blueflower
|
Logo Theory?Hecateh, my copy of Feel the Fear arrived this morning.
I have just come back from my counseling session and she mention a book by an concentration camp survivor who developed a theory called possibly called the Logo theory. It seems you have to imagine thinks to the extreme. If someone says you are fat you then imagine yourself becoming absurdly large with birds nesting in your hair etc. Sounds a bit odd but she thought it might appeal to my sense of humour. But she couldn't remember the title of the book or the author. Have you come across it in?
|
Hecateh
|
I'd never heard of this theory but was aware of some of the sayings of Victor Frank who was a concentration camp survivor so I checked him out.
Turns out he developed 'Logotherapy' which is defined iby Wikipaedia as the following
| Quote: | The following list of tenets represents Frankl's basic beliefs regarding the philosophy of Logotherapy:
Life has meaning under all circumstances -- even the most miserable ones.
Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering.
A short introduction to this system is introduced in Frankl's most famous book, "Man's Search for Meaning", in which he outlines how his theories helped him to survive his Holocaust experience. A follow-up to this book was written by Alex Pattakos, named "Prisoner of Our Thoughts". Pattakos worked closely with Frankl, and his goal with the book is to summarize Logotherapy in 7 core principles that can be applied to one's life. These core principles are [1]:
Exercise the freedom to choose your attitude (a freedom that can never be taken away)
Realize your will to meaning
Detect the meaning of life's moments
Don't work against yourself
Look at yourself from a distance
Shift your focus of attention
Extend beyond yourself
The human spirit is referred to in several of the assumptions of Logotherapy, but it should be noted that the use of the term spirit is not "spiritual" or "religious." In Frankl's view, the spirit is the will of the human being. The emphasis, therefore, is on the search for meaning, not the search for God nor any other supernatural existential being. Frankl also noted the barriers to humanity's quest for meaning in life. He warns against "...affluence, hedonism, [and] materialism..." in the search for meaning. |
I think he was a great philopher but have only ever read extracts of his work never the full book but maybe it should be next on my list.
I share with him the belief that it is perception that matters not what actually happens and a favourite quote is
| Quote: | | “The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.” |
This was said at a time when he was starving in a concentration camp and giving away to others one of the two slices of bread he was given each day I believe. It certainly puts my problems in perspective
|
Hecateh
|
Let me know how you get on with 'Feel The Fear'
|
blueflower
|
I think my counsellor may have got a bit mixed up or I got confused, as it doesn't sound too much like the description you have just given but she did say it was a long time since she had read it, and she was talking about a few different books. I think it sounds very worthy but a bit advanced for me. I'll give Fear of Flying ago. Thanks for taking the trouble to look it up for me.
Hope the course you are running at short notice is going well.
|
angelfruit
|
Frankl - Man's Search for Meaning (Think that's what it is called).
I am fairly convinced that I have this one with my "keepers" books at my Dads house. If you would like to borrow it, please pm me your address. I remember feeling deeply inspired by it and quite outraged with myself. Almost "how dare you feel miserable, when true misery is witnessed in the tales and stories contained in the book".
Love and hugs to all - Dawn x
|
Hecateh
|
Psychotherapy And Existentialism: Selected Papers On Logotherapy (Pelican S.) by Viktor E. Frankl
this is the only one on Risi at the mo
Angelfruit I wouldn't mind borrowing it. If that's ok I'll pm you my addy tomorrow. too shattered tominght Had a very busy day
|
angelfruit
|
Hec - sleep well and have a great Friday everybody x
|
blueflower
|
I would like a look at it after Hec as read it if you don't mind. I have 3 self help books on my desk to read so I will try to get though them first.
|
Hecateh
|
3 at once Blueflower. You really are ready to start putting the work in aren't you? Unless you really have a strong other preference can I suggest Feel the Fear as the first one you tackle. I think it will help you make more sense of the others.
|
blueflower
|
OK, I'll make a start on it tonight. As well as the book on Self Esteem I have also been recommended Boundless Energy by Deepak Chopra as an eastern approach to eating.
|
blueflower
|
Oh, I've got a blue flower where did that come from? :shock: It's very nice, I have been looking for one but never can across anything suitable.
|
Hecateh
|
I saw it and thought of you blueflower
Feeling a bit blue maybe but sparkling with wit and brightening up other people's lives - if you want me to remove it I will - or if there is something else you want instead please feel free to change it or pm me and let me know what it is and I'll change it
|
Guest
|
| Hecateh wrote: | I'd never heard of this theory but was aware of some of the sayings of Victor Frank who was a concentration camp survivor so I checked him out.
Turns out he developed 'Logotherapy' which is defined iby Wikipaedia as the following
| Quote: | The following list of tenets represents Frankl's basic beliefs regarding the philosophy of Logotherapy:
Life has meaning under all circumstances -- even the most miserable ones.
Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering.
A short introduction to this system is introduced in Frankl's most famous book, "Man's Search for Meaning", in which he outlines how his theories helped him to survive his Holocaust experience. A follow-up to this book was written by Alex Pattakos, named "Prisoner of Our Thoughts". Pattakos worked closely with Frankl, and his goal with the book is to summarize Logotherapy in 7 core principles that can be applied to one's life. These core principles are [1]:
Exercise the freedom to choose your attitude (a freedom that can never be taken away)
Realize your will to meaning
Detect the meaning of life's moments
Don't work against yourself
Look at yourself from a distance
Shift your focus of attention
Extend beyond yourself
The human spirit is referred to in several of the assumptions of Logotherapy, but it should be noted that the use of the term spirit is not "spiritual" or "religious." In Frankl's view, the spirit is the will of the human being. The emphasis, therefore, is on the search for meaning, not the search for God nor any other supernatural existential being. Frankl also noted the barriers to humanity's quest for meaning in life. He warns against "...affluence, hedonism, [and] materialism..." in the search for meaning. |
I think he was a great philopher but have only ever read extracts of his work never the full book but maybe it should be next on my list.
I share with him the belief that it is perception that matters not what actually happens and a favourite quote is
| Quote: | | “The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.” |
This was said at a time when he was starving in a concentration camp and giving away to others one of the two slices of bread he was given each day I believe. It certainly puts my problems in perspective |
I managed to read Frankl's book to the end and was glad to do so. It was profoundly moving and fascinating at the same time. I also love that last quote, not many people realise they have the freedom to choose their response to a stimulus. The last of the human freedoms indeed.
|
angelfruit
|
Hi Paul
I agree. I think we still have some level of control, no matter what the circumstances. They might not be the things that we would choose to control, but there is still control. x
|
Guest
|
Starting to think maybe I should read Frankl. I'm in a bit of a "feeling sorry for myself" rut - caused by pain and frustration at how little I can do at the moment.
I'm in my mid-40s, have a bad back and a "heal spur" which is a point of bone under the heal, which hurts like crazy when I walk. If I do too much, my hips sieze up in protest at having moved awkwardly to try to combat the pain!! My mother is nearly blind from 2 conditions (low pressure glaucoma and macular degeneration), and I found out on Monday that I am "extremely high risk" of developing both myself.
We moved to France with all sorts of dreams, including that I would run a small farm with sheep. I can currently not even manage to do a bit of "light weeding" let alone anything more, and the loss of this dream (which would have included a huge level of self-sufficiency in food) is very frustrating and depressing.
What I know I need to do is find a way of focusing on the positives, on what I have got, and what I can still do ... Frankl seems to have managed to do this in far more extreme conditions than my own!
|
Nannyp
|
Did you read this Vanessa?
It sounds interesting.
Did you read it Gwen?
|
blueflower
|
 I have started many a self help book but never got past the first few chapters. No staying power I'm afraid.
|
Nannyp
|
That's a shame....did someone give up on you when you were very young?
|
blueflower
|
| Nannyp wrote: | That's a shame....did someone give up on you when you were very young?
|
No, I'm the only one you has given up on me. I suppose my ex gave up on me 10 years ago when he got change of someone nearly 20 years younger than him but I wasn't exactly young then.
|
Nannyp
|
Was thinking really young...before 5 maybe?
|
blueflower
|
I can't remember much about my childhood, especially before the age of 5. I do remember falling through a trap door in the barn floor into the calf pens below when I was about three but that's about it until I went to school. But I am pretty sure no one gave up on me.
|
Nannyp
|
Pleased to hear it (about being pretty sure etc) ...
Ouch, that must have been painful! 
|
blueflower
|
I can't remember if it hurt, I think I landed on a layer of calf poo and hay. But I do wonder if that fall started my spinal problems. But I have being accident prone all my life so it could be a number of things.
|
|
|
