Edith Eger, a psychologist and Holocaust survivor, has left an indelible mark on countless individuals, including BeyondPlay’s Head of Employee Experience, Alison Lowell.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Ms Lowell shared her admiration for Dr Eger’s remarkable resilience and transformative life philosophy.
“Someone who truly inspires me is Edith Eger, a psychologist and Holocaust survivor,” Ms Lowell wrote. She recounted one of Dr Eger’s most profound messages: “The greatest prison is not a physical one but the one we create in our minds.”
This insight, Ms Lowell noted, carries immense weight coming from someone who endured the horrors of Auschwitz, one of history’s most notorious prisons. Dr Eger’s story, woven through her books and life, underscores the extraordinary power of the human mind to overcome adversity and find freedom.
Dr Eger’s philosophy revolves around the idea that while external circumstances are often beyond our control, the real challenge lies in liberating ourselves from the limitations of our own thoughts and emotions. “Her life is a powerful testament to human resilience,” Ms Lowell shared, emphasising how Dr Eger’s journey resonates deeply in a world where mental and emotional well-being are increasingly prioritised.
Who is Edith Eger?
At just 16, she was torn from her life in Kassa, Hungary, and sent to Auschwitz, where she endured unimaginable horrors, including the murder of her parents.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Eger recalls her first night in Auschwitz, when she was ordered to perform a waltz: “Remembering my mother’s advice – no one can take from you what you’ve put in your mind – I closed my eyes and retreated to an inner world.” In her mind, she was no longer a prisoner in a death camp but performing on the grand stage of the Budapest opera house. This mental escape became her lifeline, enabling her to survive the ordeal.
Reflecting on her experiences, Dr Eger shares that Auschwitz became her “best classroom,” where she learned tools for survival that would later shape her 40-year career as a clinical psychologist. Her profound realisation? “The worst prison is not the one the Nazis put me in. The worst prison is the one I built for myself.”
Dr Eger believes that many of us are trapped in mental prisons of our own making, limited by our beliefs, fears, and self-imposed restrictions. “Our thoughts and beliefs determine, and often limit, how we feel, what we do, and what we think is possible,” she says.
Her path to freedom, she says, required hope – an awareness that suffering is temporary and a curiosity to discover what lies ahead. Hope, she emphasises, allows us to live in the present and unlock the doors to our mental prisons.
Dr Eger’s resilience and wisdom are encapsulated in her bestselling memoir, The Choice, where she challenges readers not to compare their suffering to hers but to find strength in her journey. “If she can do it, so can I!” she hopes they will say.
Her message is one of empowerment: “We aren’t stuck in the past or in our old patterns and behaviours. We’re here now, in the present, and it’s up to us what we hold on to, what we let go of, and what we reach for.”
For business leaders, Dr Eger’s teachings offer invaluable lessons. They highlight the importance of fostering a mindset of empowerment, not just for oneself but also within organisations.
Featured Image:
Edith Eger / Instagram
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