Spirituality in logotherapy and existential analysis by Viktor Emil Frankl

A proper image of man forms the basis of all kinds of practice – educational, medical, pastoral – including psychotherapeutic practice. What, then, constitutes the constitutive element of this image? In search of the answer to this question, Logotherapy, created by Viktor Emil Frankl, was examined. The key dimension of human existence in Logotherapy is the spiritual dimension. Starting with a general characteristic of Logotherapy as a psychotherapeutic approach, a detailed analysis of the spiritual dimension in this context was conducted, outlining its various manifestations against the backdrop of broader philosophical assumptions on which Frankl constructed the foundations of his theory. The theoretical aspects were related to examples from case studies described by Frankl and his contemporary followers. The aspect of spiritual unconsciousness, distinct from the unconscious in the psychoanalytic sense, was also discussed. Based on the analyses conducted, it was concluded that the spiritual dimension of human existence constitutes an inalienable and fundamental way of being, even if that dimension is unconscious or, to use Frankl’s terminology, even if it is “walled off,” for example, due to mental illness. The spiritual dimension itself is not subject to illness, which creates a hopeful area for psychotherapeutic work and serves as a source of resources manifested, for instance, in the so-called “power of the spirit’s resistance.” The extraordinary potential of Logotherapy lies in the connection between the spiritual dimension and meaning, which, according to Frankl, is the strongest motivating factor. The spiritual dimension directs us to something greater than ourselves – to the meaning that awaits realization. The more the spiritual dimension is a governing dimension, the more a person is integrated around this dimension, the easier it is for them to perceive the unique call to meaning that permeates all life circumstances and continually offers itself anew.