driven psychology by emphasizing selflessness and virtue not as a direct path to happiness, but as elements to be fused with one’s purpose in life (Wong, 2017).

People engage in self-improvement journeys out of lack of confidence and aspiration to attain status. This can be a hollow, potentially harmful way to achieve self-worth and enrichment. This is a notice that, for some individuals, personal growth can resemble a static state. Rest, contemplation, and exploration of goals and purpose may alleviate the aggravation behind living at the mercy of Apple Watch stats or bank account balances. Consider trees, an archetype of growth: they often don’t move or accumulate but expand to fulfill their purpose of providing the essence of life within their ecosystem. In a society that espouses us to be tigers, lions, wolves, and sharks, perhaps boring old trees are providing us the cues to build a better world.

References

Christen, M., & Morgan, R. M. (2005). Keeping Up with the Joneses: Analyzing the effect of income inequality on consumer borrowing. Quantitative Marketing and Economics, 3(2), 145–173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-005-0351-1

Cutillo, M. (2021). Dopamine-drive feedback loops. What are they? The Outlook. https://outlook.monmouth.edu/2021/03/dopamine-driven-feedback-loops-what-are-they/

Frankl, V. E. (1966). Self-transcendence as a human phenomenon. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 6(2), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/002216786600600201

Hosseini, M. M., Hosseini, S. T. M., Qayumi, K., Hosseinzadeh, S., & Tabar, S. S. S. (2023). Smartwatches in healthcare medicine: Assistance and monitoring; a scoping review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02350-w

Knight, J., & Gunatilaka, R. (2012). Income, aspirations and the hedonic treadmill in a poor society. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 82(1), 67–81.              https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2011.12.005

Lantz, J. (1999). Meaning and the post-parental couple. Journal of Religion and Health, 38, 1.

Schultze, G., & Miller, C. T. (2004). The search for meaning and career development. Career Development International, 9(2), 142–152. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430410526184

Sheu, A., & Diamond, T. (2016). Diagnostic tests: Bone mineral density: Testing for osteoporosis. Australian Prescriber, 39(2), 35–39. https://doi.org/10.18773/austprescr.2016.020

Soroush, A., Ziapour, A., Abbas, J., Jahanbin, I., Andayeshgar, B., Moradi, F., Najafi, S., & Cheraghpouran, E. (2021). Effects of group logotherapy training on self-esteem, communication skills, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) in older adults. Ageing International, 47(4), 758–778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-021-09458-2

Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047

Wong, P. (2017). Integrative meaning therapy: From logotherapy to existential positive interventions. http://www.drpaulwong.com/integrative-meaning-therapy/

The post Standing Still: Finding Growth Through Acceptance and Purpose appeared first on International Network on Personal Meaning.

My journey toward God has led me to years of searching and reflecting through life’s daily challenges, brokenness, and joys. What has brought me to this place in my life is the depth of my life experiences and relationships. Many of those relationships have come and gone swiftly, some stayed a while before moving on, and then there have been a few that have remained close and constant. All have clarified who I am and my place in this world and supported me in my journey to self-realization (for better or worse.)

While I make every effort to live each day in gratitude and joy, the daily events in our communities and around the globe are often filled with conflict, hate, terror, and abuse that cannot be unseen or denied. Those of us who seek hope and long for world peace and harmony struggle to find those connections that lead to meaning, understanding, and compassion. A longing for that meaning has been a way of life for me and has taken on hundreds of ways both personally and in my life’s work, or what I would like to call my last 20 years of “service/ministry.”

As a woman of deep faith in God and humankind, serving the “other” supported my desire to seek connections and understanding and draw on those connections to build inner strength and empathy toward the world and the events around me. What I have learned from service/ministry, especially with young adults, is that they too are seekers of the Divine, seekers of purpose, of meaning and that they care about the “other” in such a way that they make choices to be in the world as people who will step up and be counted. They are not afraid of tomorrow but take a deep dive into “being the change that they seek in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi, 1913). Their resilience, empathy, and strength come from the “other” by reaching out and giving selflessly in love. They want to be that one person in their community and world who can be counted on to care for their neighbours. It teaches them wisdom and it opens their eyes and hearts to find their purpose. It connects them with the Divine in gratitude. Through their hope, I am hopeful; by their belief in humanity, I am a believer; and through their life force, I am ignited to live gratefully, even amidst life’s tragedies, turmoil, and disappointments.

Through the years, I have found ways to connect to the Divine through quiet moments of reflection, prayer, dialogue with self, and with soul/spirit. . . All these connections have given me hope and have increased the strength of my resilience to the world as we/I have experienced it.

Patricia J. Moran has a certificate in Spiritual Direction from a program called RUAH, Hebrew for the Breath of the Spirit. It is rooted in the desert Ammas/mothers and Abba/Father reminding each of us of the physicalness of God’s presence in the world.

Her Spiritual Direction ministry is in Brookline, PA. She is open to phone, online, or in-person sessions. pjmoran53@gmail.com, 412-334-4746

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At the last two university counselling centers I have worked at, it was protocol that every student undergo a risk assessment and have a safety plan. On multiple occasions, students I have worked with have indicated music, musicians, and concerts as reasons for living and/or part of their safety plan. “I can’t end my life because I have to see [insert artist here] in concert” has become a very common response to the question “What makes life worth living?” Many safety plans include “listening to music.”

The idea of living for “external factors” has been long debated and critiqued amongst mental health professionals. People should find meaning within themselves and not their families, friends, partners, etc. The general consensus is that the latter is not permanent and could lead to disappointment. While this may be true, does that make our relationships any less powerful? For many individuals experiencing intense suicidal ideation, finding meaning within themselves can be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Oftentimes, this connection to external things is all someone has to hold onto.

Music has been an integral part of the human experience. Much of history was originally passed down across generations through song. Hymns and chants are often central in religious ceremonies. During birthdays we sing to celebrate the passing of another year. Music permeates nearly every aspect of life. How could it not be something that makes life worth living?

Songwriters have the unique ability with their lyrics to evoke intense human emotions and experiences, which is an art of making people feel less alone. When we can’t find the words to convey our agony, anger, and loneliness, we take solace in songs. When we can’t find it in ourselves to face our greatest fears or inner demons, we can usually find comfort in hearing–in songs–how others have overcome similar obstacles.

Music is cathartic. It allows us to experience a myriad of emotions and experiences. It allows us to feel connected with others and something greater than ourselves. So, take some advice from college students–cry it out to your favorite sad song, dance your heart out in your living room, or scream the words to your favorite song while driving in your car. Life can’t be so bad if we’re singing.

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The darkest hour is a time when you meet your inner monster. It lies within everyone. The darker the hour the more vicious the monster becomes. The more vicious this monster, the more you must fight to see the light. The only thing that can defeat this monster is the belief that there is light. The monster is capable of making it dark and difficult. But as long as you believe that the light will eventually return, the darkness slowly fades away. Consistent belief in light helps shrink the monster. The monster will always be there, but you can keep it small and control it.

The best thing about darkness is it’s the source of your greatness. It’s where you lay the bricks–your foundation–of who you are. By choosing to search for light in your darkest hour, the path to happiness reveals itself. The monster, you learn, need not be scary. As we grow, we turn our thoughts to the wellbeing of others. Your path grows brighter when you help them find their own light. Now, when you look back at that split in the road during your darkest hour, you recognize it as the hour we found meaning in life!

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