Episode 64 – Dealing with Chronic Anxiety

This episode reveals the ancient origins of modern therapeutic techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), tracing them back to Stoic philosophy. It argues that chronic anxiety is not caused by external events, but by the irrational beliefs and judgments we attach to them. The Stoics understood that while initial physiological reactions to startling events are natural, the sustained state of anxiety is a product of assenting to flawed thoughts. This core principle—that our internal judgments, not external circumstances, create our suffering—is the foundation of their approach to mental tranquility.

The discussion outlines Epictetus's three disciplines as a curriculum for managing anxiety: the discipline of desire, the discipline of action, and the discipline of assent. The discipline of desire teaches us to want only what is within our control (our own virtue) and to be indifferent to what is not. The discipline of action guides our social conduct with reason and justice, while the discipline of assent acts as a mental gatekeeper, allowing us to pause and examine our impressions before agreeing with them. This process of rationally challenging our automatic negative thoughts is a direct precursor to the methods used in modern CBT.

Furthermore, the episode explores the Stoic practice of premeditating on future evils, not to generate worry, but as a form of exposure therapy to inoculate oneself against the shock and fear of potential misfortune. By accepting the impermanence of all external things and focusing on the internal power of our own volition, we can dismantle the faulty judgments that fuel anxiety. The ultimate goal is to achieve apatheia, a state of freedom from destructive passions, thereby allowing for rational joy and unshakable peace. This ancient philosophy provides a robust, time-tested framework for reclaiming control over one's own mind.