Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (Teach Yourself) Paperback – May 31, 2013
| | | 4.4 out of 5 stars | | | 60 customer reviews |
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Book Description
The stoics lived a long time ago, but they had some startling insights into the human condition - insights which endure to this day. The philosophical tradition, founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in 301 BC, endured as an active movement for almost 500 years, and contributions from dazzling minds such as Cicero, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius helped create a body of thought with an extraordinary goal - to provide a rational, healthy way of living in harmony with the nature of the universe and in respect of our relationships with each other.
In many ways a precursor to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Stoicism provides an armamentarium of strategies and techniques for developing psychological resilience, while celebrating all in life which is beautiful and important. By learning what stoicism is, you can revolutionise your life and learn how to seize the day, live happily and be a better person.
This simple, empowering book shows how to use this ancient wisdom to make practical, positive changes to your life. Using thought-provoking case studies, highlighting key ideas and things to remember and providing tools for self-assessment, it demonstrates that Stoicism is a proven, profound pathway to happiness.
In many ways a precursor to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Stoicism provides an armamentarium of strategies and techniques for developing psychological resilience, while celebrating all in life which is beautiful and important. By learning what stoicism is, you can revolutionise your life and learn how to seize the day, live happily and be a better person.
This simple, empowering book shows how to use this ancient wisdom to make practical, positive changes to your life. Using thought-provoking case studies, highlighting key ideas and things to remember and providing tools for self-assessment, it demonstrates that Stoicism is a proven, profound pathway to happiness.
Product Description
About the Author
Donald Robertson is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, specialising in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), clinical hypnosis, and other evidence-based approaches. He has been in practice as a therapist for over fifteen years and mainly treats clients with anxiety-related problems at his clinic in Harley Street, London. Donald is also an experienced trainer and workshop facilitator.
He is the author of dozens of articles in therapy journals and magazines and of the books The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010) and The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy (in press). He is also the editor of The Discovery of Hypnosis (2009), the complete writings of James Braid, the founder of hypnotherapy.
Donald Robertson is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, specialising in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), clinical hypnosis, and other evidence-based approaches. He has been in practice as a therapist for over fifteen years and mainly treats clients with anxiety-related problems at his clinic in Harley Street, London. Donald is also an experienced trainer and workshop facilitator.
He is the author of dozens of articles in therapy journals and magazines and of the books The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010) and The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy (in press). He is also the editor of The Discovery of Hypnosis (2009), the complete writings of James Braid, the founder of hypnotherapy.
Product Specifications
| Paperback: | 256 pages |
| Publisher: | Teach Yourself; 1 edition (May 31, 2013) |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN-10: | 1444187104 |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1444187106 |
| Product Dimensions: | 5.2 x 8 x 0.8 inches |
| Shipping Weight: | ) |
| Average Customer Review: | 4.4 out of 5 stars 60 customer reviews |
Customer reviews
Too academic for my taste
| | | March 12, 2015 March 12, 2015 |
This is the third book I’ve read on stoicism, and overall I don’t like it as much as the others. I expected a straightforward practical emphasis because the author is a psychotherapist, the title refers to ‘the art of happiness’, there’s a blurb on the cover saying ‘ancient tips for modern challenges’, and the book is part of a ‘Teach Yourself’ series. What I found instead is that the book has an academic feel, with a lot of details related to terminology and somewhat esoteric specifics of what various ancient stoics said. And making matters worse, the book is tediously repetitive. Basically, you have to do quite a bit of filtering and reflecting to extract the practical points from the book.
I made such an effort, and my main conclusion is that we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to happiness, because we tend to naturally interpret our lives and circumstances in ways that lead to more negative emotions than necessary. The remedy is to become masters of our minds, using our abilities to reason and observe ourselves, so that we gradually train ourselves to habitually apply various psychological techniques which cause us to interpret things in ways that reduce negative emotions and foster positive emotions. We may never reach true mastery in this regard, but striving for it will still (hopefully) enable enough progress to make the effort worthwhile. And to help us make progress, we can use stoic sages as models for emulation (eg, ‘what would Epictetus do in this situation?’).
Here’s a summary of some key psychological techniques:
• Don’t be bothered by things over which you have little or no influence. That includes accepting that things sometimes won’t turn out as you intended or planned, so always be ready to adapt.
• Mentally prepare for tough circumstances, imagining handling them with calm composure. Such preparation will reduce fear of tough circumstances and lessen their effect when they happen. If necessary, also take a ‘time out’ to let emotions dampen. And taking it further, make tough circumstances a positive by treating them as learning opportunities.
• Be oriented largely towards the present, since the past is done and unchangeable, and the future is largely uncertain and out of our hands.
• Find a balance between being engaged in the world versus somewhat detached. Treat life as a festival or game, with the goal being to enjoy observing and participating for the short duration we’re here, but without being concerned too much about outcomes.
• Focus more on the inner development of your character rather than attaining or hanging on to external things which may be transient or beyond your control (material things, sensory pleasures, social status, health, even loved ones).
• Appreciate that things may happen according to a universal scheme which has underlying reason and meaning, but is beyond our finite understanding. Use this perspective to remind yourself that the things which trouble us are generally ‘small stuff’ in the overall scheme of things, which is mysterious but at least seems to entail an incomprehendably vast universe which has existed for billions of years.
Since most reviewers like this book, I don't want to deter people from reading it. But since the book didn't resonate with me, I think it's safe to say there will be others it won't resonate with either.
I made such an effort, and my main conclusion is that we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to happiness, because we tend to naturally interpret our lives and circumstances in ways that lead to more negative emotions than necessary. The remedy is to become masters of our minds, using our abilities to reason and observe ourselves, so that we gradually train ourselves to habitually apply various psychological techniques which cause us to interpret things in ways that reduce negative emotions and foster positive emotions. We may never reach true mastery in this regard, but striving for it will still (hopefully) enable enough progress to make the effort worthwhile. And to help us make progress, we can use stoic sages as models for emulation (eg, ‘what would Epictetus do in this situation?’).
Here’s a summary of some key psychological techniques:
• Don’t be bothered by things over which you have little or no influence. That includes accepting that things sometimes won’t turn out as you intended or planned, so always be ready to adapt.
• Mentally prepare for tough circumstances, imagining handling them with calm composure. Such preparation will reduce fear of tough circumstances and lessen their effect when they happen. If necessary, also take a ‘time out’ to let emotions dampen. And taking it further, make tough circumstances a positive by treating them as learning opportunities.
• Be oriented largely towards the present, since the past is done and unchangeable, and the future is largely uncertain and out of our hands.
• Find a balance between being engaged in the world versus somewhat detached. Treat life as a festival or game, with the goal being to enjoy observing and participating for the short duration we’re here, but without being concerned too much about outcomes.
• Focus more on the inner development of your character rather than attaining or hanging on to external things which may be transient or beyond your control (material things, sensory pleasures, social status, health, even loved ones).
• Appreciate that things may happen according to a universal scheme which has underlying reason and meaning, but is beyond our finite understanding. Use this perspective to remind yourself that the things which trouble us are generally ‘small stuff’ in the overall scheme of things, which is mysterious but at least seems to entail an incomprehendably vast universe which has existed for billions of years.
Since most reviewers like this book, I don't want to deter people from reading it. But since the book didn't resonate with me, I think it's safe to say there will be others it won't resonate with either.
Why not Stoicism?
| | | October 27, 2014 October 27, 2014 |
This was my first book on practical Stoicism, and it was certainly enjoyable. The author provides a balanced and captivating treatment of Stoic ancient philosophy and practice, updated for the 21st century. This is not just a handy introduction to Stoicism as a philosophy, it is a how-to manual that would have made Epictectus smile. Parts of it are a bit redundant, but even that is not really much of a defect, as certain concepts do need to be repeated in order to be highlighted and to sink in. Try out living like a Stoic, meditation, mindfulness and all. You might like it. It may even change your life.
Wise book! Wise material! Time Well Spent!
| | | October 23, 2016 October 23, 2016 |
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 (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! Moreover, I have come to the conclusion that anyone who faults this book or the subject is probably in the most need of it! In addition, you might want to read: The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Donald Robertson as well - a very good read!
Great breakdown:
| | | May 22, 2014 May 22, 2014 |
My only complaint is that the book continually pushed CBT and got more into the modern psychological implications of stoicism than how to actually live the stoic ideal. However, that was only a minor nuisance compared to the overall text and the quality job it did in outlining stoic philosophy. I did find the self examination sections at the beginning of each chapter to be excellent lead ins for the reading. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has experience with stoic philosophy or someone who is just introducing themselves to one of the most profound schools of the ancient world.
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