About Donald Robertson

Donald Robertson (born 1972) is a Scottish psychotherapist, cognitive-behavioral therapist, and author who has become the leading contemporary interpreter of Stoic philosophy for clinical and general audiences. His work focuses on the practical, therapeutic dimensions of Stoicism — particularly the overlap between ancient Stoic practice and modern cognitive behavioral therapy — and on the life of Marcus Aurelius, the subject of his most widely read book.

Robertson studied philosophy and then trained as a cognitive-behavioral therapist, working clinically in the UK before relocating to Canada. He holds qualifications in cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, and hypnotherapy. His first major work, The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy (2010), established the scholarly case for the historical and conceptual connections between Stoicism and CBT — specifically, that Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy drew, directly or indirectly, on the Stoic tradition.

His second book, Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (2013), made Stoic practice accessible to general readers. His most commercially successful work, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (2019), presented the life and practice of Marcus Aurelius as a worked example of Stoic self-improvement, interweaving biography, philosophical exposition, and cognitive-behavioral techniques.

Robertson is a co-founder of the Modern Stoicism organization, which runs Stoic Week — an annual international event in which participants practice Stoic techniques for a week and report their effects — and the annual Stoicon conference. He has also written on historical hypnotherapy and the work of Milton Erickson.

Contributions

Stoicism-CBT Historical Connection

Robertson's The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010) is the most thorough scholarly treatment of the historical and conceptual overlap between Stoic practice and CBT. He documents that Ellis explicitly cited Epictetus; that Beck's cognitive model — the idea that it is our interpretation of events, not events themselves, that cause distress — repeats a Stoic principle; and that many specific CBT techniques (journaling, thought records, behavioral experiments, the premeditation of adversity) have close Stoic equivalents.

Marcus Aurelius as Practitioner

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (2019) uses Marcus Aurelius's life as a through-line for teaching Stoic practice. Robertson shows how Marcus used Stoic techniques — the view from above, the premeditation of adversity, distinguishing what is in our control from what is not — in the actual conditions of his reign: plague, war, the demands of power. The book is unusual in integrating biography, philosophy, and clinical application.

Modern Stoicism

Robertson co-founded the Modern Stoicism organization with Christopher Gill (classicist, University of Exeter) and others. The organization runs Stoic Week — an annual online event in which participants practice Stoic techniques for seven days and complete pre- and post-assessments — and Stoicon, an annual conference. Stoic Week has attracted tens of thousands of participants from over 100 countries. The organization collaborates with academic psychologists to research the effects of Stoic practice on well-being.

Works

The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy (2010; revised edition 2019).

Build Your Resilience (2012) — A self-help guide drawing on CBT and Stoicism.

Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (2013; 2nd ed. 2018).

The Practitioner's Guide to Ethics and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (2017).

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (2019) — Published by St. Martin's Press; his most widely read book.

Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (2022) — Graphic novel.

Multiple articles on Stoicism, CBT, and historical hypnotherapy in academic and popular venues.

Controversies

Authenticity of Modern Stoicism

Academic classicists and philosophers have questioned whether modern Stoicism is faithful to the ancient school. Classical Stoicism was embedded in a comprehensive cosmological and metaphysical system (logos, pneuma, the active and passive principles, fate as providential) that most modern practitioners set aside as inessential. Critics argue that detaching Stoic ethics from its metaphysical foundations may produce something useful but not genuinely Stoic. Robertson's response is that practice and ethics are the primary concern and that the metaphysical framework, while present in classical texts, is not load-bearing for the therapeutic application.

CBT Lineage Claims

Robertson's claim that CBT has Stoic ancestry has been questioned on the grounds that Ellis's acknowledgment of Epictetus may reflect a loose rhetorical connection rather than a deep philosophical genealogy. Some CBT researchers prefer to ground the therapy's theoretical foundations entirely in contemporary cognitive science and behavioral psychology, without reference to the philosophical tradition.

Notable Quotes

The Stoics taught that the source of our emotional distress lies not in external events but in our own value judgments — and that by changing our value judgments, we can change our emotional responses. — Paraphrase of Robertson's central clinical and philosophical argument, consistent with his published writing.

Marcus Aurelius practiced philosophy not as an academic exercise but as a daily discipline of attention and self-correction. — Consistent with the thesis of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.

Legacy

Robertson's work has contributed substantially to the early twenty-first century revival of Stoicism as a living practice rather than a historical curiosity. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor reached bestseller status and introduced Stoic philosophy to readers who would not have encountered it through academic or traditional philosophical channels.

The Modern Stoicism organization's Stoic Week program has generated research data on the psychological effects of Stoic practice — including published studies in peer-reviewed journals — making it one of the few ancient philosophical traditions with an empirical outcome literature.

His documentation of the CBT-Stoicism connection has influenced how therapists understand their own tradition's intellectual history and has contributed to the integration of classical Stoic texts into CBT training programs at some institutions.

Significance

Robertson's significance lies primarily in bridging ancient Stoicism and modern psychotherapy for practitioners and general readers.

Stoicism and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Robertson made explicit and documented the philosophical lineage connecting Stoic practice to CBT. Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, acknowledged the Stoic maxim (from Epictetus: "It is not things that disturb us but our opinions about them") as a source of his core therapeutic principle. Aaron Beck acknowledged similar Stoic antecedents. Robertson's 2010 book traced these connections systematically, arguing that Stoic practices — attention to automatic judgments, the discipline of assent, Stoic journaling, the premeditation of adversity — are direct historical antecedents of CBT techniques.

Popular Stoicism

Robertson's books contributed to the early twenty-first century revival of popular interest in Stoicism, alongside Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle Is the Way (2014) and Massimo Pigliucci's work. His approach is distinctive in maintaining fidelity to the classical texts while making the practice accessible and connecting it to clinical outcomes.

Modern Stoicism Organization

Through the Modern Stoicism organization, Robertson helped create an infrastructure for the contemporary practice of Stoicism — Stoic Week, Stoicon, research collaborations with academic psychologists — that has reached hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide.

Connections

Marcus Aurelius — Robertson's primary biographical and philosophical subject; How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is structured around Marcus's life and practice

Epictetus — Robertson draws extensively on Epictetus's Enchiridion and Discourses as the foundation of Stoic therapeutic practice

Seneca — Seneca's letters and essays on Stoic practice are among Robertson's primary sources

Aaron T. Beck — Robertson documents the connection between Beck's cognitive model and Stoic philosophy; CBT's core technique of examining automatic thoughts has direct Stoic precedents

Zeno of Citium — Founder of Stoicism; Robertson grounds his exposition in the original Stoic school's principles

Further Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Donald Robertson?

Donald Robertson (born 1972) is a Scottish psychotherapist, cognitive-behavioral therapist, and author who has become the leading contemporary interpreter of Stoic philosophy for clinical and general audiences. His work focuses on the practical, therapeutic dimensions of Stoicism — particularly the overlap between ancient Stoic practice and modern cognitive behavioral therapy — and on the life of Marcus Aurelius, the subject of his most widely read book.

What is Donald Robertson known for?

Donald Robertson is known for: The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2010), How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (2019), co-founding the Modern Stoicism organization, Stoic Week, the scholarly case for CBT's Stoic ancestry

What was Donald Robertson's legacy?

Donald Robertson's legacy: Robertson's work has contributed substantially to the early twenty-first century revival of Stoicism as a living practice rather than a historical curiosity. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor reached bestseller status and introduced Stoic philosophy to readers who would not have encountered it through academic or traditional philosophical channels.