Interview with Rev. Dr. Gerhard Sprakties

Author of: Spirituality as a Resilience Factor in Life Crises: Viktor Frankl's Concept of the Mind and its Significance for Psychotherapy and Counseling

Gerhardsprakties.de

Interview Questions with Rev. Dr. Gerhard Sprakties

By Tom Edmondson for Meaninginministry.com

Presented in English

TOM: Was Logotherapy part of your seminary education before going into the ministry or after? In other words, was it part of a curriculum of study or did you discover Logotherapy later?

GS:  I discovered logotherapy during my studies in Berlin, where I began basic training in Logotherapy and existential analysis with Pastor Günter Funke. Later in my studies, I attended a lecture on logotherapy and pastoral care with Prof. Dr. Wolfram Kurz in Tübingen.

TOM: I have the same question about Werteorientierte Imagination: was it part of your seminary education, or did it come later?

GS: I only learned about value-oriented imagination many years later during a three-year training program at the Institute for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis in Mainz. One year of training with Dr. Peek from Hamburg was primarily dedicated to value imagination.

TOM: Of the many schools of psychology, why do you find Logotherapy appealing?

GS: Logotherapy is a spiritual psychotherapy that incorporates the spiritual dimension of human existence. It is open to spiritual and religious questions and values. For me, the search for meaning is fundamental to a fulfilling life.

TOM: As an approach, do you pursue Logotherapy exclusively, or do you incorporate other methods/schools of thought into your work?

GS: A strong influence on my work comes from hypnosystemic psychotherapy of Gunther Schmidt in Heidelberg. His work was significantly inspired by Milton Erickson in America and Schmidt then developed these ideas in his own work.

TOM: Do you preach? If so, have you integrated Logotherapy into your preaching?

GS: Yes, currently in nursing homes and previously in congregations. My sermons are strongly influenced by Frankl and Logotherapy.

TOM: Some Logotherapists believe Logotherapy should be secular. Pastors like me find Logotherapy to be a very useful approach to pastoral care and counseling.

GS: Logotherapy should fundamentally remain neutral with respect to religion, meaning it is open to all people, regardless of faith or lack thereof. I have developed my own meaning-oriented pastoral care concept. In my book, “Meaning-Oriented Pastoral Care for the Elderly: Spiritual Support for Older Adults Facing Dementia, Depression, and the Dying Process” (published in 2013 by Neukirchener Verlag and now reissued by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht in Göttingen), I describe my many years of experience with logotherapy and pastoral care for the elderly. Logotherapy has been very helpful in my work with older adults who doubt the meaning of their lives.

TOM: It seems like some Logotherapists are not accepting of Werteorientierte Imagination. What do you say to such a person?

GS: Value-oriented imagination, as developed by Prof. Böschemeyer, is a very helpful method for accessing the spiritual unconscious directly. However, it is suitable only for individuals who are receptive to imaginative techniques.

Questions about your book:

TOM: Like others, you bring the word “resilience” into Logotherapy. You add the insight that “resilience is a byproduct of finding meaning” (chapter 5). Would you say a little about this and how it enhances Frankl’s work?

GS: Those who find meaning in their lives become more resilient as a result. For Frankl, the goal is always the discovery of meaning, not resilience. Therefore, I view resilience as a byproduct of finding meaning. Even those who can find meaning in their severe suffering are better equipped to cope with it.

TOM: It seems to me that terms like “religion” and “spirituality” have taken on stricter nuances of meaning since Frankl’s death in 1997. How do you distinguish these terms in your work and writing in 2024?

GS: Since the abuse scandals in both Catholic and Protestant churches, there has been a noticeable trend away from a narrow dogmatic and moralistic concept of religion toward a more experience-based and open concept of spirituality. The latter reflects an increasingly individual search for security, orientation, and meaning.

TOM: In chapter 7 you touch on spiritual abuse and ecclesiogenic (clergy caused) neuroses. How does the pastoral counselor help such a person heal using a spiritual approach such as Logotherapy? And in such a case, is Werteorientierte Imagination a good choice?

GS: I do not feel capable of accompanying individuals with severe ecclesiogenic neuroses or experiences of abuse in a logotherapeutic way. I leave this to specialized psychiatrists and neurologists. In pastoral conversations, I address problematic images of God and try to highlight dependencies and dangers. For individuals with traumatic experiences of spiritual abuse, I do not consider imaginative techniques appropriate.

TOM: In chapter 8 you bring in several important insights. For instance, that people who suffer psychologically also suffer spiritually. I think Frankl would agree with this point. However, he would argue that religion stays out of the conversation unless the client raises it. Is there a time when the counselor should bring religion up first?

GS: Whenever the client brings religion up on their own, and if it seems helpful for the therapeutic process. Otherwise, I tend to be cautious in this regard.

TOM: Like you (chapter 9) and others (e.g., Rosemarie Jaffin), I believe that prayer serves as a type of dereflection and self-transcendence. Would you say a little bit more about this?

GS: Yes, prayer helps break the fixation often seen in suffering and guilt, redirecting it toward God and transcending it. For me, Pope Benedict’s statement applies here: “Whoever believes is never alone.” God is the partner in our most intimate self-conversations, as the young Frankl already emphasized. Prayer creates distance and opens a space for hope and freedom.

TOM: How can we—pastors, Logotherapists— gain credibility in an increasingly in today’s spiritual but not religious atmosphere?

GS: By situationally bearing witness to the meaningful power of our Christian faith through a credo which is specific to the person. Thank you very much!