Omar Linares, philosophical consultant.Fermín Rodríguez (Fermin Rodriguez)
Last December,
The New Yorker
magazine published a report about a profession that has operated in the shadows for years: philosophical consultation.
It's just as it sounds: a client shows up at a philosopher's office and tells him about his existential doubts.
The development of the session varies significantly depending on the consultant chosen.
It does not treat mental health problems, but rather helps the patient reflect on deep philosophical questions, such as the meaning of life, ethics or freedom.
Its supporters claim that this practice rescues the practical dimension of ancient philosophy, as stated in a famous quote by Epicurus: “Vain is the word of the philosopher that does not remedy any suffering of man, because, just as medicine is not useful if it does not eliminate diseases of the body, nor does philosophy if it does not suppress the diseases of the soul.
In Spain it is easy to go to the philosopher.
Just search on Google and choose from one of the professionals who offer this service.
On average, it costs about 60 euros per session, similar to the price of a psychologist.
It goes by different names: consultation, advice or even philosophical accompaniment, as Omar Linares, a doctor of philosophy from Granada, who has been dedicated to this work for nine years, calls it.
He says by email that before he had a physical office to receive clients, but that now he makes all inquiries
online
.
He makes a living from this profession, and claims that he has even experienced times when he had a waiting list.
He describes a heterogeneous client profile: from 20 to 60 years old, with more women than men and university education.
“But each person is a world, each existential crisis is a world,” he warns.
Some come to it because they have discovered philosophical consultation by reading a book, such as the classic
More Plato and Less Prozac
(1999), by Lou Marinoff.
“But what excites me the most,” says Linares, “is when people, thinking that something like this should exist, search for it on the Internet, and realize that, indeed, it exists.”
Before the first session, hold a 20-minute interview with potential clients.
He explains the basic concepts of philosophical consultation, and resolves any questions they may have.
“Many ask me if it is necessary to know philosophy.
The answer is no.
Sometimes I recommend some reading, but I am not a fan of bibliotherapy.
The history of philosophy can be very enriching, but I prefer to focus on the reflection and analysis of the consultant's thinking."
Afterwards, as in any first session with the psychologist, Linares asks them the big question: What brings you to this consultation?
“This also helps to discover if philosophical advice is the most appropriate way to address the client's problem.
Anxiety disorders or severe depressive symptoms are usually better managed in the field of psychology.
Even in cases of severe mental disorders, philosophy could prove counterproductive,” he warns.
More information
We don't have to save philosophy.
It is philosophy that should save us
There is no definitive version to narrate what follows.
The New Yorker
article itself
noted the “heterogeneity” of approaches used in philosophical consultation sessions, which range “from guided meditations to specific explorations of existentialist, Kantian and Stoic philosophy.”
In Spain, there is no specific regulation or professional association dedicated exclusively to philosophical consultants, unlike the United States, where the National Association of Philosophical Counseling (NPCA) specializes in the training and certification of professionals in this field.
Elliot D. Cohen, co-founder of the NPCA, applies a method called Logic-Based Therapy (LBT), which he developed with psychotherapist Albert Ellis.
“This approach focuses on helping clients identify and correct logical fallacies present in their thinking patterns, which can lead to emotional and behavioral problems,” he explains over video call.
Unlike psychological therapies, this method does not focus on emotions or the unconscious, but on the convictions and beliefs that underlie a person's emotional reactions.
“If we apply philosophical consultation in the case of a client who suffers psychological abuse from her husband, the therapeutic process would begin by identifying the irrational beliefs or logical fallacies that could be influencing the perception that she has of herself and her situation,” says the expert.
Once these illogical beliefs are identified, the therapist works with the client to question and reframe them so that they reflect a more accurate and healthy understanding of her situation.
“The client would be encouraged to develop more constructive and reality-based statements: for example, recognizing that respect is a fundamental right in any relationship and that her value as a person is independent of how her husband treats her.” .
Philosophical consultation officially began in 1981, when the German philosopher Gerd Achenbach opened the first recognized philosophy consultation in Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne.
However, this initiative was not something isolated, since very soon other philosophers joined this activity in countries such as France, the United States, the Netherlands or Argentina.
Since 2016, Carmen Zanetti has been serving as a philosophical advisor from Galicia, and in her opinion, this movement seeks to restore the usefulness of philosophy by addressing personal concerns and conflicts.
“A common complaint among the philosophers who led the emergence of
philosophical counseling
is the fact that philosophy has gradually become detached from its original connection with the concrete life of human beings, a fact that has instilled among citizens a very questionable: that philosophy has nothing to contribute to the concerns and affections of their individual lives,” he defends by phone.
It is an idea similar to the one defended by the philosopher Rafael Narbona in his latest book,
Masters of Happiness
(Roca Editorial, 2024).
“Philosophy is not an instruction manual, but it can be used as a spiritual guide and a path to healing.
“It has helped me overcome my inner demons and reconciled me with existence,” he points out in the prologue.
For Ana Carrasco Conde, recent winner of the Eugenio Trías Prize for
Death in Common
.
Regarding the intersubjective dimension of dying
, “philosophy does not make you happier, but it helps you be wiser to learn to live with yourself and with others, and teaches you to distinguish what has true value.”
As the essayist explains by email, philosophy is a tool of change and revolution, which does not provide tools to “conform” but rather the opposite: to question the mold.
“It comforts because it allows you to understand, it strengthens because it gives you tools to think from a distance, it makes you aware of what does not work in a society to give you enough freedom to decide to change things or leave them as they are.”
The problem with philosophical consultation, according to Carrasco, is that “it is not philosophy.”
“What it does is apply philosophical tools in a scenario that is not philosophical because it is crossed by the dynamics of psychological therapies or
coaching
,” he explains.
In his opinion, this practice can be useful and valid to the same extent as medication and self-help.
“But that does not mean that it is a return to the roots of the philosophy of Antiquity: philosophical consolation was about something else,” he warns.
Carrasco says that the approach to philosophy should not be the search for solutions to specific problems or discomforts, but rather the result of curiosity and the desire for understanding.
He highlights the value of philosophy in developing a reflective and receptive attitude towards the world and towards others.
“Philosophical consultations, on the other hand, focus above all on wanting the other to listen to us… and, of course, this does not work like that, not, at least, for a meaningful and good life.”
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