New Book – Teach Yourself: Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (2013)

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Teach Yourself:
Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (2013)

Teach Yourself: Stoicism and the Art of Happinessby Donald Robertson

Due for publication by Hodder, autumn 2013.  ISBN: 9781444187106.  You can pre-order online from the publisher.

This new addition to Hodder’s popular Teach Yourself series provides a detailed introduction to Stoic philosophy, with particular emphasis on applying Stoic ethics and therapy to modern living.  Donald Robertson is a registered psychotherapist, specialising in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety and other evidence-based approaches, with a background in academic philosophy.  He is the author of four previous books, two of which also deal with Stoicism and its relation to modern psychology and psychotherapy:

Stoicism and the Art of Happiness is the product of Donald’s experience over the past fifteen years, in his attempt to integrate the ancient wisdom of Stoic philosophy with modern evidence-based approaches to psychological therapy and stress management.

Chapters Include

  • Modern Stoicism
  • The Way of the Stoic: “Follow Nature”
  • The Promise of Philosophy (Eudaimona)
  • Interlude: Meet the Stoics
  • Stoic Ethics: The Nature of the Good
  • The Discipline of Judgement (Stoic Mindfulness)
  • Self-Awareness & the “Stoic Fork”
  • The Discipline of Desire (Stoic Acceptance)
  • Stoic Psychotherapy (Fear & Desire)
  • The View from Above & Stoic Cosmology
  • The Discipline of Action (Stoic Philanthropy)
  • Appropriate Action & the Reserve Clause
  • Love & Friendship in Stoicism
  • The Morning & Evening Meditations
  • Premeditation of Adversity
  • Contemplation of Death
  • Contemplation of the Sage

Special Offer: April Certificate in Evidence-Based Hypnotherapy (London)

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April Certificate Course in Hypnotherapy

Last chance to train with Donald Robertson!

Practice-of-CBH-BillboardJust a quick post to let you know that April 27th will be the last hypnotherapy course I’m teaching in the UK, before emigrating to Canada with my family in June this year.

We currently have our best ever special offer running for early bookings. 

A massive discount on the price and a free copy of my book, the core text for the course:

The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy (2012)

See the website below for details…

Certificate in Evidence-Based Hypnotherapy

 

Regards,

Donald Robertson

A Simple Modern Approach to Stoicism

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A Simple Modern Approach to StoicismThis article providing a plain English introduction to Stoic practice has attracted a huge amount of interest on the internet.  Since yesterday afternoon, twelve thousand people have read it, it’s been shared nearly 100 times on Facebook and 80-90 times in Tweets.  It’s taken from material being developed for the forthcoming book Teach yourself Stoicism.  You can also read about Stoicism and stress prevention in Donald’s book Build your Resilience (2012), which has a chapter on Stoic philosophy.

See the link to our Philosophy of CBT blog below for the article:

A Simple Modern Approach to Stoicism

http://philosophy-of-cbt.com/2013/02/03/a-simplified-modern-approach-to-stoicism/

Newsletter: Special Discounts on Upcoming Hypnotherapy Training

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UK College Newsletter

Special Discounts on Upcoming Hypnotherapy Training

The UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Practice-of-CBH-Cover-3Special Offers!  We currently have some fantastic offers available and in addition, we are offering some exclusive special discounts to anyone who has attended a course or workshop with us before. These are available for a very limited time, so book now to avoid disappointment! You can email us at admin@ukhypnosis.com or call free of charge on 0800 195 9809 if you want more information or would like to book a place, taking advantage of the offers below.

NEWS: Donald Robertson has been UK College Principal and our main trainer for nearly ten years. In June 2013 he will be emigrating with his family to Canada. He will be teaching all of our courses until then, so this is your last opportunity to train with him. Courses will continue to run as normal after that time, and further information will be sent out to everyone in the New Year.

“Donald Robertson is an exceptional trainer with a depth and breadth of knowledge regarding cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy that is unmatched by any of the many therapists and trainers I have encountered throughout my own years of involvement in this field. Don’s style is erudite, entertaining and makes for compulsive viewing.

The training he offers is thorough, rigorous and interspersed with fun and much hands-on practical skill development and knowledge application. I wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend Donald Robertson and his training school as one of the best.” – Adam Eason, author, trainer, hypnotherapist.

Details of Special Offers

25% Discount on Stage 1: Foundation Certificate in Evidence-Based Hypnotherapy

If you book before 1st February 2013, you will get over 25% discount off the normal price of our foundation certificate (stage 1) course.

Discounted Price: £625. A saving of £250!

Special Discount on Stages 2 & 3

If you have already completed stage one of our hypnotherapy training, you can book on stage two or three before the 1st February 2013 and get 20% discount off the normal price.

Discounted Price: £795. A saving of £129!

Returning Students – Re-Attend for only £250 per stage.

We continually review and update our training course content and, as a result, people often choose to return and re-attend part or all of our diploma training as revision or CPD. If you’ve already completed your diploma with us and you wish to re-attend, you will be able to do so for only £250 per stage or £750 for the entire diploma course. This offer is available for bookings made at any time on our February Stage 1 course and/or March Stage 2 and 3 courses.

About our Hypnotherapy Training Courses

Although there is a strong scientific evidence-base concerning the nature and therapeutic value of hypnosis and suggestion, unfortunately, many books and courses on hypnosis do not base their approach on the mainstream research on the subject. In fact, there’s a serious risk of being taught misinformation about hypnosis as many courses and workshops are based on pseudo-scientific ideas about hypnotism. Our training has always attempted to summarise the current scientific literature on hypnosis and to draw on other well-established evidence-based approaches, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Our courses are located in Croydon, South London, for easy access from around the Greater London area. Croydon has some of the best transport links in the country, and a tramline that connects it directly with the London Underground.  Courses run in the comfortable setting of the Jurys Inn Hotel, which we’ve used for many years now as we believe it provides an ideal environment for the training we deliver.

We have very flexible payment options, to suit everyone’s needs. If you’re still thinking about whether to book or not feel free to make a provisional booking, and we’ll be happy to hold a place for you until you’ve reached a decision. To confirm a booking you can either pay in full or simply pay a small deposit now to secure your place and settle the rest before the course start date. Alternatively, you can spread the cost by paying for your training in monthly instalments, even if this means they’ll be settled after you’ve started your training. Also, if for any reason you’re not able to attend the whole seven days of one of our stages, don’t worry because this is a very common situation and we can usually make flexible arrangements for students to complete their training by dividing their attendance across different dates in a way that suits their needs.

Why our Hypnotherapy Training is the Best

We only use highly-experienced therapists as trainers. Donald Robertson, our principal, is the main trainer on the current diploma programme. Donald has been a hypnotherapist for over sixteen years now and has been delivering hypnotherapy training for over a decade. He is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and CBT practitioner. Donald has also published dozens of articles in professional journals and four books on therapy – he’s currently writing his fifth book under contract to a major publishing house. Donald is the editor of The Discovery of Hypnosis, the complete writings of James Braid, the founder of hypnotherapy. He’s also the author of The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy, a major new textbook on evidence-based practice in hypnotherapy, and the integration of hypnosis with CBT.

Our courses have an excellent reputation. Our course material and training approach have been developed over many years work with hundreds of previous students. Our training manuals and course materials are of a very high standard and are highly-regarded by our former students. The course material for the current diploma is the basis of The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy, which has been published by Karnac, the UK’s leading psychotherapy publishing house. Our course content is continually being revised on the basis of current research evidence and best practice in the field of hypnosis and psychological therapy. Courses are primarily based on a practical skills training approach, and modelled on the official UK National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy. Student satisfaction ratings for our certificate and diploma training courses consistently average above 90% and we’re very proud of the positive feedback we receive from students and our reputation as one of the UK’s leading hypnotherapy training organisations.

Terms and Conditions

Discounts and special offers only apply to confirmed bookings, i.e. a deposit or full payment must have been received by the offer expiration date. Discounts and special offers cannot be combined. Discounts and special offers only apply to the specified courses. Discounts are based on the full published, current course fees.

Best wishes,

Mandy Robertson

Training Administrator

Some Questions for Creative Problem-Solving

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Some Questions for Creative Problem-Solving

Practice-of-CBH-Cover-3From The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy (2012) by Donald Robertson

When faced with a specific problem, try asking yourself the following structured set of questions:

1. What specifically is the problem?

2. What specifically is your goal?

3. What have you done in the past to cope with similar problems?

4. What haven’t you tried yet?

5. What would you advise someone you care about to do in a similar situation?

6. Think of someone you respect or admire. What would they do?

7. What do you think people you respect would advise you to do?

8. Who could you approach for help?

9. List all the other resources you can draw upon to cope?

10. What would a creative person do?

11. What would a wise person do?

12. What would a courageous person do?

13. What would be the easiest thing to do?

14. What would be the most effective solution possible? What’s the ideal solution?

15. Overall, what do you think the best or most realistic solution would be?

Tweet: The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy on Amazon

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Roundup of Recent Posts

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Roundup of Recent Posts

Video: Stoic Philosophy and Psychotherapy Workshop at Exeter University

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Stoic Philosophy & Psychotherapy Workshop

Video from Exeter University October 2012

See the Stoicism and its Modern Uses blog at the University of Exeter for more information…

Donald Robertson is the author of The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy (2010) and the forthcoming Teach yourself Stoicism (in press).

Review – Stoic Serenity: A Practical Course on Finding Inner Peace (2006) by Keith Seddon

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Stoic Serenity:

A Practical Course on Finding Inner Peace (2006)

Stoic-Serenity-CoverKeith Seddon

Reviewed by Donald Robertson, author of The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy (2010)

Find Stoic Serenity: A Practical Course on Finding Inner Peace (2006) on Amazon UK and Google Books.

Stoic Serenity is a practical guide to Stoicism as a way of life.  The author, Keith Seddon, describes himself as a freelance academic and author.  It is actually based on a correspondence course, first published in 2000, by an organisation called The Stoic Foundation.  The course focuses mainly on the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and the Letters of Seneca, probably the two most relevant sources for novice students of Stoicism.  These are “set texts”, which the reader should also have access to, in order to follow the coursework in Stoic Serenity.  Each chapter concludes with some written exercises and at the back of the book examples of answers provided by previous students are given along with tutor feedback.

I thought this was a good introduction to the challenge of applying Stoicism in the modern world, in one’s daily life.  It’s probably going to be more accessible than most other books on Stoicism and provides clearly-described advice and exercises that anyone should be able to engage with.  The whole point of Stoicism is that we should apply it in our own lives and this course gives the reader a good framework for beginning to do that.  It’s also written in a style that encourages critical thinking and self-reflection, rather than merely teaching the theory and practice of Stoicism didactically.  This book doesn’t engage with the comparison between Stoicism and the techniques of modern psychotherapy, which may reveal a wider repertoire of Stoic “exercises”, but it does a good job of helping the student to learn the core principles of Stoicism as a way of life and, as such, it would probably be the best thing for many newcomers to the subject to read first.

Seddon quite rightly observes that for Stoics, “Our responsibility is primarily to ourselves… The idea that the Stoic should promote justice (or any virtue) in others is hard to come by in the literature” (p. 166-167).  However, of course, the many books written by ancient Stoics, and the fact that Stoics lectured and tutored others, suggest that they did seek to promote virtue in others, through education and training.  Further, that seems to be precisely what Seddon’s course is meant to accomplish.  Indeed, according to Stobaeus, the ancient Stoics believed that the Wise Man would naturally write books intended to help others.  Stoic Serenity is such a book and I’m sure that many  people will find it an excellent introduction to practical philosophy, as well as to the classic texts of Stoicism with which it deals.

Table of Contents of Stoic Serenity (2006)

  1. Good, bad and indifferent
  2. What is in our power
  3. “Live simply” and “Live according to nature”
  4. Universal nature, God and fate
  5. Living in society
  6. Impermanence, loss and death
  • Appendix 1: The Stoics on Determinism
  • Appendix 2: Striving to be Free of the Passions
  • Supplement 1: Sample Responses to Assignments
  • Supplement 2: Key to the Stoic Philosophy of Epictetus
  • Supplement 3: Conflict between Stoics and Epicurus