Positive Psychology is concerned with the use of psychological theory, research, and intervention techniques to understand the positive, adaptive, creative, and emotionally fulfilling aspects of human behavior. “Positive psychology is the scientific study of what enables individuals and communities to thrive” (International Positive Psychology Association, 2009).  Trauma Recovery is the ability to live in the present without being overwhelmed by the thoughts, experiences and feelings of the past.  The PERMA Model is an acronym for five key elements of happiness: Positive Emotion and Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement.

Behavioral Biases provide observable evidence that human irrationality isn’t random – we are wired in a way that makes us susceptible to predictable patterns of irrational behavior.
Behavioral economists have separated these behaviors into two main types – emotional biases and cognitive errors. Emotional biases spring from impulse or intuition, and can be difficult to correct – after all, we can’t really help the way we feel. We can, however, recognize when certain feelings occur and do our best to avoid making decisions based on feelings alone. Cognitive errors are the result of subconscious mental “shortcuts” or blind spots in the human mind. These sorts of errors are more easily corrected than emotional ones, mainly through better information and education.  Interestingly, both behaviors extend beyond individuals to the decision processes and patterns in organizations and other collective endeavors.  

Structural Biases are most often associated with systemic racism, but the underlying concept is much more general.  Just as social norms and economic opportunism in the early stages of the American democracy experiment led to legislation oblivious to the rights of those "not in the room", Algorithmic Biases today generate computer ouput that is inherently biased for a number of reasons. We feed the computer data that reflects what’s going on in society at the moment and in the past, then use it to make decisions that help determine the future. The data we use to 'train' algorithms reflect society's inequalities, so biases get baked into the algorithm.  There also is the obvious limitation of computer programmers and their implicit biases.  By contrast, Neuroplasticity offer a structural solution to human behavior biases, albeit a challenging potential remedy.  The basic idea is to provide directed information and sensory stimulation in a reinforced effort to gradually modify the neural network connections within the brain.    

Positive Psychology has been used to help individuals overcome trauma or other difficult times.  It also has much to offer healthy individuals or couples contemplating significant change, such as relocation to a different culture or entering into a marriage.  Finally, groups and organizations can benefit from the messaging and opportunity to "think different" that this approach offers.  Marjo Mitsutomi has experienced many of life's curveballs: lived on 3 continents for more than a decade each; married 3 times, surviving a death and a divorce; raising 3 children, at times alone while running a flight school and teaching fulltime at a university ...

Behavioral Biases are baked into every person and every organization.  Some are intentional and explicit, but the overwhelming majority are unintended hindrences to qualty decision-making.  Jerry Platt studied under one of the giants in the discipline, observed rampant behavioral biases among colleagues while working at a Fortune 500 firm and among faculty while serving as a dean. His focus is behavioral finance.

Structural Biases similarly are baked into most computer algorithms, and require concerted detective work to unravel, address, and reduce or eliminate.  To the extent behavioral biases are the result of missing or broken synapses in the brain, neuroplasticty can help remove them.  Bryce Kuyanuma relied on neuroplasticty to recover following and near-fatal accident and brain surgery in his youth, and today is a computer specialist.