'Philosophers in the Therapy Room'

Episode 9

The Currents of the Soul: Spinoza on Affects and Transformation

In this episode, we bring the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza into the session to explore his fascinating ideas on affect and the distinction between passive and active states of being.

By 'affect', Spinoza refers to the body's capacity to act, be acted upon, and experience changes in its power to exist and persevere. Affects are not just fleeting emotions; they encompass the entire spectrum of how we respond to the world. They shape our moods, motivations, and overall ability to engage with life. Spinoza helps us see how these responses are not neutral—they either enhance or diminish our power to act.

We also delve into Spinoza’s distinction between passive affects—those that happen to us and diminish our autonomy—and active affects, which arise when we fully understand and align ourselves with the causes of our emotions. This distinction offers a profound lens for understanding how clients might feel stuck in cycles of passivity or, alternatively, how they might find empowerment and freedom through greater awareness and agency.

Join us as we unpack these ideas and consider their implications for therapy. How can understanding Spinoza’s theory of affect help us guide clients toward active engagement with their lives? And how might this philosophical framework illuminate our own practices as therapists? Stay with us as we journey through Spinoza’s thought and its relevance in the therapy room.

Episode 8

Existential Carelessness & Moral Injury

What happens when we turn away from the world? In this episode, we dive into Heidegger’s concept of Sörge (care) to reflect on what it means to be in a world that demands our attention and engagement. Care, we suggest, is not just a fundamental condition of existence—it is an ethical imperative. To stop caring, to grow indifferent, is to risk severing our relationship with the world and ourselves.

We also explore anger as a moral emotion: a signal that something we value is under threat. When we dismiss or suppress this signal, we risk deeper harm—what philosophers and therapists alike call moral injury. By ignoring these calls to care, we risk damaging our "house of being," where meaning, ethics, and our sense of self reside.

This episode invites you to rethink care as more than an individual experience. It is an ethical demand that connects us to the political, social, and global realities we inhabit—a reminder that existential carelessness comes at a cost, not just to others, but to our very humanity.

Episode 7

The Experience of Loss & the Unbearable Presence of Absence

In this episode, we explore the deeply transformative experience of loss through the lens of phenomenology, drawing particularly on Jean-Paul Sartre’s notion of “present absence.” Sartre describes how, even when someone or something is no longer physically present, their absence is still profoundly felt, shaping our lived experience as if they continue to exist in a different way. This idea of a "present absence" captures how loss lingers in our consciousness, constantly influencing how we relate to the world and to ourselves.

We discuss how, in the wake of loss, our perception of the world changes—everyday objects, places, and routines take on new significance or emptiness. The presence of the absent person or thing becomes a haunting force, reshaping the emotional and existential landscape we inhabit. This phenomenon impacts not only our external world but also our inner world, forcing us to confront the ways in which our sense of self is intertwined with those we lose.

In the therapeutic context, we explore how acknowledging and working through this experience of present absence can help clients process grief. By recognizing the ways in which the absent person still "exists" within their life, clients can begin to make sense of the changes to their emotional world, find meaning in their ongoing relationship with the loss, and navigate the reconstruction of their identity after such a profound shift.