HELLENISTIC ETHICS AND COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

CBT is stoicism freed from grounding in any metaphysics.  It exercises the subjective, cognitive aspect of reason insofar as it relates to will and affect, which makes it really philosophically important, but the scary thing about it is that its ability to be reasonable fades away once it kills off obviously painful and disruptive anxiety.   No one, I think, would reconsider their entire way of life and make a decisive change because of CBT.  They'd just learn how to bear and effectively manage whatever stresses currently afflict them given the choices they've made - without questioning larger issues around ideology, for example.   Nevertheless, the way that CBT works is very profound, because it isolates reason's power, in coordination with will, over negative affect - even its ability to transform phenomenal reality.  

The thing about reason is - reason is magic.  The opposition between reason and myth or faith is false.   The only real opposition is between open and closed.