Philosophical counseling is limited in its effectiveness when the client is

intentionally deceptive or untruthful. In other words, philosophical counselling, like

1
any other helping profession, cannot help those who resist or refuse to be helped

Similar to the previous point, a philosophical counselor cannot deal with a client who
is emotionally entangled in her problems that she is unable to mentally step back
from those problems in order to examine them critically, or take the
phenomenological stance (). In order to engage in a rational discussion it must be
possible for the client to emerge from emotional self-absorption so as to be able to
2
inquire into the reasons for the emotional distress

Many psychotherapist see themselves as the authority or expert who knows

whats best for their patient. Philosophers are careful never to take a paternalistic
approach. They invite the client to disagree with what they say, or questioning what
transpire in the counselling process if the client feels so inclined. Philosophical
counselling is a reciprocal and collaborative approach that helps the client herself
3
gain better control of her thoughts, her life, and even the counselling process

I did not enter into the counseling relationship with the idea that I was going to serve
as an expert advice-giver who would lecture my clients on the principles of a good
marriage. Rather, I saw my clients as autonomous beings who had some questions to
4
answer for themselves

They are therefore better able to help a client when it comes to clarifying her
thinking, avoiding both logical and procedural mistakes in reasoning, ethical
decision making, values clarification, questions about the meaning of life, and the
5
development of a moral and reasonable personal philosophy

El consultante como arquelogo

It seems to me that most philosophical counselors nowadays assume that their goal
is to help satisfy clients' unsatisfied needs; or, more accurately, what clients
perceive to be their needs: to help Sarah deal with her low self-confidence, to help
John achieve a satisfying relationships with his wife, to help Mary overcome her
6
loneliness, or to help Paul make a career choice that would make him satisfied

Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make people feel better. But this
is no longer philosophy, in the original sense of philo-sophia. Philo-sophia is a
critic of people's perceived needs, not a satisfier of needs. Its aim is to arouse

1
RAABE, P.B.: Philosophical Counseling Pg. 192.
2
Ibdem.
3
Ibdem. Pg. 276.
4
COHEN, E.: The philosopher as. Pg 345. Cursivas del autor.
5
RAABE, P.B.: Philosophical Counseling Pg. 277.
6
LAHAV, R.: Philosophical Practice: Normalization or inner transformation?, Vermont, 2005.
Disponible on-line en http://www.geocities.com/ranlahav/Reflection_1.html, ltimo acceso 10 de
Septiembre de 2007.
 intellectual and existential discontent, not to offer satisfaction. It seeks to evoke
perplexity and awe, not to produce solutions and complacency; to encourage
appreciation of the infinite complexity and richness of life, not to simplify life into
solutions and bottom lines. True philo-sophia seeks to question all that is
7
"normal," not to lead people to (apparent) normality

El consultante como demandante de cultura y comprensin

Lattivit di consulenza filosofica, in Sautet, si inserisce in una pi generale
riconsiderazione degli spazi sociali della filosofia e in una profonda insoddisfazione
sul ruolo che il filosofo oggi tende ad assumere: I filosofi tacciono. Se almeno
facessero il loro lavoro. Se invece di ripetere instancabilmente quello che hanno
imparato dai maestri, coloro che dispensano linsegnamento della filosofia si
buttassero nella mischia e cominciassero a porre domande interessanti [...]. La
vocazione del filosofo con di tacere. Non ripiegandosi su se stesso che sostiene il
suo ruolo, ma andando per la strada, in citt, mescolandosi alla vita della gente,
8
passegiando nella piazza del mercato

In alcuni casi le spinte sembrano exclusivamente di ordine culturale, come nel caso,
sempre narrato da Sautet, della dirigente d`azienda che entra in consultazione per
essere aiutata a rintuzzare, durante le conversazioni del dopocena, argomentazioni
contrarie a temi che le stanno affeticamente a cuore. In questo caso il processo di
consulenza non esce mai da un orizzonte meramente conoscitivo-culturale, assai
9
difficilmente definibile como pratico

Because of her interest in psychology, she wanted to know about and experience
what philosophical counseling as an alternative approach was all about. She wanted
to think about her life and wondered if at her age she could develop a philosophy of
10
life

Sarah es un ejemplo de consultante diferente a los recogidos hasta ahora. No exista

conflicto personal bsico importante o urgente. Buscaba un filsofo que pudiese guiarla
en su trayecto cultural, en la elongacin de sus horizontes, alguien que le recomendase
literatura para caminar11. Schuster concluye que, durante los seis meses que caminan
juntas, se colman los objetivos perseguidos.

During the sessions one notion became quite clear, something Sarah herself had said
at the beginning of the sessions: She had strong opinions about quite a few issues,
and she was not interested in modifying these. It seemed to me that next to her
curiosity about philosophical counselling, her purpose in the sessions with me was to
acquire philosophical skills and a vocabulary through which she could articulate and

7
Ibdem.
8
MICCIONE, D.: La consulenza Pg 60.
9
Ibdem.
10
SCHUSTER, S.C.: Philosophy Practice Pg. 161.
11
Se trata de un educador cultural ms que un maestro del pensamiento.
 share her opinions in a better way with others. Philosophical counselling as private
study and intimate philosophical discussions sessions did help her achieve her
12
goals

But what amazing freedom is given to us: the right to think the unthinkable, all the
way into absurdity. Nevertheless, the agonistic dimension of this otherness, the
crossing over on the other side of the mirror, the fragmented - this sidedness - of
reality which refuses the establishment of any system, of any conceptual and ethical
map, is unbearable for both the common man and the knowledgeable man, since both
compose, as raw or cultured as they are, the hierarchy of self evidence and good
13
horse sense, a worldview where coherency has to be granted

El consultante como crtico notico.

De este modo, el conocimiento de uno mismo es algo que tiene lugar junto al
conflicto, o dicho ms claramente: es el conflicto lo que lleva al conocimiento de uno
mismo, pues el no saber de s es una excusa ms que suficiente para que decidamos
querer conocernos () Todo conflicto supone o saca a la luz de forma inevitable-
sufrimiento. Hay conflicto, hay sufrimiento. Analgsico y anlisis constituyen la
relacin de una analoga entre lo fsico y lo espiritual; entre el dolor muscular y la
preocupacin debida a ese: estar uno padeciendo por algo indeseable, no querido,
14
que se ha hecho fuerte en la mente, en la vulgar cabeza

La finalidad de la OrFi radicara en desenmascarar desde el mundo de la razn, desde

el lenguaje, la complejidad de este enmascaramiento, a veces exquisito, pero que
oculta a todos, incluido el propio sujeto, la autenticidad de su ser.
En resumen el especialista en OrFi debe ser capaz de ayudar al consultante a
reconocer la realidad subyacente en su lenguaje, es decir, a deshacer la trama de
idealizaciones y justificaciones pseudo-racionales, urdidas mediante la utilizacin del
lenguaje, que todo ser humano realiza para tratar de dar sentido y coherencia a sus
deseos, a su yo ms autntico y hacerlo compatible con las normas sociales; para
tratar de poder coexistir en un mundo ordenado por normas (que l no ha creado
15
directamente) con las necesidades que demanda su ser

Que el anlisis es la mejor forma de resolver un conflicto parece claro. Introduce

serenidad, reflexin y, de este modo, una expresin mesurada de lo que tiende a
poseernos y tomar las riendas. Al ser un acto consciente, el conocimiento supone una

12
SCHUSTER, S.C.: Philosophy Practice Pg. 166.
13
BRENIFIER, O.: Nasruddin Hodja, Master of the Negative Way en
http://www.geocities.com/ranlahav/Oscar_Reflection.html (ltimo acceso 20 de septiembre de 2007).
14
ORDEZ GARCA, J.: Los conflictos y la interpretacin (I): Concete a ti mismo o la irona del
orculo dlfico, Revista ETOR N1/2003, XXI, Sevilla. Pgs. 97-99.
15
MACERA GARFIA, F.: El lenguaje en la Orientacin Filosfica (2) en Revista ETOR 4/2005, X-XI,
Sevilla. Pg. 100.
 lentitud porque reacciona contra la prisa de la pulsin y del instinto, uno se conoce
16
siempre en un despus, en un verse tras la accin, tras lo hecho, lo realizado

16
ORDEZ GARCA, J.: Los conflictos y la interpretacin (I): Concete a ti mismo o la irona del
orculo dlfico en Revista ETOR N1/2003, XXI, Sevilla. Pg. 98.