“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”
― Viktor E. Frankl.
Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy developed by psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl. In the 1940s, Frankl survived in Nazi concentration camps. In 1964, he published “Man’s Search for Meaning.” The book discusses his time in the concentration camps and elaborates on logotherapy as a psychotherapeutic method.
Logotherapy is derived from the Greek word “logos,” which refers to “meaning.” Falling under the realm of existential counselling, the core of logotherapy is the emphasis it places on the role of meaning in human life. The goal of this method is to stimulate a will to mean. (Reker, 1994)
Frankl suggested that people struggle with feelings of meaninglessness, which he referred to as an “existential vacuum”. According to him, meaning is not lacking in any of life’s circumstances. Negative facets of life such as suffering, guilt, and death can be seen with a positive lens. It is an unchangeable truth that unavoidable suffering is inherent in life. (Frankl, 1967)
Frankl upholds that life can be made meaningful in a threefold approach:
- Through what we give,
- Through what we take from the world,
- Through the stand, we take toward a circumstance that cannot be changed.
Three major techniques used in logotherapy are:
- Dereflection: Dereflection involves redirecting one’s attention from oneself or one’s own goals toward others.
- Paradoxical intention: Paradoxical intention refers to the attempt to overcome or reduce fear by anticipating that which one fears.
- Socratic dialogue: Socratic dialogue uses self-discovery to help the client understand that the solution to their problem lies within.
Logotherapy has been effective for use with depression (Bernstein et al.) and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD (Shoaakazemi et al. 2012). It has also been found to reduce symptoms of aggression and anxiety (Bahrami et. al, 2009). Further, a study suggested that the use of logotherapy significantly reduces the tendency to relapse among substance abusers (Baleguel et al, 2019).
Moreover, research suggests that logotherapy was proven to be effective in mitigating the social isolation of older people. (Maamari & Elsherbiny, 2018) It has also been successfully used in family therapy and relationship counselling (Crumbaugh & Henrion, 2004). The usefulness of logotherapy was also demonstrated in helping individuals find meaning and purpose in their experiences with applications to various mental health problems that immigrants face. (Rahgozar & Giménez-Llort, 2020).
In today’s times, as we are grappling with a pandemic, the impact it has on our current lives and its potential repercussions, existential questions are bound to arise. The life we knew with certainty has been masked with uncertainties in the form of questions we may ask, but with no definite answers. Strangely, in the last two years, most of us have familiarized ourselves with the “new normal” and therefore returning to some form of our regular lives, leads to apprehension. In accordance with the tenets of logotherapy, we must seek meaning in these circumstances. Now that the life that was known to us is no more, we must strive to find what is actually meaningful. In this way, we might be able to confront feelings of anxiety associated with the pandemic as well as our daily lives.
According to Frankl, “The meaning of life always changes but never ceases to be.”
Logotherapy emphasizes the holistic nature of human beings and emphasizes one’s capacity to find meaning in every stage of life. It communicates the inculcation of both hopes as well as realism.
– Urveez Kakalia and Niharika Bhatia.