Dr. Peter Raabe Philosopher, Philosophical Counselor Peter Raabe is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading experts on
the use of philosophy in the prevention and treatment of so-called 'mental illnesses'.
"an easily readable, understandable and yet very authoritative book"
Metapsychology Online. You can read their entire review, and more at Rowman & Littlefield.
Did you know that the most important individuals in the
history of psychotherapy and counselling were significantly influenced by their educations in philosophy?
Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, Viktor Frankl, R.D. Laing, Rollo May,
Carl Rogers, Irvine Yalom, and many others used their knowledge of philosophy as the foundation for their
treatment theories and clinical methods.
Read an article about
Peter's work at the University of the Fraser Valley.
VIDEOS
Video presentations by
Peter Raabe: "Change Your Mind, Change Your
Brain?" Drawing on existing psychiatry literature, empirical
evidence, and a case study, Dr. Raabe's lecture considers mental illness through a philosophical
lens. It defines the ontology of mental illness or mental disorder in non-biomedical terms, as consisting
of problematic propositional mental content rather than organic brain malfunction. This allows for a
causal theory of mental disorder to be located within the parameters of existential difficulties rather
than biological pathology, and contradicts the arguments made in defense of the necessity of psychotropic
medications for the alleviation of mental distress. This in turn indicates support for the argument that
mental disorders can be treated, if not cured, by means of philosophy.
Running time about 40 minutes.
"Depression Doesn't Cause You to Feel Bad: The Confusion of Cause and Effect in Mental Disorders"
Mini-lecture, running time about 2 minutes.
On Jan 14, 2022 Peter Raabe was the keynote speaker at the International Conference
on Philosophical Counseling hosted by the University of Delhi, India.