The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy 1st Edition

Many people are superficially aware that modern cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational-emotive therapy (RET or REBT) have roots in the Greco-Roman philosophy of the ancient Stoics. For those select few who are interested in knowing more about the nexus between ancient philosophy and modern psychotherapy, this book is a great place to start.The most interesting aspect of the book for me was learning how little the fundamental problems of being human have changed in 3,000 years - from the time of Diogenes, Pythagoras, Socrates, and Epictetus through to Spinoza and right up to the present day. In the time of the Stoics, philosophy was not an abstract exercise in parsing the meaning of language as it is today, but rather a vital, pragmatic attempt to find the right path in living. This book shows that our modern cognitive-behavioral therapists didn't so much discover solutions to life's worries, but rather re-discovered ideas and formulas first propounded much earlier by the Ancients.The author discusses a number of interesting topics including: the quest to find the path of "virtue" (i.e., character development) in life; how to find tranquility amid life's chaos; the power of anticipation (e.g., "memento mori") in mitigating life's tragedies; how to manage emotions; and how to live a deeper, more profound life.Also, the lives of some amazing ancient Stoics, including the former slave turned philosopher Epictetus, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Roman Senator Seneca, and others bring a narrative life to what is otherwise a textbook-like work. In sum, for those with an interest in philosophy, psychology, and classical history, this is a very interesting and enlightening read.

Every person on earth should read this book. It is chock full of great insights and is very inspiring. The author gets his main points across convincingly. This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about how to use his brain and live his life. An excellent read. I learned a lot about stoicism and CBT while reading this book, and I consider myself fairly well read in these subjects. I intend to read this book a second time (doing this is rare for me).

Very interesting and enlightening read.

I am a "fan" of Stoicism and I consider myself well-read both in the originals (Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius ... and even the more pedantic Musonius Rufus) and in the more modern literature and commentaries on the classics (e.g. the awesome Pierre Hadot's books.) I've noticed the similarities between REBT/CBT and Stoicism a while ago, so I was looking forward to reading this book and was cautiously optimistic about learning a few new things from it --- in the form of different wordings or perspective. I thought that, at best, I would be able to add a few details, or see basic stoic concepts from a slightly different angle, I was wrong. I gained A LOT from Donald Robertson's wonderful book. I can't imagine a better book to bridge REBT/CBT and Stoicism, he has deep knowledge (and an obvious passion) for both and weaves them together wonderfully and convincingly.I thought that few could equal the great Pierre Hadot when it comes to explaining and bringing Stoicism alive and into practice, but Mr Robertson is in the same league.Highly recommended to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of both Stoicism and REBT/CBT.THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. ROBERTSON!

There are 3 subjects that resonate deeply with me: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Positive Psychology (PP) and Stoic Philosophy! I have read and re-read the works of Albert Ellis (REBT/CBT), Aaron Beck (CBT) and Martin Seligman (PP) among others within the genre of CBT and Positive Psychology, and I have read Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus (among others) within the genre of Stoicism. In addition, I have read modern stoic authors such as William B. Irvine (A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy) and Jules Evans (Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient Philosophy for Modern Problems). Without any hesitation I recommend adding this book to the list! And, although this book is better than some books mentioned above, it's not my objective to rank them. To build practical wisdom takes a great amount of time, persistent dedication and redundancy of material so as to know it well. Daily practice! Deep familiarity! This book helps serve that goal - to build practical wisdom that is! In addition, you might want to read "Stoicism and The Art Of Happiness" also by this author!

Having been interested in both Stoicism and REBT for decades, this book does a laudable job of explaining and discussing the impact of Stoicism on modern psychotherapy. It also gives countless pearls - both ancient and modern - for using these principles in everyday life. An excellent read.

This book corrects a lot of misunderstanding surrounding Stoic philosophy, and then discusses how it applies to modern psychotherapy. It is worth it alone for the two appendices that provide exercises on how to apply the principles discussed within it.

Should be required reading for any therapist treating people with trauma.

Brilliantly researched and written in a compelling style, Donald Robertson's writing traces the philosophical origins of the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to its earliest philosophical roots.Robertson starts with the modest assertion that he is a world authority on neither CBT nor classical philosophy. Yet, this book clearly demonstrates a mastery of both.His modern perspective is in complete sympathy with ancient philosophical origins of CBT. Indeed, he has traced a long forgotten path to a ‘coherent system of thought’ and ‘therapeutic’ practices. He places CBT, as a modern discipline, in the context of an ancient philosophical tradition and explains the link between Stoicism and psychology. He goes on to explain the role of fatalism in Stoic thinking and links this to Ellis's rational therapy among others.Robertson’s work provide perspective and clarity on the human condition and our latest modern psychology and psychotherapy to ameliorate it.A must-read, for students of philosophy and psychotherapy.

a truly excellent book.not only very interesting and thought provoking but good to read as well without any unnecessary verbiage.shows the link between stoic thinking and cbt clearly and helped with my understanding of what cbt is about and what use it has in todays world.good for practitioners to read to gain an insight into how cbt can change the way we live our lives and the power of rational thinking.highly recommended-a great find.some beautiful quotes from early philosophers- the quotes from the american airman held captive in vietnam are particularly powerful.

Extremely interesting particularly for anyone who has delivered CBT. I have always been intrigued by the origins of CBT/REBT and although I have read much on Stoic philosophy this book neatly sums it up and introduced some information that had escaped me.It is an easy read and available for anyone who believes the Mark Twain quote "The ancients stole all our best ideas"

Fabulous book about the 'Philosophy behind CBT counselling. Well written and in a great format, this book provides brilliant information if you are currently studying counselling (degree level).It really helped me and I have recommended it to many of my colleagues. Absolutely essential information, well referenced and clearly set out. Highly recommended.

Very interesting reading and should be more emphasised both for students of stoicism as well as for psychologists using CBT