αἰώνPhilosophical coaching
Train the mind you think with.
One-to-one conversations with Morgane, Doctor of Philosophy from the Sorbonne Panthéon. In French or in English.
The approach
The mind is like a muscle. Consistent, repeated training makes it more agile, more flexible, and better able to meet whatever life brings.
We readily hire a trainer to keep the body in shape, yet rarely think of one for the intellect. A flexible mind has resilience, a capacity to bounce back. It keeps us from sinking into the quicksand of routine, and from falling into the abyss in the extreme situations we all face at some point.
Philosophy is often linked with thinking for oneself. In a sense, nothing could be further from the truth. One lifetime is not enough to reach the refinement of thought we inherit today. Philosophical training teaches us to think better: not by ourselves, but with others, standing on what came before.
Thinking takes time, an irreducible amount of it. You rarely judge a film well by its trailer.
Morgane
What it is, and is not
Not a cure. Not a programme. A better way to frame your problems.
Psychotherapy · psychiatry
You are a patient
The practitioner sets out to treat or to cure.
Life coaching
You follow a plan
A programme built to reach set goals.
Philosophical coaching
You think it through
Keys for reflection, drawn from a growing body of thought and fitted to your life. Not fixed answers, but the right framing of the problems that drive us, keep us standing and give meaning to what we have yet to do.
Your coach
Morgane van Steenbrugghe
A doctor of philosophy from Panthéon-Sorbonne, Morgane draws on that training to give each person keys for reflection suited to their own circumstances. She works in French and in English.
- PhDPhD in PhilosophyUniversité Panthéon-Sorbonne · Paris 1
- DegreeDegree in Modern LiteratureSorbonne Nouvelle · Paris 3
Questions
Philosophical coaching, in brief
What is philosophical coaching?
First of all, it is a method developed to uncover meaning in individual lives, and then to build resilience and wisdom in decision-making.
What happens during a session?
Through questions, situations (both hypothetical and real) and tailored exercises, you rise from the concrete to the abstract, map your personal value system and draw out the problems that drive you. The training builds the ability to step back from your own beliefs and to become aware of what is happening beneath the surface.
What kinds of problems do we hope to explore, and is the aim to solve them for good?
The great problems of existence, metaphysical questions: the links between soul and body, the origin and foundation of evil, the meaning of being, the predictability of the future… But it can just as well be simpler things, like whether love can last, the reasons for becoming parents, the ethics of the environment. These are not problems we seek to solve once and for all, but ones for which we can certainly offer answers that are, in themselves, legitimate perspectives.
How is philosophical coaching different from psychotherapy?
Psychology, which as a therapeutic discipline is about a hundred years old, tends to classify individuals according to nosologies, into very broad categories (ADHD, borderline, dyslexic, schizophrenic, depressive, burnout, etc.). The problem is not that we do not recognise ourselves in them, but precisely that everyone can identify with them too easily. We end up with an over-pathologised society that does not recognise its share of responsibility for people’s difficulties. The philosophical approach distances itself from these practices, armed with concepts sometimes sharpened over millennia and so better able to express the complexity of our lives. Our individualities are fluid, and held back in their movement by many external pressures.
The goal here is not to fit individuals neatly into society or to offer social labels, but to open a space for reflection in which each person’s singularity can unfold freely. It is a matter of finding what is a little crazy in everyone, and what makes each of us irreducibly unique.
How long is a session, and what does it cost? Can I book from Ireland?
Sessions last one hour and take place online, so you can join from Ireland or anywhere else, or in person in central Paris (6th) when available. In English or French. €80 per session.
Who is Morgane van Steenbrugghe?
A Doctor of Philosophy from Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), with a degree in Modern Literature from Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3).
How do I book?
By email at vs.morgane@gmail.com or by phone on +33 6 16 31 80 99.
Arrange a session
Begin with a conversation.
Write or call to arrange a first session.
- Format
- Online (from Ireland or anywhere), or in person in central Paris (6th) when available
- Length
- 1 hour
- Fee
- €80 per session