Positive psychotherapy (PPT after Peseschkian, since 1977) is a psychotherapeutic method developed by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Nossrat Peseschkian and co-workers in Germany beginning in 1968. This humanistic psychodynamic psychotherapy is based on a positive conception of human nature. PPT is an integrative method which includes humanistic, systemic, psychodynamic and CBT-elements. Today there are centers and trainings in some twenty countries worldwide. It should not be confused with positive psychology.
Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) is a therapeutic approach developed by Nossrat Peseschkian during the 1970s and 1980s. Initially known as "differentiational analysis," it was later renamed as Positive Psychotherapy when Peseschkian published his work in 1977, which was subsequently translated into English in 1987. The term "positive" or "positivus" (from Latin) in PPT refers to the actual, real, and concrete aspects of human experiences.
The primary objective of positive psychotherapy and its practitioners is to assist patients and clients in recognizing and cultivating their abilities, strengths, resources, and potentials. This approach combines elements from various modalities of psychotherapy, including
a humanistic perspective on human nature and therapeutic alliance,
a psychodynamic understanding of mental and psychosomatic disorders,
a systemic approach that considers family, culture, work, and environment, as well as a practical, self-help, and
a goal-oriented five-step therapy process that integrates techniques from different therapeutic methods.
PPT is characterized by its conflict-centered and resource-oriented approach, which draws influence from transcultural observations across more than twenty diverse cultures. Positioned between manualized cognitive behavioral therapy and process-oriented analytical psychotherapy, PPT employs a semi-structured approach to diagnostics, treatment, post-therapeutic self-help, and training.
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