Logotherapy (from the Greek word logos = meaning) is a positive and highly directive form of existential therapy that involves helping the person find personal meaning in life. It is based on the premise that the main driving force behind human existence is to find a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Logotherapy is aimed at helping clients make better use of their inner or spiritual resources to cope with adversity.
Logotherapy was developed by Dr. Viktor Frankl based on his personal experiences of suffering in the Nazi concentration camps. He believed that it is possible to find meaning even in the direst of circumstances, and that by using one’s true freedom to choose a different attitude and response toward suffering, which is an inevitable part of life, one can turn hardship and suffering into achievement and accomplishment, even when one cannot change the situation.
In Logotherapy, meaning can be discovered in three distinct ways:
- Creative expression, by creating a work or accomplishing some task
- Experiencing, by experiencing something fully or loving someone
- Modifying attitudes, by changing the attitude that one adopts toward unavoidable suffering
Logotherapy has been found effective for treating many different kinds of problems, especially ones that are existential or spiritual in nature.
Logotherapy can be helpful for the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Phobias
- Panic attacks
- Guilt
- Grief/loss
- Chronic/terminal illness
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Substance use disorders
- Loneliness, isolation, feeling alienated from others
- Feelings of apathy and boredom
- Inability to experience reward and satisfaction in living
- Feeling lost or searching, without a purpose
The three main techniques used in logotherapy are:
1. Dereflection, which is used when a client is overly self-absorbed or hyper-focused on an issue or attainment of a goal.
Questions for dereflection I might ask in Logotherapy include the following:
- “Who are you here for?”
- “What do the significant people in your life need from you at this moment?”
- “What is life asking of you at this time in spite of your apathy and sadness?”
- “Looking back at your life, what are the most meaningful or significant moments you can remember?”
- “What were you doing at that time?”
- “What were your main tasks, activities, goals?”
- “Whom were you spending time with?”
- “Which past activities that you were engaged in were so absorbing that you forgot about time and everything else while doing them?”
- “In the past when dealing with difficult times, what gave you strength and courage to move on?”
By dereflecting, or redirecting attention away from the self, the person can become whole by thinking about others rather than dwelling on themselves.
2. Paradoxical intention, which involves asking for the thing we fear the most. Fear can be paralyzing, especially for those who experience anxiety or phobias. But by using humor, and even absurdity at times, the therapist encourages clients to wish for the thing they fear the most. This removes the fear from their intention and relieves the anxious symptoms associated with it.
3. Socratic dialogue, a method for self-discovery. By listening intently and pointing out specific patterns of words to clients, the therapist can help clients begin to see new meaning in them. This process allows a person to realize that the answer lies within and is just waiting to be discovered.
Logotherapy is very compatible with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and research shows it can enhance the effectiveness of CBT. Doing Logotherapy, I often assign readings and paper-and-pencil worksheets to complement the work we are doing. I may recommend reading Viktor Frankl’s classic book Man’s Search for Meaning, as well as Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work by Alex Pattakos, Ph.D., and Elaine Dundon. Both are excellent.
If any of the above symptoms or existential issues resonate with you, you would be an excellent candidate for Logotherapy. I would encourage you to contact me for a consultation to see if Logotherapy would be beneficial for you.