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The Dark Psychology Trick Marcus Aurelius Used Every Night (That Therapists Now Charge $200/Hour For)
How a Roman emperor’s private evening ritual became modern therapy’s most profitable technique — and how you can use it tonight for free.
I sat across from a therapist in a small New York City office. She charged me $175 for 50-minutes. During the 50-minutes she asked me to review the day. She then asked me what led to my anxiety. Finally, she asked if my thoughts about the day were based on facts or were simply my interpretations of those facts.
I nodded. I filled out the little journal she provided. I booked another appointment with her.
It wasn’t until I was randomly reading Marcus Aurelius on a Tuesday night, that I found out something that truly annoyed me; he explained the exact same process — almost verbatim — in a Roman army tent approximately 1800-years prior to my therapist charging me for it.
The Daily Routine Marcus Aurelius Never Intended To Write About
Marcus Aurelius did not plan for anyone to ever read his personal writings. His book “Meditations” was originally called “To Myself.” It was a private discussion between a man and his own mind. There was no public. There was no press. There was no sponsorship.
