Socrates is known for his serenity. Scholars of the philosopher, who lived in Athens in 399BC, report that when he saw danger coming on he would put a smile on his face and slow down his walk. He was thus relying on neurophysiological feedback to remain calm.

The Stoic School was founded in Athens in 300BC and it modelled itself on Socrates. The Stoics relied entirely on thoughts, and on changing their thoughts, so as to maintain the right attitude of mind. Part of the Stoic recipe for calmness would be useful to us today. They believed that emotions were just judgements, evaluative judgements. This was relevant because it meant that unwanted emotions could in principle be changed by rational means, by thinking more carefully, so as to view the situation differently. Those of you familiar with NLP will recognise this approach.

copyright Lindsey Moore, Moore Training & Development, 2003