Posted December 1, 2004 Book: Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy: Method of Choice in Ecumenical Pastoral Psychology Author: Ann V. Graber Wyndham Hall Press, Lima, OH, pp. 6230 An Excerpt from the Foreword: Ann Graber has written a study that can add a new chapter to our understanding of psychotherapy and its place in Western culture. The story of Sigmund Freud is well known, along with his founding with Alfred Adler of the psychoanalytic movement in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century. What is not so well-known is the role played by another Viennese psychotherapist, Viktor Frankl, whose life spanned almost the entirety of the 20th century. It is true that Frankl is known to many readers from his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, (1959), the gripping story of is survival in Nazi concentration camps. But not equally well known is the school of psychotherapy that he found which was validated by that harrowing experience. In the midst of his overwhelming suffering he had an insight into the creative capacity of the human spirit in time of crisis that Freud and the early members of his psychoanalytic circle had not directly explored. Freud, who had been trained in the medical world of Vienna, looked into the depths of the psyche of his patients and discovered there a dynamism by which the psyche — with the aid of a guide — could heal itself. In a parallel way, but drawing from a higher level, Frankl, in the midst of excruciating suffering looked deep into the human spirit and discovered there the courage not only to survive, but to live life on a higher spiritual level. It was this experience of awakening to the power and transcendence of the human spirit that has energized Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy movement that Ann Graber describes in this book. An Excerpt from the Book: A therapeutic encounter with a disheartened client can be summed up as follows: A discouraged mother, worn out and overburdened with rearing children, felt she was a total failure. When she was asked to name a worthwhile goal she had achieved at some point in her life, she couldn’t think of anything. It was pointed out to her that she was obviously well educted; she then straightened in her seat and began to tell of her long and difficult road to earn a master’s degree; how slow and arduous and – in retrospect – very meaningful it had been. With that realization, she began to see herself in a different light . . .she had succeeded in fulfilling her cherished dream to educate herself. Hope was kindled that she just might be in the long arduous phase of child rearing right now, and that eventually she would be able to look back with pride and joy, and see this as a time when she responsibly fulfilled a major life task – one day at a time. This realization restored her courage to go on. The above examples all fit into the category of creativity – giving of oneself. To be creative implies having the courage to act on a creative impulse and bring it responsibly to its fruition. The pursuit of something that is personally meaningful will result in fulfillment, in finding meaning. Table of Contents: 1. Historical Overview 2. Philosophical Roots of Franklian Theories Educational and cultural influences Greek philosophy Aufklarung (German Enlightenment) Existentialism Phenomenology 3. Logotherapy and Religion Franklian nomenclature Religion and psychology Frankl’s position on religion Logotherapy’s compatibility with religion Ecumenical and cross-cultural appeal of logotherapy Common problems brought to pastoral caregivers 4. Basic Concepts of Logotherapy Fundamental tenets of logotheory Freedom of will Will to meaning Meaning of life Dimensions of human existence Wholeness Model of integrated dimensions Help from the noetic dimension The noetic unconscious The intuitive conscience Self transcendence 5. Meaning-Centered Orientation of Logotherapy Toward a consciousness of responsibility Meanings and values Ultimate meaning, meaning of the moment Demand quality of life Ways of discovering meaning: the meaning triangle Creativity Experiences Attitude Reflections on the meaning triangle 6. Primary Methods of Logotherapy Fundamental assumption: the therapeutic relationship Summary of logotherapeutic premises Techniques employed in logotherapy Self-distancing Paradoxical intention Socratic dialogue Dereflection The dereflection group Which technique do I use? 7. Examples of Logotherapeutic Interventions Application of logotherapy in inescapable suffering The tragic triad: people in despondency The case of Lucy The neurotic triad: people in despair Katies’ despair Existential vacuum: people in doubt and confusion The case of Fr. Joseph 8. Of Special Interest to Pastoral Caregivers Provide comfort where cure is not possible Existential/phenomenological intervention The logoanchor technique Application of the logoanchor technique Pastoral trauma intervention A case study on trauma intervention A word about after-care Vital elements in logotherapeutic treatment planning Pitfalls to avoid 9. Relevant Inclusions and Comparisons American school of psychology The Psychoanalytic movement in the US. Behavior therapy and behaviorism Humanistic-existential psychology Transpersonal psychology Other noteworthy comparisons William James (1842-1910) Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) Relevance of logotherapy in today’s health care climate 10. Conclusion