Logotherapy is one of the most important and established psychotherapeutic modalities, also known as the “third Viennese school of psychotherapy.” It brings something new and unique to psychotherapy: the understanding that a person is not only a physical and psychological being but also a spiritual one, with the spiritual dimension being fundamental to the essence of humanity. By addressing the spiritual needs of individuals, logotherapy seeks to answer essential existential questions. Its techniques help individuals reflect on their own lives and personal purpose. It helps clarify our sense of meaning and awareness that we have the freedom to choose our path, even in times of hardship and suffering.
Logotherapy is a therapeutic approach that assists people in finding personal meaning in life. It is a form of psychotherapy focused on the future and on our capacity to endure hardship and suffering through the search for meaning. Psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl developed logotherapy after surviving Nazi concentration camps in the 1940s. His experiences and theories are detailed in his book, *Man’s Search for Meaning*.
Frankl believed that people are motivated by what he called the “will to meaning,” the desire to find meaning in life. He asserted that life can have meaning even in the most unfortunate circumstances and that the motivation for living stems from the pursuit of this meaning.
Frankl's meaning-centered psychotherapy is one of today’s most significant psychotherapeutic concepts. This is tied to the idea that therapy is not only directed toward solving problems or disorders. Once disorders are overcome, issues resolved, and health restored, the question remains: What should I do with my restored health? In other words, problem-focused and meaning-focused approaches must be in balanced relation.
Frankl strongly believed in empirical research and encouraged it. A systematic review of research evidence related to logotherapy, conducted in 2016, demonstrated correlations with various aspects of human life, including:
- The connection between the presence of meaning in life,
- the search for meaning in life and overall life satisfaction and happiness,
- lower meaning in life among patients with mental health disorders,
- the pursuit of meaning and the presence of meaning as factors of resilience,
- the link between life meaning and suicidal thoughts among cancer patients,
- the effectiveness of a logotherapy program for early adolescents with cancer,
- the effectiveness of logotherapy in treating depression in children,
- the effectiveness of logotherapy in reducing burnout, empty nest syndrome,
- and its correlation with satisfaction in partnerships.
"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."
— VIKTOR FRANKL, MD, PhD
