Does the THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing work?
 

The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing is based on ten years of implementation of the Fountain of Health tools in frontline care and in community settings.

The Thrive © Approach is grounded in the principles of (link is external)Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and (link is external)Behaviour Activation. Cognitive Therapy highlights links among our cognitions (thoughts), behaviours (actions) and mood (feelings).  Behaviour activation helps you set goals that you can meet (actions).

These are powerful, evidence-based interventions used to treat many disorders including anxiety, depression, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. These approaches can also be used effectively to promote your wellbeing and happiness.
 

The Science behind the THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing:

Happiness and Wellbeing Science
The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing utilizes Positive Psychology’s happiness science and the PERMA^TM Model of Wellbeing (link is external): Positive emotion, Engagement, positive Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments.  The THRIVE © Approach includes and expands on these areas, with two additional domains: Thoughts (Positive Thinking) and Health habits (Physical Activity and Healthy Eating). As well as promoting positive emotions, the THRIVE domain of Emotions includes management of negative emotional states, consistent with “positive psychiatry(link is external)”. Importantly, the THRIVE domain of Valued Goals also offers an effective methodology to put wellbeing science into action. “SMART” goal-setting supports behavioural activation to set goals with Meaning that can be Accomplished.

Resilience Science
The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing includes key learnings from research on resilience(link is external), or the capacity to overcome adversity, and to navigate resources that sustain wellbeing when faced with significant adversity. Domains of the THRIVE © Model of Wellbeing include key actions that have been shown to promote resilience, and sustain wellbeing in the face of adversity. For example, trusted Relationships is the single best predictor of wellbeing(link is external) across the lifespan.

Active Coping Science
The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing integrates the science of active coping or adaptive responses to serious life stresses. The (link is external)framework for active coping from the stress of serious illness was recently updated to address the stress of the (link is external)COVID-19 pandemic. The THRIVE domains encompass all three categories of active coping:  Problem-focussed coping (Health Habits and Interests; Emotion-based coping (Relationships and Emotions) and 3.  Meaning-based coping (Thoughts and Valued Goals).

Lifestyle Medicine and Longevity Science

(link is external)Preventative and (link is external)lifestyle medicine shows that 85% of chronic diseases are caused by unhealthy lifestyles . The THRIVE ©Approach to Wellbeing includes six pillars from lifestyle medicine: Social Activity (Relationships); Physical Activity and Nutrition (Health Habits); and Managing Stress, Improving Sleep and Avoiding substances (Emotions). The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing also added the domain of Thoughts (Positive Thinking) since (link is external)longevity research shows those with positive self-perceptions of aging outlive those with negative views by 7.5 years! 

Research also shows(link is external) physicians who use preventative medicine strategies themselves are more likely to use them in practice. Physicians are invited to enroll in our Thrive MD Course, and all registered clinicians can enroll in our 5-minute CBT Course through the Thrive Learning Centre to learn how to apply the approach to themselves, and in practice.

Brain Neuroplasticity Science
Neuroplasticity(link is external) is the ability of our brains to change and “rewire” in response to activities, at any age. Our daily activities and habits can change and rewire our brains. The key THRIVE domains serve to optimize brain neuroplasticity and protect the brain from negative effects of stress. Science shows that shifting our thoughts and lifestyle habits in key areas will promote our brain’s capacity to regulate emotions under stress and help us to thrive in the face of adversity. 

Behaviour Change Science 
The THRIVE © Approach to Wellbeing is grounded in the principles of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(link is external) (CBT) and Behaviour Activation(link is external) (BA), which are powerful, evidence-based interventions used to treat many disorders that can also promote happiness and wellbeing through an effective BA and CBT 3-step approach.  

Everyone is invited to register to use The Wellness App (hyperlined to app). All registered clinicians are invited to download our Health Behaviour Change Toolkit (hyperlinked to toolkit) for use in frontline care.