In this lecture, Viktor Frankl reflects on mankind’s collective sense of futility, meaninglessness and emptiness. This existential vacuum, as he called it, leads to boredom — a loss of interest, and apathy — a loss of initiative, as well as to a myriad of psychological disorders. Attending solely to the compelling and presenting problems of depression, criminality and addiction, Frankl’s triad of mass neurosis, clinicians risk missing deeper underlying existential struggles.
By listening to Frankl, you will realize that our role as therapists is not to simply free our clients of imprisoning behaviors and symptoms, but to help them enhance their sense of freedom, responsibility, purpose and connection. And even with clients who have experienced part or all of the “tragic triad” of death, pain and guilt, you will more effectively help them extract and internalize a sense of meaning in their lives.
