{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Medicine for the Mind: Donald Robertson on Ancient Therapies for Modern Stressors","description":"There\u2019s something strangely reassuring about knowing people were wrestling with the similar issues we struggle with over 2,000 years ago \u2014 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\u2019s leading voices on Stoicism. He\u2019s also the founder of the Plato\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s broader vision On the \u201cview from above\u201d 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\u2019s essential in a noisy world   This isn\u2019t motivational fluff; it\u2019s a toolkit for anyone who\u2019s ever gotten tangled in their own head.     ","author_name":"Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks","author_url":"http:\/\/www.larryweeks.com\/podcasts\/","html":"