Stoicism: The View from Above
Script for a Stoic Meditation Exercise
This is a slightly revised version of a script that I wrote many years ago, which was published in my first book on Stoicism and psychotherapy, The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy in 2010 — a revised 2nd edition of which is due for publication in 2019.
Take a moment to settle into your posture and make yourself comfortable… Close your eyes and relax… [Pause.] Be aware of your breathing… Notice the rhythm of the breath… Do nothing for a while, just be content to contemplate your breathing more deeply… [Pause.] Now, begin by paying attention to the whole of your body as one… From the top of your head, all the way down into your fingers and down into your toes… Be aware of your body as one… every nerve, muscle and fibre… Don’t try to change anything. Don’t try to stop anything from changing… Some things can change just by being observed…
Be content to notice whatever you notice, and feel whatever you feel… Be a passive, detached observer… As you continue to relax, turn your attention deeper within… Become more aware of your body… and imagine how you would appear right now if you could just take a step back and look at yourself… Begin to picture yourself as if seen from the outside… It really doesn’t matter how vividly you can see yourself, it’s just the intention — the…
