Logotherapy, or how having meaning can save your life.

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The light in a concentration camp

In 1942, during Nazi Germany, after being violently separated from his wife, a man arrived at the Auschwitz concentration camp who, at first glance, might have seemed like any other man. However, the man who would be called prisoner number 119,104 had something special. A psychiatrist and neurologist by profession, Viktor Frankl viewed what was happening around him from a different perspective (it is worth noting that in the camp, he was just another prisoner; the Nazis did not consider him a health professional). He documented, as best he could, what was happening to the psychology of the people around him. During his stay, one thing stood out to him: it was not cruelty or apathy that ultimately stripped people of all hope in the camp, but rather the lack of meaning.

Stripped of their personal belongings, their families, and their freedom of movement, people were left, as Viktor Frankl would say, with their bare existence. However, even with nothing, some (including him) managed to persevere, withstand humiliations, beatings, cruelty, and the winter cold. This last point deeply caught the psychiatrist’s attention, who noticed that those who persevered, who did not give up, had something in common: a meaning, a motivation that fueled hope. In Viktor’s case, his motivation was to reunite with his wife, holding onto the hope that she was still alive.

After his stay in the Auschwitz concentration camp, Viktor Frankl concluded that the “meaning” of human existence is as important as, or even more important than, existence itself. Based on his observations, he developed logotherapy, a psychotherapeutic method that asserts the most important thing for patients is to find the meaning of their existence. Having a motivation is the most powerful fuel a human being can have; it is a balm for wounds and a shield against life’s adversities.

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If you’re interested in learning more about this story, here’s a link where you can find this excellent book

(click on the image).

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In Search of Meaning: The Light at the End of the Tunnel.

Maybe you’re going through a tough time today, maybe you think there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. But let me assure you, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. What’s important is to fix your eyes on it and not look to the sides, much less behind.

You might be thinking that I say this from the comfort of my desk, but I write this while living through a divorce, an unfair dismissal, and a deep depression. When I say there is light at the end of the tunnel, I don’t say it because my life is full of light, but because even with eyes clouded by tears, I lift my eyes and move toward it. For me, the light is my son (and the one on the way). My light is wanting, someday, to give my parents and grandparents what they never had.

Do you think you don’t have light at the end of the tunnel? I know, it’s a temptation that often comes to our minds. But when it invades you, close your eyes and think about what you want to fight for. A better version of yourself, a loved one, a project, a destiny... it doesn’t matter. Once you see it, keep it and don’t lose sight of it. When darkness visits you again, close your eyes and evoke that light once more.

In the darkness, you are not alone; there are many of us. However, think that one day, you will be light again, and just as we do with Viktor’s story, maybe someone will do it with yours, and you will be an inspiration to others who walk through the valley of tears. The light is there, I promise you, seek it out.