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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