Need for the therapy
In the modern mechanized world, stress is inevitable. People face stress in all phases of their lives. Stress affects physical and mental health and leads to various psychosomatic disorders such as, migraine, backache, heart disorders, essential hypertension, diabetes, asthma etc. Stress also results in psychological disorders, such as acute stress disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, depression, anxiety disorders.

Introduction
Positive therapy is a package, combining the Western Techniques based on the Cognitive Behaviour Therapies and Eastern Techniques based on Yoga. Positive therapy had its inception in 1978. Hemalatha Natesan, who evolved the therapy, has been using the therapy successfully on clients with varied problems. After 20 years of successful implementation of the therapy, the author has made it a full-fledged one, in the year, 1998. A number of researches have been carried out by the author in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, proving the efficacy of Positive Therapy.

Assumption
Any behaviour problem is due to the way an individual perceives himself, the situation, the people around and his future. Hence, the perception of a situation or a person as a problem is due to one's own PERCEPTION, rather than the actual situation or the person. A person with negative perception will also have negative thoughts. Negative thoughts lead to negative beliefs, which are more often irrational. These negative beliefs, in the long run, affect a person's mental health, as well as physical health.

Aim
Positive therapy aims at modifying negative thoughts, beliefs, emotions and behaviour by using a number of techniques. It is assumed that when negative thoughts are replaced by positive thoughts, the individual becomes more realistic and reasonable in his/her perception.

Focus
The focus of the therapy is on the PRESENT.

Strategies
Positive Therapy has four major strategies, namely, Relaxation Therapy, Counselling, Exercises and Behavioural Assignments.
Relaxation Therapy involves three steps namely, Deep Breathing Practice, Relaxation Training and Auto suggestion.
Counseling involves, Rational Emotive Therapy, Thought Stopping, Symptom Stopping, Cognitive Restructuring and Assertiveness Training.
Exercises include, Tension Releasing Exercise, Smile Therapy and Laugh Therapy.

Duration
Positive therapy requires one hour per session. Depending upon the severity of the problem of the client, the number of sessions required may range between 2 to 20.

Problems that can be treated
Fear, anxiety, anger, stress, inferiority, depression, aches/pain, insomnia, menstrual problems of girls, academic problems, adjustment problems, pre-marital/marital/ family problems and suicidal ideation.

Action Research
Researches conducted by the following authors have proved the efficacy of Positive Therapy in different areas.

• Management of anxiety through Positive Therapy in X Standard students facing public examination (Natesan & Sujeetha, 2002).
• Management of stress in essential hypertension patients (Natesan & Poornima, 2001).
• Management of stress in CHD patients (Natesan & Menon, 2001).
• Management of anxiety in patients facing major surgery (Natesan & Saktheswari, 2001).
• Management of pain in Migraine patients (Vijayalakshmi & Lavanya, 2001).
• Anger management in essential hypertension patients (Natesan & Priyadarshini, 2000).
• Management of pain (Natesan & Sridevi, 2000).
• Management of the problems of the elderly living in the institutions (Vijayalakshmi & Hema, 2000).
• Management of anxiety and menstrual problems of girls (Natesan & Vanitha, 1999).