Medicine for the Mind: Donald Robertson on Ancient Therapies for Modern Stressors

There's something strangely reassuring about knowing people were wrestling with the similar issues we struggle with over 2,000 years ago — even if they wore togas and wrote with a chisel.   Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, acclaimed author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, and one of the world's leading voices on Stoicism. He's also the founder of the Plato's Academy Centre in Athens, and a founding member of the Modern Stoicism nonprofit.   On this pod, we talk about the wisdom literature and how it can help with emotional distress; specifically, the idea of Stoics as ancient psychotherapists. Donald explains how Stoicism wasn't just a philosophy of life, but also a clear system of psychotherapy in ancient Greek and Roman thought.   Some episode highlights: How shifting definitions shape our understanding of mental illness On the paradox of growth through adversity Struggle and transformation Experiential wisdom Fortune and the bitch goddess of success Stoicism as an ancient psychotherapy The philosophical roots of cognitive therapy On anger, and the art of self-mastery (Seneca, Galen) On Worry and rumination Marcus Aurelius  Stoicism's broader vision On the "view from above" and the liberation of perspective How time expansion mitigates worry The complex relationship of thoughts and emotions The core proposition of both Stoicism and CBT How complaining signals resistance to reality Acceptance and the dichotomy of control How to reconnect with what's essential in a noisy world   This isn't motivational fluff; it's a toolkit for anyone who's ever gotten tangled in their own head.    

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