Earlier
Efforts
of Western Sciences
One
of the main motives of OIDA-therapy is emphasizing the phenomena
of faith in human existence, and the role of faith in human health.
During the development of OIDA-therapy, - at a certain moment -
we found it important to investigate the work of the principle psychological
thinkers of the 20th century Western world from the point of view
of OIDA-therapy.
We were curious to see, what kind of role, if any, the phenomena
of faith and love played in the work of these psychologists, whose
influence reached not only a narrow professional public, but also
a much broader one. Did they recognize the role of faith and love
in human health? Did they synthesize it in their work? Were their
efforts acknowledged by mainstream psychology? How far could they
integrate psychology and spirituality?
We looked at the work and the life of C. G. Jung, Viktor Frankl,
Erich Fromm and Abraham Maslow.
Kurt Godel and Albert Einstein
We found that these outstanding men – besides their differences
– had many similarities.
Faith, spirituality – or whatever you may call it –
played a crucial role in their work (and in their personal lives
as well).
Among their contemporaries they never belonged to the mainstream.
This being different from the mainstream resulted from striving
to view all available knowledge about human nature, the human situation
and human problems as a whole, and not solely according to the given
separate disciplines.
They also all had (different forms of) personal faith, although
– very consciously – they did not let it become very
obvious, due to being afraid of losing their scientific reputation.
This cautiousness was not without a well-grounded reason; the science
of psychology developed in the 20th century was based on a materialistic
worldview.
Besides that, the notion of an “objective science” demanded
a mostly “exclusive concentration” on a subject. It
was, and probably still is, obligatory that a scientist accepts
this basic stance.
Therefore all these men – even while they wrote deliberately
about the importance of spirituality in human development –
they avoided the possibility that they could be called religious
because continuing to be religious and being scientific was considered
contradictory,. Even Victor Frankl, whose psychotherapy was all
based on faith, emphasised this.
The work of Frankl played a special role in the development of OIDA-therapy,
and we are happily acknowledging it. It was a kind of a starting
point in the development of OIDA-therapy.
Swami Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti says the following about Frankl:
“Searching for help in assisting addicted people I asked for
different views beyond Freud. In Brazil I was put in contact with
logo-therapy as a cure through embracing a meaning of life. Frankl
and his story amazed me and I tried to connect what I learned from
him with the mystical teachings of the Vedas. The knowledge of “one
truth and many ways to approach it”, provided me with the
openness to go beyond sectarian limitations and rather see OIDA-therapy
as an answer. As faith is given by God, to cure us, in every true
mystical tradition. Here started my research on faith - the underlying
current of all convictions or claims to know something.”
~~~
a)
Abraham Maslow
b) Erich Fromm
c) Viktor Frankl
d) C.G. Jung
e) Werner Heisenberg
f) Kurt Godel
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