The Meaning Project

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.

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.

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.

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!

Just what are "The Logotherapy Lectures" and why am I releasing them right now?

Just a whole bunch of interconnected ideas related to meaning pulled from current culture and ancient wisdom.

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.

What is the nature of substance use and abuse, and how does it relate to the idea of "meaning"?

The title says it all - we all need a little grace right now.

Embrace suffering - turn it into achievement.

My top strategies to improve your relationship TODAY.

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.

A discussion on meaningful parenting from the ideas of Lukas, Meeker, & Gottman - plus a reflection on the clinical issues of the week, and the issues we are all facing this year with some, hopefully, helpful and meaningful tips to improve your family dynamics

In this episode, we take a concept directly out of the pages of Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" and expand on it for use to cope with the suffering in today's world. Tragic Optimism is optimism "in spite" of suffering - and ways to turn that suffering into achievement. I hope you find this helpful!

Alex Vesely is an established Logotherapist, the director of the movie Viktor and I - a collection of recollections of friends of Dr. Frankl's, and a founder of the Viktor Frankl Institue of America, as well as the grandson of Viktor Frankl. In this podcast, I have the privilege of talking to him about his upcoming projects, the digitalization of the Frankl archives, and, or course, what it was li...

This is a great discussion with Uriah Guildford, Marriage and Family Therapist, about helping teens navigate the difficulties of adolescence, as well as the unique struggles of the current global pandemic. He offers some great tips for families to start using right away to help build a happier, healthier, more meaningful family dynamic. You can find out more about him and his work, as well as the...

EMDR - Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - a fancy way of saying "bi-lateral stimulation", which is a fancy way of saying "making your eyes move back and forth"... I've referred MANY clients to EMDR specialists, and this almost the way I explained the process to them... Crystal, not just a practitioner, but a trainer in EMDR, teaches me all about EMDR, and discusses how helpful it can...

In this episode, I chat with good friend and fellow student of Frankl's Logotherapy on his work at the award-winning Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dan truly is an example of leading a self-transcendent life, and working to improve the lives of those around him. Enjoy!

Linda & I catch up on the crossroads of social work and social media over the past 10 years, and then we discuss her specialties in working with clients with anxiety, and toxic, possibly narcissistic, co-parenting styles. An enjoyable conversation with an outstanding clinician. Enjoy!

In this episode, we wrap up the basics of Frankl's Logotherapy in a Nutshell, covering some of the more difficult, yet meaningful aspects of life - suffering and death. With that, I offer a few of my favorite, more inspiring quotes from that section of Man's Search for Meaning.

We continue to discuss Logotherapy in a Nutshell from Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. In this episode we take a deep look at a few brief statements on The Meaning of Life, The Essence of Existence, and The Meaning of Love. Frankl wrote prolifically on these ideas throughout his life - however in Man's Search for Meaning, these were only brief ideas as he was working so quickly to get them down...

Back to some of the basics of Logotherapy straight out of Man's Search for Meaning. We talk about the noös, noö-dynamics, noögenic neuroses, and all things noetic, while I try to find ways to add more umlauts to my work! A little bit of reading from the book, and a lot of me riffing from my experience and training. Enjoy!

A much more thorough discussion on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) now that I've completed 4 days of certification training. I called this episode "Global Complete" because that is one of the full-process versions of the assessment you can take (there's a discount offer in the podcast, as well as on my facebook page), but also because it feels like we cover that much content on the MBTI in...

We continue our discussion on substance abuse, recovery, and meaning, in a discussion with Chad P. His story of absolute desperation at a very young age could be the story of many adolescents today. Chad fought treatment and help for a long time, until it was the only option left. Once he made that decision, as you'll hear him say, his life was forever changed in a very meaningful way. Enjoy!

In the early days of my career, I worked with adolescents in an "innovative and successful" intensive substance abuse treatment program. I think this may have been the first place I started to understand the concept of "meaning" as it relates to human suffering and substance abuse. In this episode, Sarah and I discuss her history of substance use, chronic illness, and how she has transcended both...