November-December 2021: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine — Have you tapped into Flow Zone? In this issue of BeInkandescent.com, we help you do just that by learning from the leaders in the world of Positive Psychology.

I had the privilege of attending Claremont Graduate University (CGU), one of two US universities specializing in the curriculum. A founder of the program was world-renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the classic work on achieving happiness, “Flow.” He taught us that the best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. Instead, the best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.

We honor his work and legacy in our cover story. You’ll learn more about “Flow” and how it became a cultural touchstone — thanks to a beautiful tribute by Michelle Bligh, CGU’s chairman Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences
School of Social Science Policy & Evaluation.

In this issue, you’ll also discover work by some of the prestigious professors teaching at CGU, including:

• Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D., the Principal Investigator for the Adolescent Moral Development Lab and a Professor of Psychology in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Claremont Graduate University. She shares her research on the relationship between purpose and healthy growth.
• M. Gloria González-Morales, Ph.D., a professor at CGU in occupational health and positive psychology, and the co-founder of the Centre for Workers’ Health and Well-Being. We know you’ll enjoy her essay: “Can Scholarship Be More Feminine?”
• Stephen Gilliland, Ph.D., a professor in CGU’s Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences. With his brother Jim Gilliland, he has authored a new book bound to be a bestseller, “Pushing Up: What Twelve Months of Physical Challenges Taught Two Brothers About Connection Leadership and Purpose.”

That’s not all!

• You’ll also meet Dr. Martin Seligman, a dear friend and longtime colleague of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. At the University of Pennsylvania, Seligman runs the other preeminent positive psychology program in the country. We know you’ll enjoy learning about his PERMA™ theory of well-being, which is an attempt to answer fundamental questions using five building blocks that enable flourishing using techniques to increase each (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment).
• Last but certainly not least, we introduce you to the remarkable work of Dr. Candace Pert, author of the groundbreaking book Molecules of Emotion. Her pioneering research on how the chemicals inside our bodies form a dynamic information network linking mind and body is not only provocative but revolutionary. I was turned on to her influential research as a student this year at Bodymechanics School of Massage Santa Fe. Her work is indeed an essential component to connecting and helping the body and mind heal. Click here to read all about it.

Before you peruse all the articles in this issue, I want first to introduce you to the grandfather of the field: Dr. Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning and founder of logotherapy.

About Viktor Emil Frankl (March 26, 1905—September 2, 1997) and his influential book, Man’s Search For Meaning: It is a tiny tome that fits in the palm of her hand yet has the power to change your life. That’s the legacy of Viktor Frankl’s 1946 book, which chronicles his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

While interned, he came up with a psychotherapeutic method that involved identifying that a purpose in life will help you feel positive; then, he immersively imagined that outcome. According to Frankl, the way a prisoner imagined the future affected his longevity.

The book intends to answer the question, “How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?” Part One constitutes Frankl’s analysis of his experiences in the concentration camps. Part Two introduces his ideas of meaning and his theory called logotherapy. At the time of Frankl’s death in 1997, his book had sold more than 10 million copies and was translated into 24 languages.

The Austrian neurologist worked as a psychiatrist and philosopher and gained notoriety after the war when he began practicing logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life meaning as the central human motivational force. Part of existential and humanistic psychology theories, logotherapy was recognized as the third school of Viennese Psychotherapy. The first school was created by Sigmund Freud and the second by Alfred Adler. Frankl went on to publish 39 books. Click here to learn about this truly remarkable man.

As always, we thank you for your time, attention, and support. In a world that seems to get more complicated each day, the work of these positive psychologists is not just a gift but an essential component to living well, come what may. Here’s to your Inkandescent life. May you experience it with health and wellness. We’ll see you in the new year! — Hope