What Are the Benefits of Activity Therapy?

Significance therapy (Logotherapy) is a psychological treatment method that focuses on guiding the patient to find and discover the meaning of life in treatment strategies, establish clear life goals, and face and control life with a positive attitude. This method was advocated by German-American psychologist Frank VEFrankl (1946).

Chinese name: Meaning therapy
Foreign name: Logotherapy

Advocate: Frank VEFrankl (1946)
Applied discipline: psychology

Origin of Meaning Therapy

Viktor E. Frankl is a well-known Austrian psychiatrist and psychologist. This treatment method is based on the philosophy of existentialism. Frank believes that "a person is a whole that is a combination of physical, psychological and spiritual needs. The satisfaction of physiological needs makes people exist, and the satisfaction of psychological needs makes people exist. People are happy, and the satisfaction of spiritual needs makes people have a sense of value. "The exploration and pursuit of the meaning of life and life is the basic spiritual needs of human beings, and what people are pursuing is neither Freud's will for pleasure nor Adelaide. Le said the will to seek power, but the will to pursue meaning (that is, Will to meaning). While some people are seriously ill, terminally ill, or suffer from life frustration, when they are lonely or the environment changes, they often feel that they have lost their life goals, are confused about the meaning of life, and have the psychological obstacles of existence of frustration or emptiness . Shows boredom, pessimism, or disorientation about life.

Meaning therapy is used to solve the problem of frustration and help people find and discover the meaning of life. Therefore, the purpose of meaning therapy is to enable the helper to discover and discover the meaning of his own life. The most important thing is to change the attitude and way of life. Keep pursuing the meaning of life. ^[1]

Scope of meaning therapy

Meaning therapy is suitable for intentional neuropathy. Frank called the state of lack of meaning in life as intentional neuropathy. People living with this disease lacked meaning, purpose, and purpose. Meaning therapy is particularly suitable for patients who appear depressed, empty, confused, and hopeless for various reasons. In addition, meaning therapy is also effective for neurosis and psychiatry with mental problems. In the treatment of these conditions, meaning therapy is not concerned with symptoms or psychological pathogens, but with patients.

Basic Propositions of Meaning Therapy

Frankel believes that human existence is composed of three levels: physical, mental and spiritual. The spiritual level is the highest level of human existence. Meaning therapy consists of three basic hypotheses that are interconnected: freedom of will, meaning will, and meaning of life.

Freedom of Meaning Therapy

Frankel believes that everyone is free, but at the same time, human freedom is limited. Humans are always constrained by many factors such as biology, psychology and social culture. Under such circumstances, freedom of will manifests itself as People can choose their own attitudes and positions. He opposes pan-determinism, denying that people are completely determined by instinct, heredity or environment, and human psychology is not free, but he believes that the spiritual level can transcend these restrictions, and the human will can transcend these restrictions. basis. He believes that human beings have spiritual freedom, freedom of attitude, can grasp their own destiny, and have their own unique life. Usually at the critical juncture of life, people's spiritual freedom beyond reality is manifested, and freedom of meaning is experienced instantly. Frankel pointed out that people have the freedom to choose, but they also need to bear the responsibility of the consequences of choice. People have the responsibility to realize the unique meaning of their lives. Everyone will be asked by life. Only his own life can answer this question.

Meaning therapy meaning will

Frankel believes that a complete person includes three parts: physical, psychological, and spiritual. The spiritual part is the will of a person to pursue meaning. It is active and original, and it is the basis for realizing the responsibility of life. Frankel believes that the most basic motivation of man is not self-actualization, but to discover as much meaning as possible in existence and realize more value. Meaningful will is not only good for mental health, but also helps individuals to get rid of pain and sorrow. Meaning and will belong to the spiritual level, are proactive, and are a basic human attitude to life. Finding meaning is the goal of people's lives. People's meaning of life is unique. Only by reaching things that are unique to individuals, can they satisfy their sense of meaning in life.

Meaning therapy

The question of meaning is the essence of human beings. Pursuing the meaning of life is a basic need of human existence, and it marks the essence of human existence. Frankel believes that the meaning of life has duality, including both objectivity and subjectivity. On the one hand, meaning can be found, not given, and meaning itself is realistic, which we cannot change; on the other hand, everyone The meaning of life is unique. Everyone, regardless of gender, age, or race, will have inherent meaning to life.

Ways of meaning therapy to gain meaning in life

Meaning therapy creation and work

Creation and work are about achieving creative value. People should realize the creative value from what we give to life, from our creation, and then discover the meaning of life. Work is an important way to discover the meaning of life. Work makes people's particularity reflected in their contribution to society, so that people's creative value can be realized. However, simple mechanical work is not enough. People must grasp the behind the work. Meaning and motivation. Only in this way can people realize the meaning of life in the perception of the value and meaning of work. A positive, creative and responsible attitude gives work meaning.

The value of meaning therapy to experience meaning

The second way to discover the meaning of life is related to the realization of empirical value. You can discover the meaning of life by experiencing something, such as the nature or culture of work, and especially by experiencing someone with love. Frank believes that love is a way to enter the core of deep personality. It can realize the potential of people, make them understand what they can become, what they should become, so that their original potential can be realized, and love can make people feel strong. The sense of responsibility can stimulate people's creativity. In the process of experiencing love, you can discover the meaning and value of life. Meaning therapy guides people to learn and be willing to accept love and the responsibilities that come with it.

The attitude of meaning therapy to unavoidable suffering

Corresponding to attitudes towards unavoidable suffering are attitude values. Frankel believes that the choice of man's destiny depends entirely on his spiritual attitude. Even in the face of the irresistible force of destiny, people can still choose their own attitudes and positions. By realizing the value of attitude, people can change their perspective on things. What is most important to you is to gain new insights. When people face suffering, it is important what kind of attitude people take towards suffering and how to bear suffering. Frankel believes that many symptoms are caused by bad attitudes, and these symptoms can be relieved by changing attitudes.

Meaning therapy

Frankel's specific treatment techniques such as meaningful analysis of meaning therapy, contradictory intention method and non-reflection. The characteristics of meaning therapy are: less review and less introspection, try not to emphasize the formation of all vicious cycles and feedback mechanisms, and focus on the future. On the basis of listening and empathy, as far as possible, let the visitors realize the significance of the current state of existence, or introduce them to the pursuit of the meaning of future life.

Meaning analysis

Significance analysis is mainly a treatment technique for the symptoms of mental neurosis and mental stress. Frankel believes that psychoneuropathy that arises from nerves, spirits, and the self may be caused by conflicts of values and consciousness and the ultimate frustration of discovering the meaning of life.It can help visitors find the cause and relationship that should be invested Healing with the value that should be realized, that is, helping the visitor analyze the meaning of its existence, reviving the spiritual factors of the person, so as to fully understand themselves and their responsibilities.

Meaning therapy paradoxical intention

The method of paradoxical intention is also called the method of paradoxical contradiction and the method of paradoxical intention. Paradoxical intention is mainly used for obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobia, especially for those visitors with latent anticipatory anxiety. This method can control anxiety, make people relaxed and calmly cope with the environment.The main idea is: when the visitor has some kind of psychological symptoms, advise the visitor not to fight the symptoms, instead take an action that allows the symptoms to continue. And thoughts to relieve symptoms. When the visitor stops fighting the symptoms and adopts a humorous, ridiculous attitude towards the situation, he no longer associates with the symptoms, but looks at his distance from a higher position. symptom. This breaks the vicious circle, and the symptoms disappear. The method of contradictory intentions shows that people have the ability to surpass themselves, and also have the ability to change their own bad conditions.

Non-reflective

Non-reflection is another technique of meaning therapy, which is mainly used for the treatment of excessive reflection, excessive attention, and excessive self-observation. In these conditions, visitors often worry too much about unsatisfactory behavior, which leads to distorted over-intention and over-reflection, and concentrates on self, which hinders normal behavior. In order to seek normal performance or pleasure, visitors will regard this as an end in themselves, and further strengthen over-intention and over-reflection. As a result, visitors are surrounded by a vicious circle. Non-reflective methods are used to cope with over-reflection, consciously withdrawing attention focused on this symptom, canceling their compulsive attention to a certain behavior, and making the expected anxiety and attention of the visitor separate from the behavior itself or Ego shifts to positive aspects, to external things, to more meaningful things, so that individuals are no longer bothered by anxiety. Many people are immersed in reflecting on their own problems and their negative emotions.The purpose of non-reflection is to systematically change the focus of our attention. The change in attention is the key to the change of core meaning in life. Visitors will find new meaning in life. , Establish a new life purpose, learn to discover and find the purpose and meaning of life through participating in activities.

Meaningful therapy considerations

1. The role of the healer is not to tell the visitor what special meaning they should have in their lives, but to encourage them to discover the meaning themselves.

2. When some visitors give up the original values, but do not look for new and more adaptive values to replace them, the healer should encourage the parties to try to experience life with new values.

3.Because ambitions and commitments help visitors to change their original lifestyles, they must provide adequate support during the treatment process to those who are constantly pursuing meaning and commitment.