ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how verbal techniques resembling affirmations or autosuggestions are found in ancient philosophy, from Pythagoreanism down to the Stoics. These are compared to the use of coping statements and similar techniques in CBT. The precepts of Stoicism were described metaphorically as weapons. They provided a means of condensing the philosophy down so that it could be more quickly and easily recalled in the face of challenging situations, as a way of coping psychologically. Short maxims were therefore designed to be easy to memorize. The Stoics would prepare for the day ahead by mentally rehearsing relevant coping statements or maxims. Borrowing a technique from the Golden Verses of Pythagoras they would then review the events of each day, before going to sleep, asking themselves what they did well, what they did badly, and what could be done differently next time.
