Rabbi B. and I discuss one of the most famous anecdotes from the life of Viktor Frankl and how you can apply it to your life. When Dr. Frankl was escorted to the Nazi concentration camps of WWII, he carried one thing with him - the notes for his manuscript, his life's work, the notes from decades of research, study, and practice, that he hoped to publish after the war. Upon entering the gates, everything was stripped from him, even this last tether to his former life. However, he was able to fin...
Feb 28, 2022•36 min
Current events and modern times have been stressful - and it seems that the recent few weeks have really bothered some people. Rabbi B. and I thought it would be helpful to share some logotherapeutic - or even "logo-philosophical", if I can coin an new term, ideas to help find meaning amidst current events and difficulties.
Feb 21, 2022•33 min
Going beyond the traditional view of "LOVE" this Valentine's Day to discuss the self-transcendent and unselfish view of love that helps us all to discover Meaning in our lives with Rabbi B. and Dr. D.
Feb 14, 2022•40 min
Rabbi B. goes deep inside the Enneagram - what it means, how it works, how to use it to better understand yourself, and how to "defy" the negative aspects of your nature. From there, we segue into my use of the MBTI with work and career planning for individuals, and then couples and work-group assessment and conflict management. You can tell we love these topics, and probably could've gone for a few more hours, but thought it best to end it where we did! Enjoy!
Feb 07, 2022•55 min
Rabbi B. and I discuss our favorite - perhaps most preferred - assessments for understanding personality and individual differences, and quickly dive into the dark side of assessment from a logotherapeutic perspective - the danger of reducing a person to a label, number, or set of letters. Enjoy!
Jan 31, 2022•42 min
After taking a break through the holidays, Rabbi B. returns to discuss plans for continued podcasting and some possible other ideas for 2022. Of course, we also find ourselves waxing philosophic on Frankl, Logotherapy, and Meaning. Your feedback would definitely be appreciated!
Jan 24, 2022•38 min
We live in a world that is often trying to sell us happiness. But, as Viktor Frankl writes, we cannot pursue happiness, but it must ensue from meaning based activities. Here is a list of sources of meaning based happiness from a recent group I conducted.
Jan 17, 2022•15 min
A new year is often cause for resolutions and goal-setting. But instead, for this year, I am recommending choosing "words to live by". As promised in a Monday Morning Update a few weeks ago, here is a discussion on the words I am choosing for 2022 - Balance, Discipline, Speak, and Write. Enjoy!
Jan 10, 2022•21 min
One last set of logotherapy techniques before the new year - kind of a "bonus" podcast, or, really, more of an info dump so that I can share this last logotherapy lecture with you before re-assessing and refocusing for next year.
Dec 31, 2021•12 min
This is one the logotherapy techniques I love to use most! Maieutic questioning, or Socratic Dialogue, is the art of guiding yourself, or someone else, usually clients in my case, sometimes my kids, down a path of further self analysis and self-discovery. Here is a little sample of it.
Dec 31, 2021•14 min
This discussion is all about “reflection” - not sitting and thinking about yourself kind of reflection, but the technique of “dereflection” and the dangers of hyper-reflection. Reflect for a moment, if you like. But be sure to take action on it.
Dec 27, 2021•12 min
I was pretty passionate about the idea of self-transcendence when I first wrote this several years ago. It's safe to say I'm even more passionate about it now - in the 5-6 years since I wrote this, I think the idea has become far more pervasive in my life, and hopefully in the work that I do. From the original offering of this lecture: "If there is nothing else you take out of ALL of this information, PLEASE grasp this idea! This, THIS, is the crux of Logotherapy, therapy, living a meaningful li...
Dec 17, 2021•11 min
Dr. Frankl did intend for logotherapy to be a treatment within itself, but considered it to be a helpful addition to any form of treatment. However, this was in the consideration of true mental illness. In our times of existential stress, media fatigue, and societal anxiety, I would argue that maybe logotherapy is THE treatment - or at least a set of attitudes - we might all benefit from.
Dec 13, 2021•9 min
Just quick update on what's coming up next - the second set of Logotherapy Lectures focused on tools and techniques you can use everyday in your life. The "secret sauce" of logotherapy bottled up for you to take home. - Enjoy!
Dec 13, 2021•6 min
Rabbi B. and I got together for one more discussion before taking a break before the holiday season. Through this discussion, we address the historic and current meaning of the holiday season. Although the holidays are typically times of great joy - or at least that is the expectation, sometimes we may experience difficulties and darkness - hopefully some of our suggestions here can help. - Enjoy!
Dec 06, 2021•36 min
In a world where "meta" represents an altered reality aimed at re-inventing or perhaps evening replacing our current reality, somewhat like that in "Ready Player 1", Rabbi B. and get a little meta-physical and maybe even a little meta-cognitive and discuss the reality of "Meaning".
Nov 29, 2021•40 min
The first discussion on logotherapy between Rabbi Baruch HaLevi and I. A fun discussion about our path to logotherapy, and the ideas we plan to discuss in the future. Enjoy!
Nov 22, 2021•32 min
My first foray into Tragic Optimism, and the story of Dr. Long. You’ll probably hear a lot of Dr. Long’s story, and others like it, in The Meaning Project, but this was my first taste of it.
Nov 01, 2021•11 min
One of the first papers where I start to divine out (get it?) the academic differences between religious and spiritual. You might be able to tell that prior to this work, I instinctively knew there was a difference, but I didn’t quite have the vocabulary or understanding to verbalize it in a coherent manner - here is the beginning of what that understanding is today.
Oct 25, 2021•14 min
I was supposed to write about "Ultimate Meaning" here, but continued my assessment from the previous discussion and shared a little bit more of my amazement for these “wonderful tools” that I was learning to use to help people. I believe this is the first time I ever said/wrote, “more people need to know about this stuff” - and therefore, you get to witness the origin of The Meaning Project.
Oct 18, 2021•9 min
Just the heck was a “Weltanschauung” and how do you cure it? It’s really not that bad - it’s German for “World View” - this lecture goes a bit into it, and the early findings in Frankls’ Logotherapy, including a primer on the Three Pillars of Logotherapy and The Meaning Triangle.
Oct 11, 2021•13 min
My first paper - where it sort of all began. Why I wanted to study Frankl’s Logotherapy, and just what the heck was I thinking signing up for three years of intense study? You can hear the bright-eyed excitement, and realize I didn’t know how many mornings waking up at 5am to study I still had left in front of me!
Oct 04, 2021•7 min
Just what are "The Logotherapy Lectures" and why am I releasing them right now?
Oct 04, 2021•8 min
Just a whole bunch of interconnected ideas related to meaning pulled from current culture and ancient wisdom.
Jul 07, 2021•15 min
Helping people process regret after they have lost a loved one is one of the most difficult issues I deal with as a therapist - but it can be prevented.
Jun 30, 2021•6 min
What is the nature of substance use and abuse, and how does it relate to the idea of "meaning"?
Jun 24, 2021•6 min
The title says it all - we all need a little grace right now.
Jun 22, 2021•4 min
Embrace suffering - turn it into achievement.
Jun 18, 2021•7 min
My top strategies to improve your relationship TODAY.
Jun 18, 2021•12 min
It's time to take a break from podcasting. The world is an odd place right now, and more people are courageously asking for help. My time, at the moment, needs to be spent in the logotherapy chair, and not in the podcasting seat. Hopefully, I will find an opportunity to return to the podcast soon. But, until then, I wanted to briefly share some of the meaningful events in my life that led me here.
Oct 09, 2020•17 min
