The Man Behind The Therapy Victor E. Frankl, And How It Works

The Gestalt approach to therapy emerged during the 1950’s and was developed by Frederick Perls (1893-1970). The aim of Gestalt therapy is to increase awareness, so that the client comes to resolution of unfinished business and the integration of the thinking, feeling and sensing processes. In Gestalt therapy the emphasis is placed on the present experience, the perception of the individual as a whole and the direct awareness of emotions and action. Gestalt therapists believe that the emotional problems and frustrations that are experienced by individuals are attributed to the lack of recognition and understanding of their own feelings. In addition to this Gestaltist believe that many individuals lose

Today we know that depression, anxiety and other psychological symptoms can contribute to physical sensations and a sense of being physically unwell and we also have an understanding of psychosomatic illness. Another important contribution was Mesmer’s recognition of the unconscious, although he did not speak of it as such. He experienced the power of the unconscious in that he contributed to the discovery of the hypnotic state, which can be a powerful therapeutic tool in therapy. Although he was labeled a fraud on the basis that there was no proof that he had discovered a new physical fluid, it is an important finding just the same that his clients were cured on the basis of suggestion. This is important in terms of how the psychological relates to the physical. Another contribution to psychology is that Mesmer sought to be both a scientist and a practitioner, and that this model of the dual role of a therapist is important for therapists working in psychology today. Finally, Mesmer mentored an important figure in the history of psychology who recognized that the belief in the efficacy of cure, desire to cure and the therapeutic relationship were fundamental factors in successfully working with clients in therapy. These beliefs are central to the practice of clinical psychology in our world today. There is no doubt that Mesmer is a curious figure in the history of psychology. He contributed to

This paper will carry out a comparative analysis of the two most important psychological therapies, the Adlerian Therapy and the Gestalt Therapy.

Freud’s interest in unconscious ideas was sparked in France after watching demonstrations by Jean-Martin Charcot and Hippolyte Bernheim. Charcot showed that hysterical conditions like “glove anesthesia” and blindness without a scientific cause could be cured (though often temporarily) through ideas and suggestions. The idea on the part of the patient that he cannot see or feel his hand or any other number of things can be reversed by the hypnotist’s command to do whatever he believes he cannot. His demonstrations showed that the afflicted were not suffering from a problem in the brain, but rather in the mind.

Wood, A. (2004). Alfred Adler’s treatment as a form of brief therapy. The Journal of contemporary psychotherapy. 33 (4), 287-301.

This document will explore the fundamental principles that confirm the importance of Frankl’s, Existential Theory and Logotherapy.

Comparison is utilized to adapt psychological concepts to everyday life. Frankl begins explaining the uses of logotherapy with parallelism, stating, “There are people, however, who do not interpret their own lives merely in terms of a task assigned to them but also in terms of the taskmaster who has assigned it to them,” (Frankl, 132). This statement connects non-religious and religious aspects together, showing that the meaning of life may be from different sources, but come across as the same message. Shortly after, Frankl uses a creative metaphor to explain the purpose of a logotherapist. He writes, “the role played by a logotherapist is that of an eye specialist rather than that of a painter. A painter tries to convey to us a picture of the world as he sees it; an ophthalmologist tries to enable us to see the world as it really is. The

There are several factors that contributed to the length of therapy. First, the referred patient, Melvin Frankl, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. He was described by the therapist as “seriously disturbed.” Melvin had delusions and “word salad” speech. In the first year of therapy, Melvin filled every conversational space with “nonsense factoids, cliches, and redundancies.” As far as the reader knows, the therapist did not attempt to control Melvin’s “word salad” until 1990, six years after Melvin’s first visit. When asking Melvin what he wanted to get from counseling, he responded with ambitious goals. He wanted a high school diploma, he wanted to get married, and go to college. Melvin have goals that would require hard work, time, and patience. Another reason therapy took so long could have been from the number of physical and mental disabilities the family had. As I’ve already mentioned, Melvin was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which could have been genetically acquired. Melvin’s father, Jacob, was fearful of the military, which he believed was in cahoots with other federal agencies. In particular, he believed the FBI was searching his garbage for evidence. This is a sign that not only is Melvin experiencing delusions but so is his father. Margot, Jacob’s second wife, suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, and migraines. These mental and physical disturbances needed to be address by a psychiatrist and/or medical doctor, which meant that not all of the

In this Fascinating book Love’s Executioner and other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom, we can appreciated different techniques used in a session of Psychotherapy, this book was easy to read and understand and especially it was very addictive, making it the perfect tool and inspiration for psychology students who are starting to appreciate this career more deeply. There are ten different cases offered in this book, some patients share similar symptoms but still have different mental dysfunctions. Out of the ten cases I picked three:

I have always been thrilled by what goes around in people’s minds, but it was at the age of fifteen that I was first attracted to the field of psychology and particularly to clinical psychology. It was mainly because I read my favorite book When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin Yalom. This novel had a personal impact on me, as someone I know was dealing with depression, migraines, insecurities and suicidal tendencies same as happens so in the book’s characters.

In Treatment’s Dr. Paul Weston appears to largely use psychodynamic theory during his sessions with Sophie, the teenaged gymnast who is seeing him after an accident which is believed to have been a potential suicide attempt. However, as is the case with most therapists, Paul does not focus solely on psychodynamics when treating Sophie, drawing on the universal qualities of all therapists as well as some cognitive techniques. There are several instances of this unique blend of techniques throughout Sophie’s episodes, as well as the continual theme of psychodynamics that seems to be Paul’s main practicing theory.

Irvin Yalom (2012) initiates thought-provoking moment after thought-provoking moment in his work, “The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients.” There is an authentic yet profound air in Yalom’s work and in his recorded therapy. It would be difficult to sum up the importance of what Yalom addresses in one paper, but I will attempt to note the parts of Yalom’s writing which stood out most to me. I hope to cover Yalom’s thoughts on avoiding diagnosis, letting the patient matter, using the here and now, therapist transparency, feedback, and freed & responsibility as in-depth as possible. Moreover, I hope to address how these thoughts will impact my own approach to therapy and how they interact with my faith.

The antagonists in this book are his patient from whom he elicits permission before using them. The author uses scenarios from some of his therapy sessions to evoke alertness in his audience as well as to provide a practical framework with which they can relate or be guided as therapists or future therapists.

Viktor
 Frankl
 and
Sigmund
 Freud, are two
of the most significant
 psychological
 philosophers
 of
 our time. They, have
 formed
 powerful
 perceptions
 concerning
 the
 role
 of
 culture, humanity, and
 the
 healing
 method. Even though
 Frankl
 and
 Freud
jointly
 experienced
 misery
 within
 their
 own
 existences
 and
 equally
 observed
 dramatic
 socio‐political
 alterations
 within
 the
 premature
 twentieth
 century, they eventually came to adopt completely different psychological concepts.

Viktor Emil Frankl was born on March, 26th 1905, at Czeringassa 7, in Leopoldstadt, in Vienna Austria, where Sigmund Freud and Alfred Alder also grew up (Klingberg, 2014). He was the middle child out of three children. His older brother, Walter was two and a half years older, and his younger sister, Stella, was four years younger. His mother was Elsa Frankl, was a polish woman from Prague with a gentle manner. His father, Gabriel Frankl, had been a hard working man who was the Director of Social Affairs (Redsand, 2006). By the time Frankl was four years old he knew he wanted to be a doctor and he pursued that interest while into high school. He took classes focused on psychology and philosophy. He began corresponding with Freud when he was