How philosophy can save your life | Jules Evans | TEDxBreda

TEDx Talks14 minutes read

Ancient Greek philosophy influenced modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, offering solutions for mental health struggles. While CBT addresses emotional issues effectively in the short term, it lacks discussions on virtues and flourishing, highlighting the need for practical philosophy in educational and professional settings.

Insights

  • Ancient Greek philosophy heavily influenced the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with the ABC theory of emotions by Albert Ellis illustrating how our interpretations of events directly impact our emotional responses.
  • While CBT provides valuable short-term solutions for emotional struggles like social anxiety, it falls short in addressing deeper existential questions on virtue, the meaning of life, and personal flourishing, areas where ancient Greek and Roman philosophy excelled in offering diverse perspectives, emphasizing the necessity of integrating practical philosophy into educational and professional environments to foster critical thinking and self-determination.

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Recent questions

  • What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

    CBT is a therapeutic method combining challenging beliefs with practice to overcome emotional issues.

  • Who invented Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

    Albert Ellis, an American psychologist, invented CBT.

  • How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) help with social anxiety?

    CBT challenges anxious beliefs through real-life practice.

  • What is the philosophy behind Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

    CBT is inspired by ancient Greek philosophy, focusing on challenging beliefs to control emotions.

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Summary

00:00

Greek Philosophy Inspires Modern Cognitive Therapy

  • Ancient Greek philosophy inspired modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), providing therapeutic wisdom to millions.
  • The speaker shares a personal story of experimenting with drugs in the 1990s, leading to panic attacks and mental health struggles.
  • After researching, the speaker found CBT as a potential solution for social anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Attending a CBT support group in London, the speaker found relief from panic attacks and learned to transform emotions.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was invented by American psychologist Albert Ellis, inspired by ancient Greek philosophy.
  • Ellis' ABC theory of emotions explains how our interpretations of events lead to consequent emotions.
  • Our inner voice, influenced by beliefs and opinions, often leads to automatic and unconscious interpretations that affect our emotions.
  • Epictetus, a stoic philosopher, emphasized the importance of questioning our beliefs and engaging in rational dialogue to control our reactions.
  • Epictetus' philosophy of resilience focused on distinguishing between what we can and cannot control, with beliefs being the only aspect under our control.
  • To instill philosophical teachings as habits, the Greeks used techniques like maxims, journals, and fieldwork, similar to how CBT ingrains new thought patterns.

12:54

"CBT for Social Anxiety; Need for Philosophy"

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method that combines challenging anxious beliefs with real-life practice to overcome social anxiety, leading to government investment in making CBT more accessible, such as in the UK where half a billion pounds were allocated for free CBT on the National Health Service.
  • While CBT offers effective short-term therapy for emotional issues, it lacks discussions on virtue, the meaning of life, and how to flourish, areas where ancient Greek and Roman philosophy excelled by providing diverse perspectives on what constitutes a good life and society, highlighting the need for practical philosophy in educational and professional settings to encourage critical thinking and self-determination.
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