Relevance and application of logotherapy to enhance resilience to stress and trauma

Steven M. Southwick

Bernadette T. Lowthert

Ann V. Graber

pp. 131-149

in: Alexander Batthyány (ed), Logotherapy and existential analysis, Berlin, Springer, 2016

Abstrakt

Logotherapy has been used as a therapeutic intervention for individuals who struggle with a host of medical, behavioral, health, and social problems. For example, logotherapy has been described as helpful for individuals living with schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use disorders, and personality disorders, as well as cardiac illness, prolonged grief, and chronic pain.One reason that logotherapy may have positive effects on such a broad array of problems may be related to its impact on the stress response, and on one's ability to tolerate adversity, to build resilience, and to grow from stressful and traumatic experiences. Chronic stress that is poorly regulated is known to exacerbate a host of medical and psychological conditions and disorders.In this chapter, we discuss how logotherapy can help to regulate chronic stress by fostering resilience and posttraumatic growth.