What sets Logotherapy apart as a coaching approach is its recognition of our spirituality. Victor Frankl the author of Logotherapy, portrayed the human being as three dimensional consisting of somatic, psychic and spiritual (noetic) domains. These three dimensions penetrate each other completely and are interrelated. The somatic plane is simple to understand. It contains all our biological-physiological body functions. The psyche is seen as containing our emotional states, moods, sensations, drives, instincts, desires and passions. What makes us different from animals is our spiritual or noetic domain. This is the sphere in which resides our power to take a stand despite circumstances, our independent will, artistic interests, humour, creativity, religious and ethical sensitivities, understanding of values and ability to experience love. The spiritual domain is distinct from the psyche and the most powerful place from which to navigate through life. According to Logotherapy we take our direction from our spiritual core, and towards it. We can only fully understand our humanness when we consider the spirit. This essence that makes us human must not get entangled in the web of psychic and physical drama. From the spiritual domain we receive a calling to what is right in any given moment.
The role of the logotherapist
(or coach) is to help a client uncover that spiritual voice by untangling the
obstructions they put up for ourselves. Logotherapy do not disregard the
psycho-social and physical dimensions, in fact it encourages us to orientate
ourselves towards those domains from the vantage point of the spirit and
correct a psychic dysfunction or somatic suffering. Someone who struggles with
what others are thinking, is listening to the ego and matters of thoughts and emotions.
Someone who is struggling with what is meaningful, is listening to a calling
from the spiritual. As a forward looking approach, Logotherapy’s central
premise is built on the meaning of life, the recognition of meaning as our
greatest quest, and our spiritual freedom to choose. Frankl’s psychiatric credo held that the human being is always capable of making a choice.
Logotherapy recognises
that every individual is unique with a unique capacity to respond to life. When
coaching someone, one never knows when this awakening to meaning may happen. The
coach facilitates this realisation through the astute use of the correct tools
and techniques. We know not when that hour will come. One meaningful moment can
retrospectively fill a whole life with meaning. Frankl was fond of saying that
the major question we should ask is not “What do I want from life?” but “What
is life asking of me now?” To which each us has a unique response. It is
the task of the logotherapist to help clients realise the magnitude of that
life task. Are
we actively wanting, or passively waiting on meaning? The demand quality of
life takes no prisoners. The bigger questions in life present themselves
deliberately and persistently. And the style of a Logotherapy session can be
equally provocative. Frankl describes the difference between
psychoanalysis and Logotherapy as follows: In psychoanalysis, the client lies on a couch and speaks
of things that are difficult to talk about. In Logotherapy, the client sits
upright in a chair to sometimes have to hear things that are difficult to hear.
Although most coaches follow a non-directive approach to coaching, provocative
and confrontational questions need to be considered.
We cannot live according to our
spiritual wisdom without some form of inner tension. A spiritual tension that calls
us to something greater, propelling us forward. To creatively forge forward is
what makes us human and to deny ourselves meaningful growth is to impose an
unconscious, self-imposed state of stagnation. And when we ignore the voices of
the spirit we stagnate and run the risk of slipping into depression, aggression
and addiction. These three manifestations are the alarm bells of the spirit calling
us back into life. This tension can originate in any of our 3 principal human
domains – the somatic, the psychic or the spiritual. In the biological realm
this tension can manifests itself as pain reminding us of trouble ahead. And in
the psycho-spiritual realm this pain manifests itself as mental suffering or
stress which is intended to guard us from apathy, from psychic rigor mortis as
Frankl calls it. In the spiritual domain this tension manifests as a restlessness
of the heart. When coaching with Logotherapy, one needs to recognise this
tension and the anchor points from which the client can pivot into a new
direction.
Essentially the quality of
our participation in life is dependent on our level of spiritual awareness. The
extent to which we appreciate the context within which we live will determine
the extent to which we experience meaning and fulfilment. To be aware (mindful)
is to be open to our responsibilities despite our circumstances. We are never
free from obligations but we are always free to choose how we will engage. We
get born into a sociological environment with a biological reality yet we are constantly
challenged to take a stand and presented with choices of how to behave. By
applying the techniques of self-distancing or de-reflection (explained in a
previous article), the client will enable to recognise the call from life and
become aware of his existential realities.
Sometimes clients do not see their
choices and get confused between destiny and freedom. Destiny can be defined as
those events that will necessarily happen of which we have no control. But our unique
human ability to reason, decide and take responsibility enable us to take
action which may stand diametrically opposite matters of fate. If we consider
our psychological fate in particular, our spiritual attitude has free reign to
adopt any attitude it chooses. We do not have to submit blindly to our
psychological (or biological) fate. Fate do not determine our destiny. We have
the freedom to defy and shape a future despite the realities of fate. Frankl
refers to destiny and freedom in the following manner: “Freedom of the will
is opposed to destiny. For what we call destiny is that which is essentially
exempt from human freedom, that which lies neither within the scope of man’s
power nor his responsibility.” Although the past becomes part of our
destiny and what has passed is intrinsically fate, the past do not necessarily
determine the future. We are free to decide how we want to walk into our
future. We have freedom despite our instincts, our inherited dispositions and
our environment. To be fully human means that we will always experience a
slight twitch of tension and a calling to respond in a way befitting our
spiritual conscience. Our biological and sociological fate is like clay which can be
formed by the spiritual power of freedom of will, choice of free action, and
defiant attitude to do the right thing. The task of the coach is to help the
client see the difference between fate and freedom and call forward the defiant
will to spiritual growth.
To fully understand the therapeutic
power of Logotherapy, one must appreciate a concept called “noo-psychic antagonism”.
This is the vantage point from which a coaching conversation should really be
considered. Meaningful life happens at the intersection of the three domains
and on authority of our spiritual calling. Our psychic and noetic (spiritual) domains
do not stand side by side, but rather in a relationship which sometimes oppose.
The voices of expediency are confronted by the voices of reason. This is an antagonistic
power-play that has the ability to bring us to greater insights and a deeper
appreciation of what is meaningful.
Elizabeth Lucas one of the
foremost practitioners and students of Frankl’s Logotherapy coins an
interesting concept. She refers to the sins against the human spirit and identifies
four cardinal transgressions against our humanness, four distorted images. When
coaching one should look out for these four “sinful isms”:
Pan-determinism. The
tension between fate and freedom, and the temptation to succumb to the notion
that all has already been decided. We may never be free from certain realities
and obligations. But we are always free to decide how we are going to respond.
Between action and reaction is a small space and in that space exist the potential
to discover meaning.
Second is Psychologism. To
regard a human as a cacophony of thoughts, emotions and feeling fails to
recognise the power of the spirit. This view reduces a person to a susceptible
psychic apparatus. The defiant power of the human spirit must not be ignored. In
the psyche we may be susceptible but in the noetic we are intact, powerful, able
to stand tall.
Third is reductionism. By
failing to appreciate our quest for meaning, we reduce the human to a bundle of
emotional and physical drives and instincts. Although we want to experience
pleasure, we are ultimately orientated towards meaning with the aim of making a
difference.
Collectivism is the last of
the sins against our humanness. Whoever ignore the uniqueness of each individual
and the singularity of the moment in which they find themselves, reduces the
human to a character typical of the collective within which they stand. We are
greater than the sum of our parts. We have the ability to defy our psychological,
biological and sociological conditions and do what is right. We have an autonomy
and the freedom to act according to the wisdom of the heart.
Sins against the human spirit
Dimension of the Psyche
Dimension of the Spirit
Inappropriate
attribution
Acceptance of Fate
Expression of Freedom
Pan-determinism
Susceptibility to Psychic
conditions
Intactness of our
defiant Spirit
Psychologism
Pleasure/power
orientation
Meaning-orientation
Reductionism
Assign character traits
of the collective
Recognise the unique
personality that stands before you
Collectivism
Sometimes clients lose
sight of their inner knowing and spin around at the behest of feelings and
emotions. As coaches we need to regard a client as what they are capable of
becoming. The task of the Logotherapist (or coach) is to reconnect a client to
the wisdom of their heart and orientate them towards whatever is meaningful and
beautiful in their lives. Frankl suggests “it is the task of the therapist
to bring the client only so far so that the client can discern his own worldview
and concept of life. So that he finds a new noetic way back to life out of his
own responsibility”.
In this article we are
going to expand on some of the tools and techniques that could be used in a coaching
session. As an existential analysis that brings to awareness the Clients’
spiritual realities Logotherapy is future focussed emphasising the meaning in
our life that is yet to be fulfilled. Our most powerful motivating force is the
pursuit of meaning (more fundamental than the will to pleasure of power). We
are hardwired to express, do more, create things and shake the world. We are
strongly motivated to live with purpose and get frustrated when our quest for
meaning is hampered.
Logotherapy recognise
human existence in three domains of body, psyche and spirit. We see the client
in totality, as a complete human being recognising all three dimensions and the
tension that exists within those. Frankl speaks of a healthy noö-dynamism or
spiritual tension. A conscious field between what one has already achieved and
what ought to be done. Of what one has already accomplish and the new tasks
that awaits, what one is and what one ought to become. We don’t thrive in
tensionless states and flourish when we are striving for something worthy of
our attention. In any Logotherapy session, the spiritual domain presents the
strongest capacity for change. It is in the spiritual domain that we have the
power to stand up for what we believe in. Not to be confused will-power, our
spiritual power presents us with the capability to defy the odds. Referred to
in Logotherapy as our freedom of will, the defiant power of the human spirit
knows no boundaries. As Nietzsche said, “if you have a strong enough why, you
will overcome any how”.
There are five primary techniques
used in a Logotherapy intervention – the Socratic dialogue, Self-distancing, De-reflection,
Attitude modulation and Paradoxical intention. Any of these techniques are
likely to be more effective when the facilitator appeals to the clients’ spiritual
integrity. In this article we are going to pick one technique, the workhorse of
Logotherapy – the Socratic dialogue. In a Socratic dialogue the coach
facilitates the clients’ discovery of meaning by calling on his spiritual
knowing through provocative and challenging questioning.
Socrates (470 – 399 BC) claimed
to be ignorant and typically started a dialogue using what is now called
Socratic irony – by pretending to be ignorant and wait for some kind of
explanation. Socrates would then listen to the explanation and deliberately
cause confusion. Because he claimed to not know anything, he therefore didn’t
have to teach anything. “I do know that I do not know”. He didn’t have
(nor applied) positive knowledge in his dialogues but rather used negativity
paradoxically. Socrates introduced the concept of irony and used this
expensively in his dialogues. The most ironic question of all was probably
posed during his sentencing when he suggested that he should be given a free
meal and pay for the work he was doing.
Another of his concepts is
“aporia” or being at a loss not able to answer and then to ask for a specific
definition of something. His dialogues often didn’t end with any specific conclusion.
Socrates would call into question what he sees in front of him happy for the
dialogue to end without results. This he thought makes the listener self-active
and reflective.
A good Socratic dialogue moves
from the local to the universal and back. It moves between personal experience and
universal truth with the emphasis on how something was directly experienced.
Socrates tried to uncover true essence of the topic creating clarity between an
idea and the real experience. He was constantly looking for contradictions and
encouraged the individual to test the truth. A coach using the Socratic
dialogue plays the role of a midwife whereby the client comes to the truth by
themselves. By using leading questions, a client may come to a
self-realisation.
Socrates proclaimed we each have
an inner voice, a divine will (daemon) deep within. Like the oracle of Delphi, we
each have an inner knowing. Frankl called this our pre-reflective ontological
self-understanding – our wisdom of the heart. The
Socratic dialogue is used in line with the core principles of Logotherapy
recognising that deep inside the spiritual core of every human being resides a
sense of knowing who we potentially can become and the motivation to discover
what we are born to do.
Socrates suggested one
should never pour information into a student, but rather extract from him what
he already knows. Frankl
believed it is the task of the logotherapist not to tell clients what the meaning in their lives are but rather to elicit the
wisdom that is hidden within the spiritual domain. Extracting
something that is unique to the client presupposes that we stay as close to the
clients’ spiritual core as possible. We recognise success when the client
experiences a meaning-moment which can range from a surge of positive energy,
in body posture, a verbal expression, a reflective moment or an outright
comment that they are experiencing a new insight into a situation at hand. The sensitivity with which this must be done is
similar than the work of an archaeologist brushing away sand to reveal
archaeological treasures that were already there. This is a reminder that
meaning is not something that can ever be created or prescribed to the client.
The client is helped to discover (or re-discover) his inner values.
Frankl felt that the
spiritual core can never become sick but can become buried, disconnected from
the psyche. That is why we need to not only work on the conscious level but also
with the subconscious intuitive knowledge of the client – self-knowledge as
well as knowledge about life.
Clients come to us when
they are in crisis. The nature of the crisis in Logotherapy is understood as a
crisis of meaning and the clients’ intuitive spiritual self-knowledge to grasp
meaning. Logos (meaning) is greater than logic. In other words, we cannot always
logically reason out for ourselves why something has happened. Meaning always
happens in the dance between self and life. Between what is, and what ought to
be according to the moral guidance of what is right.
Like the other logotherapeutic techniques a
Socratic dialogue requires a lot of improvisation and intuition. There are many
ways to probe a clients’ unconscious and hidden knowledge about personal
meanings. Consider the following:
Recall of past meaningful
experiences
Dream interpretations that
focus on unconscious hopes and wishes rather than on repressed traumas
Guided and unguided fantasies to reveal what the client considers meaningful
Meaningful experiences of people the client considers to be role models
Recall of peak experiences showing that life does have meaning
The
Socratic dialogue uses five guideposts to probe the areas in which meaning is most likely to be
found:
Self-discovery:
The more you find out about the real you behind all the masks you put on for self protection the
more meaning you will discover.
Choice:
The more choices you see in your situation, the more meaning will become available.
Uniqueness:
You are most likely to find meaning in situations where you are not easily replaced by someone else.
Responsibility:
Your life will be meaningful if you learn to take responsibility where you have freedom of choice
and if you learn to not feel
responsible where you face an unalterable fate.
Self-transcendence: Meaning comes to you when you reach beyond your
egocentricity toward others.
What works or projects have you done, or what goals
have you achieved by using your talents and skills which you are proud of?
Maybe some of these touched others in a meaningful way. Tell me about times
like these.
What great
and meaningful experiences have you had in your past – like little gifts have
you received from life – through your relationships with loved ones, your
culture, from nature or maybe even your religion? Think back and tell me about
them.
What hardships have you withstood in the past – where
did you take a stand which left you feeling stronger and better than before?
Moments which were a test to your courage and perseverance? Tell me about times
you were victorious in the face of adversity.
Depending on the particular situation a coach may
want to de-demonise a life-crises by using imagery.
When discussing death: The Grim Reaper makes us two
promises. I will come to you all, and I will come in my own time. How does this
impact on your life? How does it impact on your relationships with your loved
ones? Death closes doors. Are there any closed doors in your life? Death takes
away. Look around and see what you are left with after he has taken it away.
What do you see?
In case
of guilt: If guilt had a voice, what would it say to you now? You have made a
mistake and the seeds of guilt were planted in the past. How may it bear positive
fruit in the present and in the future?
In case
of pain and suffering: They say that diamonds are forged under pressure, gold
is extracted through the intense heat of a furnace. Might anything good come
out of this situation you are in? What hidden treasures could be uncovered by
this experience?
Dealing with great
setbacks and bitter disappointments: You say this problem is like a mountain in
front of you – but is it not so that the most beautiful meandering rivers flow
around mountains. Unstoppable. How will you not be stopped?
Socratic questions in a Logotherapy session work towards
logos (meaning) and do not rely on logic.
Through provocative questioning, seemingly walking with a white stick, the
coach prods around in the discovery of meaning. Pointing towards the intuitive
wisdom of the heart this technique can bring the client to self-realization and
a new understanding of the potentialities and responsibilities that exist.
After any Logotherapy session the client should leave with hope and
responsibility. The building blocks of a new outcome are the belief that it is
possible and the resolve to take action.
How does the philosophies of Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman affect us today? We live in an era dominated by consumerism and materialism shaped by the economic thinkers of years gone by. This impacts us in a huge way even to the micro level of how we feel about ourselves every day.
We live in a society where comparison and competition are pervasive. Common mantras and metaphors like early bird gets the worm, time is money and climb the ladder permeates our everyday language. We live in a world where Powerball is the top search term on Google and E-bay the most popular website. We are encouraged to go for growth, become better and achieve more. This has become our dominating currency. Is there an alternative? If so, we have never been taught how to consider anything but growth.
One of the root causes for chasing more is the concern that we will not have enough in future. Our fear of scarcity and uncertainty about the future create anxiety which we try and control by accumulation (money, looks, power, relationships). To have enough for the rainy day makes us feel more secure and in control.
One of the most memorable moments of all my travels to India was the day we met with the Karmapa Lama – one of the most senior Tibetan leaders apart from the Dalai Lama. One of my group members asked him about gratitude and being happy with what she has to which he responded “lower your expectations”. Imagine that! Somebody tells you to lower your goals and be content with less. How shocking is that!
One of our existential imperatives is to live with uncertainty. To truly embrace an uncertain future requires trust and acceptance in a deep way. Accepting your own reality, trusting yourself and trusting life. This requires living paradoxically accepting fate but mobilising free will to defy what happens to you. It requires living with a balance between being authentic and fitting in. And it challenges us to evaluate what is enough.
Here we come to the crux of the matter. When is anything enough? How do we learn to draw the line and accept whatever we have as enough? How do we calibrate our expectations to live with what we have, and not by what we want? This requires mature authenticity which runs on confidence. Only when we declare our own independence-day can we liberate ourselves to be ok with enough. Recognising another currency and getting comfortable with enough is a liberating, refreshing concept. Try it out you may buy yourself a whole lotta love.
These are the conversations we have on our journeys to India and in coaching sessions here in South Africa. To book a coaching session or find out more about our mindfulness retreats with Tibetan monks, contact me on klasie@streetschool.co.za
It was the Jewish mystic Hillel who first created the maxim:
If I don’t do it, who will?
If I don’t do it now, when will I?
If I do it for myself, what am I?
With these three short phrases he summarised the essence of what it takes to live a life of purpose.
“If I don’t do it, who will”suggests that each of us take personal responsibility to tackle our challenges. Is always good to ask for help but it starts with you.
“If I don’t do it now, when then?” points towards the transitoriness of life. Time marches on and no one knowns we will die. Why are we waiting? We often joke that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Taking action keeps us moving forward. Small steps, every day.
“If I do it for myself, what am I?” suggests that happiness and fulfilment come from doing for others. Like Kierkegaard who said “the door to happiness opens outwards” the extent to which we add value to people around us is directly related to our experience of meaning.
So, if you feel a bit disconnected from your essence right now, try apply this maxim on yourself. These are the types of conversations we have in coaching sessions or on our journeys to the Tibetan community in India. Book a coaching session now or join our next trip to India from 21 to 31 March 2019. We travel through Delhi and also visit the Taj Mahal and Golden Temple on our way to Dharamsala.
R39,500 include all flights, all accommodation three meals per day, all local transfers and entrance fees, the lot. Contact me if you know of anyone interested. We journey is registered with the SA Board of People Practices and participants qualify for 60 CPD points.
Often referred to as the ultimate therapist, being coached by the Buddha may be an interesting experience. His approach to life, which is deeply analytical and based on natural law, aim to make us aware of the true reality of things. Rooted in personal accountability, he presents a paradoxical truth that freedom is a by-product of commitment. And the being mindful of the bigger context within which we live is directly related to our ability to find new solutions.
We love business models, so if one would pitch up at such a coaching session, I can imagine him revealing his BRI coaching model. The first step will be to analyse basic Beliefs. His coaching philosophy is built on the objective analysis of 4 life-truths. Firstly, we need to understand that life is a constant challenge. Life is full of ups and downs with many types of challenges – some as light as a mild irritation with a colleague, others as disturbing as death. Point is, life is full of discomfort. Secondly, we need to understand that there are causes for these discomforts. They don’t just magically appear. They have a source. And if we understand the source, we can more effectively deal with a challenge. This leads us to the third truth – the possibility to get release. There is always a way to alleviate our unfortunate circumstances. Life doesn’t have to be so hard. And finally, the fourth truth points to the actions that could help minimise our challenges. But we have to do something ourselves. It’s not up to others. This complete the first part of the coaching session – considering the 4 fundamental truths of life and applying it to our own situation.
This leads us into the second part of the session – analysing the true Reality of the world we live in. Here, the Buddha will most probably highlight two key concepts we need to grasp: Impermanence and Interdependence. Life, or whatever challenge we have, is impermanent. This may not immediately release us from the challenge but it can help to add context. To understand that things can change brings hope. We may never be free from challenges, but we are always free to decide how we are going to react. The next part of understanding our current reality is to appreciate Interdependence. Everything in life is dependent on something else. The subtlest type is causality of conditions, like the effect of bad news on our thoughts or the effect of seeing a loved one on our state of mind. The second type of interdependence is “mereological”, like a leaf being dependent on the branch, your job being dependent on having some clients, or a happy relationship being dependent on you doing something nice for the other person.
Now that we have contextualised our challenges according to fundamental beliefs and realities, we can move to the third part of the coaching session, setting our Intent. So much depend on the purpose with which we navigate. If we have a positive intent we will manifest good results. The Buddha will probably add that we need to have good intentions for the sake of someone or something other than our selves. To make the world a better place, one day at a time.
Five powerful questions to wrap up the session will probably include:
If your whole life has been designed in advance for you to learn a lesson from it, what would that lesson be?
What challenge do you have right now and what is life asking from you at this point? What is the one right thing to do?
If you were asked by a child you love to share the most important life lesson you’ve learnt, what would it be?
What is something you’d like to celebrate?
What legacy are you building, how would you like to be remembered?
These are the type of conversations we have on our journeys to India and in coaching sessions here in South Africa. To book a coaching session or find out more about our mindfulness retreats with Tibetan monks, contact me on klasie@streetschool.co.za.
