President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan delivered a lecture as part of the Positive Psychotherapy Practitioner Training organized by the Üsküdar University Continuing Education Application and Research Center (ÜSEM). In his presentation titled “Neuroscience-Based Positive Psychotherapy,” Tarhan explained the fundamental purpose of psychotherapy and the brain’s capacity for self-programming. He emphasized that therapy is a process that reprograms the brain’s algorithms. The training program, running from October 11, 2025, to January 10, 2026, will continue to offer participants practical instruction on neuroscience-based positive psychotherapy approaches.
Held at NPİSTANBUL Hospital, the program brought together Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Prof. Oğuz Tanrıdağ, Head of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Fatma Turan, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, ÜSEM Director Bengisu Altınten, as well as faculty members and students.
“Bringing someone from negative to zero is not enough”
Tarhan noted that traditional psychotherapy focuses on bringing individuals from a “negative” to a “neutral” state but argued that this approach is no longer sufficient. “Taking a person from a negative to a neutral point doesn’t truly heal them. We can compare this to physical health: a person with a weak immune system may recover from an illness but still get sick again. The ideal approach is to strengthen the immune system itself. Similarly, in psychotherapy, the goal is not only to treat the illness but also to determine what can be done to prevent a person from becoming ill in the first place,” he said.
“Our brain is a system capable of self-programming”
Emphasizing that positive thinking activates the brain while negative thinking weakens it, Tarhan described therapy as a process of reorganizing the brain’s internal algorithms. “What we actually do in therapy is a process of reprogramming the brain. When this change becomes permanent, rewiring occurs. In psychotherapy, replacing a false belief with a true one means correcting a faulty algorithm with a healthy one. The therapist is essentially the person who organizes the brain’s software. Our brain is a system capable of programming itself,” he said.
A comprehensive educational program
The Positive Psychotherapy Practitioner Training, organized by the Üsküdar University Continuing Education Application and Research Center, continues as a comprehensive program focused on applying positive psychology-based approaches in psychotherapy. The training aims to guide therapists not only in alleviating symptoms but also in enhancing individuals’ psychological resilience and life satisfaction.
Participants are learning about the core principles of positive psychotherapy, its relationship with neuroscience, and the brain’s reprogramming processes. In addition, practical therapeutic techniques are being shared through case studies.
The training program will continue from October 11, 2025, to January 10, 2026.