View/Open - UZSpace Home

this knowledge. Widow's, for example, shouldbe helped through logotherapy to find
meaning in their suffering. They are temporarily in an existential vacuum.
Levinson (1989) says that bereavement is not a mental disorder, rather it is a psycho­
logically normal process oftransition and an opportunity to discovernew meanings.
Onlywhenbereavement is prolonged, beyond what in a givensociety is considered
as normal and prevents the individual from getting back to life, can we speak of
depression. This situation necessitates a changeofattitude and this is where
modification of attitudes can assist the sufferer.
To find meaning in suffering, peoplemust transcendthemselves, detach themselves
from theirpredicament and change their attitudestoward death, bereavement and
self Rising above and beyond ourselves leads toward new meanings, goals and use
ofpotential noeticpower inherent in all ofus. Thus, widows can be helped to turn
their predicament into personaltriumph by usingtheir will to meaning to get out of
their existential vacuum. This means that once people have taken responsibility for
their own"situations", the healing process gets on its way.
Identifying with their symptoms means-believing in a negative and unhealthy attitude
to life. Thereis always the dangeroffixation on the symptom and the more one is
fixated, the more it is difficult to break out ofthe vicious circle and gain distance
from the symptom. The role ofthe logotherapist, Franklhas said, is to widen and
broadenthe visual field ofthe patient so that the whole spectrum ofmeaningand
valuesbecomesconscious and visible to him (Frankl1962:110 & Guttmann 1996:
126). This means that the task ofthe therapistis to assist the client/patient in such a
way that there can be a change in the attitudesand/orbehaviorofthe one who needs
help.
53