Posted by Reinhard (70.92.246.8) on December 04, 2007 at 22:57:54:

In Reply to: Re: Origins of Christotherapy posted by Kris on November 09, 2007 at 05:59:52:

Kris, things are a still problematic here because Frankl always wanted to keep Logotherapy open for so called atheists as well as for people who openly believe in God.  As Catholic theologian and logotherapist I do understand and accept Frankl's concerns!  You see, there exists a book by a very good friend of Frankl:  Donald F. Tweedie, The Christians and the Couch. An Introduction to Christian Logotherapy. Grand Rapids 1963.  I never did find out what Frankl really thought about that book.  I only know that, if we would have asked him, he would have told us his concerns according to the term "Christian Logotherapy".  I would say universal Logotherapy should be Logotherapy, i. e. something for everybody, believers and non-believers - and "Christian Logotherapy" something for Christians only.  But instead of "Christian Logotherapy" - always remember: Frankl was a Jew and two of ancestors famous rabbis - I would prefer the term "Christotherapy", namely a Tyrrellian Christotherapy who is very close and also very open to Franklian universal Logotherapy.   I think such a Logotherapist who only offers "Christian Logotherapy" should read Fr. Tyrrell's books and papers and call himself better "Christotherapist" to avoid problems with the logotherapeutic movement.  We could of course ask the Viktor Frankl-Institute in Vienna in that matter (e-mail).  I am sure they would answer very carefully and actually reject the term "Christian Logotherapy" because Logotherapy is not only made for Christians, Muslims, Buddhist, or Taoists, too, but also - again - for so called atheists who suffer from a meaningless life for example.  Despite the fact that Frankl's logotherapy in fact sometimes worked as a Christian logotherapy:  when during an existential analysis of dreams patients discover Jesus Christ.  We see, a Christotherapy is necessary, an important addendum to normal Logotherapy.  Logotherapy for the 4 billion people who believe in something else, and Christotherapy for the other 1 billion Christians ...

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