Viktor Frankl’s theory and therapy grew out of his experiences in Nazi death camps. He saw that people who had hopes of being reunited with loved ones, or who had projects they felt a need to complete, or who had great faith, tended to have better chances than those who had lost all hope. This video is presented by Lifespan Learning Institute.
Years ago, during my studies of Psychoanalysis, Psychology and related disciplines, I was privileged to meet Dr. Frankl. He was on a speaking tour of the United States and came to my home town. After the lecture, Dr. Frankl stayed in the hall to meet people on a personal basis. I talked to him for only five minutes, but will never forget the feel of his handshake; the experience of his presence.
Dr. Frankl was a survivor of the Holocaust. He had spent over three years in a Nazi death camp and lived to tell about it. Having seen the most inhuman conditions possible, he did not lose faith that life had meaning and was worthy of living. It was this faith that guided him through the horrendous ordeal.
The main thing Dr. Frankl taught was life has meaning, and the quotes below illustrate how he endured in the worst of conditions.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
“…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 E. Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning
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