February 2024 – Treatment with Schopenhauer

"Therapy embodies all of this. The book offers insight into what well-conducted therapy means and what it can achieve. You might even discover how it could help you."

That's what Karel "Mindless" Novotný, marketing expert and brand building specialist, says about the book.

Schopenhauer therapy is a book that explores the application of the ideas of the famous philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer to the problems of the modern world and human life. The author, Irvin D. Yalom, a renowned psychoanalyst and writer, connects Schopenhauer’s thoughts with therapeutic stories and shows how his philosophical principles can help people find meaning and solutions in their daily lives. The book focuses on themes such as coming to terms with death, searching for life’s meaning, and coping with suffering, all through the lens of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of pessimism and the will to live.

What is the book about?

Psychotherapist Julius Herzfeld learns he has about a year left to live. He struggles to come to terms with the frustrating reality that after his treatment ends, he won’t know how his patients’ life stories continue. He decides to reach out to a former patient whose treatment was particularly challenging – Philip.
Philip was a man without emotions, empathy, or joy. Distant, reserved, and rational. The only brief distraction he found was seducing as many women as possible and having sex with each of them only once. Philip once sought help for this problem.
Julius tried in vain to help Philip with his sex addiction and emotional detachment for three years. At a scheduled meeting, he learns that Philip now lectures on philosophy at a university and plans to become a therapist himself. To do so, he needs to complete a required number of therapy sessions under the supervision of an experienced therapist.
Julius agrees that Philip can attend sessions of his therapy group. In return, Philip will introduce him to the ideas of Arthur Schopenhauer...

Who is Karel Novotný?

Karel "Mindless" Novotný is a leading Czech marketing expert and brand building specialist. Also worth mentioning is Karel’s book "Neradost" (Displeasure), which is a profound dive into living with depression. The book crosses genres between fiction, prose, and poetry, reflecting Karel’s personal perspective on this challenging period of life, which he closed with the publication of this book.