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Psychotherapy with Dignity

E-BookEPUBePub WasserzeichenE-Book
208 Seiten
Englisch
Elisabeth-Lukas-Archiv GmBHerschienen am09.09.2021
Founded by Viktor E. Frankl, logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that has proven itself over decades - through periods of war and prosperity - to work for the happiness and mitigate the unhappiness of all sorts of people. It has an impressive track record of success. It helps people to remain mentally supple in crisis situations and opens up new possibilities for discovering meaning. Its sophisticated methods all rely on the inalienable dignity of the unique person - who is trusted, in the interplay of freedom and responsibility, to outgrow his or her own problems and weaknesses. In this book, two experts in logotherapy report on their experiences. Through real case histories and expert discussion, readers discover for themselves just how beneficial this form of psychotherapy can be.

Univ.-Prof. h.c. Dr. phil. habil. Elisabeth Lukas ist Schülerin von Viktor E. Frankl, Klinische Psychologin, appr. Psy-chotherapeutin, Supervisorin, Referentin, emerit. Dozentin im Fach 'originäre Logotherapie nach Viktor E. Frankl', Autorin zahlreicher Fachbücher, die in 18 Fremdsprachen übersetzt worden sind. Diverse Ehrungen seitens Universitäten und der Stadt Wien für ihre Verdienste um die Weiterentwicklung und Verbreitung des logotherapeutischen Gedankengutes.mehr
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Produkt

KlappentextFounded by Viktor E. Frankl, logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that has proven itself over decades - through periods of war and prosperity - to work for the happiness and mitigate the unhappiness of all sorts of people. It has an impressive track record of success. It helps people to remain mentally supple in crisis situations and opens up new possibilities for discovering meaning. Its sophisticated methods all rely on the inalienable dignity of the unique person - who is trusted, in the interplay of freedom and responsibility, to outgrow his or her own problems and weaknesses. In this book, two experts in logotherapy report on their experiences. Through real case histories and expert discussion, readers discover for themselves just how beneficial this form of psychotherapy can be.

Univ.-Prof. h.c. Dr. phil. habil. Elisabeth Lukas ist Schülerin von Viktor E. Frankl, Klinische Psychologin, appr. Psy-chotherapeutin, Supervisorin, Referentin, emerit. Dozentin im Fach 'originäre Logotherapie nach Viktor E. Frankl', Autorin zahlreicher Fachbücher, die in 18 Fremdsprachen übersetzt worden sind. Diverse Ehrungen seitens Universitäten und der Stadt Wien für ihre Verdienste um die Weiterentwicklung und Verbreitung des logotherapeutischen Gedankengutes.
Details
Weitere ISBN/GTIN9783000666933
ProduktartE-Book
EinbandartE-Book
FormatEPUB
Format HinweisePub Wasserzeichen
FormatE101
Erscheinungsjahr2021
Erscheinungsdatum09.09.2021
ReiheLiving Logotherapy
Reihen-Nr.3
Seiten208 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
Dateigrösse612 Kbytes
Artikel-Nr.10132156
Rubriken
Genre9201

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe



Case Studies from a Logotherapist's Practice

(Elisabeth Lukas und Heidi Schönfeld)

Introduction

Lukas: In 2005, as the controversial topic of active euthanasia was under debate, Jansen-van der Weide and Onwuteaka-Philipsen carried out a number of surveys in the Netherlands. One of the topics explored was the reasons given by sufferers of serious illness for seeking help to die.2 The result was unexpected. Depression was a factor for only 7% of the respondents, and 30% of the respondents, less than a third, cited the fear of pain. The most common reason for wanting to die was the futility of suffering , given by 67% of the respondents. This was closely followed by a fear of degradation , in other words, a loss of dignity, mentioned by 65%. The researchers were astonished to find that most of the factors that rob seriously ill patients of a will to live cannot be addressed by medical treatment and palliative care alone.

I have mentioned this study because experience of healthy people or those who merely suffer from mental health disorders shows that their ability to affirm life fundamentally depends on the following two conditions: they need to be able to 1. see meaning in their life despite all their difficulties, and 2. be aware of their unconditional value and personal dignity. If either of these conditions is satisfied, there is a much greater inhibition threshold towards endangering one's own (or someone else's) life, sabotaging it, shortening it, or plunging into a whirl of instant gratification without considering the consequences. Responsible existence requires a horizon of meaning and values.

There is a field of psychotherapy that specialises in meaning and personal dignity, and this is the logotherapy of Viktor E. Frankl. It begins with the axiom that there is no situation in life, no matter how complicated, that does not offer the possibility of meaning, and that no human being, whether unborn, disabled, terminally ill or otherwise is without a human spirit that puts them on a spiritual level with all other human beings. Building on these principles, Frankl developed a system of psychotherapeutic concepts that offer a psychotherapy with dignity that is unique amongst the myriad treatment options that exist today. A number of poignant case studies reported by Heidi Schönfeld, which are reproduced in this book with my comments, bear witness to this.

What I myself was able to learn directly from Frankl in my training as a psychologist, I passed on by teaching others. Dr. Heidi Schönfeld is one of my former students; one of whom I am very proud. She continues faithfully in the tradition of Frankl's thought, which is why it is an honour for me to be admitted into her therapeutic practice in the following pages to look over her shoulder in her life-changing work. I am convinced that the readers of this book will also be fascinated to look over her shoulder . If they are nonspecialists, they will be able to use some of the healing methods for their own benefit. If they are specialists, they may be inspired to engage intensively with Frankl's specialist writings.

We live in times of great unrest and increased disorientation. To reflect on the essence what it means to be human, and to listen to the inner voice within us that knows and proclaims what is meaningful in every situation, gives us a spiritual grip that can carry us through any turbulence. It is impossible to prevent fate from raining blows down on us, whether as individuals or as whole communities, but how we deal with them is in our hands, and for us alone to decide.

Our dignity is rooted in this ultimate freedom ; it is our task to make sensitive use of it in harmony with our values. If this one thing is remembered after reading this book, this more than justifies the collaborative efforts of my colleague and myself.

Dealing with Self-Pity

Lukas: There are a number of popular sayings that express how easy it is to focus on other people's mistakes - as through a magnifying glass - while one's mistakes are swept under the carpet. That is why you should sweep in front of your own door first and remove the plank in your own eye before the speck in your brother's eye . The prevalence of sayings like this suggests that the idea has a long tradition. Although it conflicts with the widespread idea that wellbeing primarily involves taking care of oneself, many people have a habit of examining and complaining about the weaknesses and failures of the people around them. This is probably not done out of genuine interest in other people, but in order to make oneself appear better by comparison, and so that the blame for one's own reactive weaknesses and failures can be gracefully shifted onto others.

There is a high price, however, for appearing better and less blameworthy. It is actually a double price. First, the hidden ethical yardstick of our personal conscience is difficult to fool. It flutters between faith and skepticism when we tell it about the villains all around us, who deserve nothing but resentment and rejection. It lets much unkindness pass without reproach, but it is never 100% convinced by our complaints and accusations. In its spiritual depths it senses that we are sweeping something under the carpet or ignoring the plank in our own eye, and it has to be violently hammered down for this sense to be driven away.

Second, the psychic effect of self-pity is to spread emptiness into one's own life like a cancer. A preoccupation with blaming other people, finding fault with their actions, reproaching them, and seeing their objectionable behaviour as the cause of one's own circumstances of existence, leaves few resources for determining one's own way of life. People who see themselves as a sacrifice to their circumstances allow themselves to be led like a lamb to the slaughter, rather than evading the blows of fate. Even in the absence of such blows, they wait and cower, wailing about the injustices of a world full of blows waiting to fall. How can they see that the world is full of opportunities and possibilities for meaning if they never even enter it?

We see cases of these kinds all the time in psychotherapeutic practice.3 Whether it was a family member that first led them to the slaughterhouse, or whether they found their own way there for some distorted reason, they now cower there, waiting for the bad things that they expect to come. It requires considerable effort to encourage them to leave this place of immolation - which often exists only in their imagination.

Schönfeld: Mrs G, a 48-year-old patient, came to see me. She immediately let out a great succession of sighs: she can no longer cope with her life because everyone makes her life so difficult. Everyone means, above all, her family. Mrs G had approached a psychotherapist years ago for advice, but the discussions had not helped her at that time. Given her family, not even a therapist could have thought of anything helpful, she says. Who knows what the therapist said, but there is no need for this intemperate and unending complaint. So I try to limit the time I devote to her sense of injury. Selfpity is a quality that must not be allowed to grow wild, otherwise it suffocates like a creeper.

Mrs G begins by describing her relationship with her father, which has become completely awful. She tells me that the 78-year-old gentleman has recently remarried and has hardly spoken to her since. He takes a lot of short trips with his adventurous wife. He has also updated his house and replaced the vegetable beds in the garden with flower beds. It certainly no longer looks like her family home as she knows it, now that his new wife has decorated everything so stylishly. When I ask how much Mrs G is still making contact with her father and his wife, she pours out a flood of criticism. It wouldn't be any good now! is the essence of this outburst. Her father doesn't care about her problems at all, he is no longer like a father to her. My goodness, I think, she is middle aged, he is an old man. How much more 'fatherhood' does she require from him?

Mrs G complaints are not to be stopped, however: her whole family is so difficult. She only sees her younger brother a few times a year when he invites her to his children's birthday parties. They don't talk much, because the brother always has a lot to do, but at least they treat one another with respect. This contrasts with her relationship with her older sister, who has been jealous of her since she was a child. Her sister cannot stand to be criticised. She is overactive and highly involved in the city's art scene, which keeps her very busy. For years, she has had no time at all for Mrs G. For her birthday, she sent her a very pretty art postcard, but it only had the briefest of messages. She did not even call. When Mrs G wrote to her sister at Christmas two years ago to say how hurt she felt, she only got an angry email message in reply. Since then, Mrs G has completely cut off relations with her sister. So apart from seeing her brother at her nephews' birthday parties, she is completely alone.

Lukas: If you yourself feel stuck in an empty life, it takes enormous generosity to allow your loved ones and fellow human beings to enjoy lives full of meaningful projects! The difference is especially hard to accept when it comes to one's own family. This woman's father is cherishing his new wife, enjoying his travels, and creating...

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Autor

Univ.-Prof. h.c. Dr. phil. habil. Elisabeth Lukas ist Schülerin von Viktor E. Frankl, Klinische Psychologin, appr. Psy-chotherapeutin, Supervisorin, Referentin, emerit. Dozentin im Fach "originäre Logotherapie nach Viktor E. Frankl", Autorin zahlreicher Fachbücher, die in 18 Fremdsprachen übersetzt worden sind. Diverse Ehrungen seitens Universitäten und der Stadt Wien für ihre Verdienste um die Weiterentwicklung und Verbreitung des logotherapeutischen Gedankengutes.
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