From Death-Camp to Existentialism: A Psychiatrist's Path to a New Therapy

By Viktor E. Frankl

Book Overview

In this powerful and deeply introspective account, psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl shares his firsthand experiences as a prisoner in Auschwitz and a sub-camp of Dachau. Rather than dwelling on the horrors of the Holocaust in detail, *From Death-Camp to Existentialism* focuses on the psychological and emotional states of those who endured the unimaginable.

Frankl explores the mental journey of concentration camp inmates, identifying three distinct phases: the initial shock upon arrival, the emotional apathy that set in for survival, and the profound depersonalization upon release. He delves into the human capacity for resilience, the struggle to find meaning even in suffering, and the crucial role of free will in determining one's inner strength.

Through his observations, Frankl presents a compelling argument that even in the most extreme conditions, an individual's ability to hold on to their moral and spiritual identity is what ultimately determines their fate. These reflections would later form the foundation of *logotherapy*, his groundbreaking approach to psychotherapy.

*From Death-Camp to Existentialism* is essentially an earlier edition of what later became *Man's Search for Meaning*, one of the most influential books of the 20th century. A testament to the endurance of the human spirit, this thought-provoking and transformative work continues to inspire readers seeking meaning in the face of adversity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9784575108
• ISBN13: 9789784575102
• Release Date: January 1961
• Publisher: Sbooks
• Length: 124 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A pleasure to read Frankl's work in English

Having expressed my gratitude for a chance to read his words, I must say that I am distressed that Jews show so little interest in the engagement of Frankl with his medical patients, and the ethical and phenomenological work that Jew brought to medicine but that died with Oliver Sacks. As a former academic physician, I realize that from Maimonides forward, Jewish doctors were a resource to the world because of Maimonides' ethics and his syncresis of medical and religious inner work, as adapted and transmitting by Rabbi Ted Falcon in his book Journey of Awakening. Would I could discuss with someone who could understand Hippocrates and Maimonides and the latter's fusion of what was then called natural philosophy and esoteric religious practice. I wish the history nerds knew what they were missing in the work of Maimonides that reflects the times of the Cairo geniza that has been so carefully reconstructed. Maimonides' brother was in the India trade and others brokered Chinese silks. It was a global era, perhaps in medicine as well as trade, but who has the curiosity to delve into that history? Frankl was obviously aware of kabbalistic ideas like the hidden tzaddik and of the need to emphasize, for the good of medicine, the role of Jews as priests to the world as well as doctors to the world. Sadly, that era ended in mechanization and the engineering out of the art of medicine from modern systems. It is no small wonder that those who are most interested in Frankl are least interested in who he was before the Holocaust--the young man who gave birth to the old, and kept precious wisdom from more than one tradition. Anyhow, I take away his willingness to fulfill his Hippocratic oath by caring for all patients who came in the door, even those, like Albert Einstein, who have been wrongly interpreted as irreligious.