Ida Hallgren

Email: ida.hallgren@rentaphilosopher.se

Individual Consultations

What should I do? Will I dare to do what I want? How do I want to live my life? How should I live? What impact, good or bad, will my choices have on others? How should I prioritize? What is important? How would I like to spend my time? What does it mean to ”be in the present moment”? What gives relationships meaning and value? How to face death? What profession should I choose? How will I best fulfill my potential? Where and how would I do most good? What gives work meaning? How to make decisions? Should I go for avoiding the worst case scenario or aiming for the best case scenario? Should I try to change the world? Should I seek psychotherapy? Should I change?

Where do you turn when in need of feedback from someone neutral on some important topic, when you do not regard yourself in need of psychotherapy or treatment? Philosophical practice has been labeled ”therapy for the sane”, which is not a bad way to communicate what it is all about. You are seeking clarity of thought, but you are not the one to seek a religious leader for guidance. Perhaps consulting a philosophical practitioner may be regarded as a secular alternative to consulting the priest, rabbi or imam. However, the philosophical practitioner will provide no answers or pieces of advice, but will support you in developing your own philosophical thinking as a means for greater understanding.

How:

A suggestion is that you bring an already formulated question to the individual consultation. By having tried to narrow down what that appears to be the core issue you have already begun the philosophical labor. The dialogue between the philosophical practitioner and the guest will then get started in this question. From this new questions may turn out to be of greater importance. Where your thoughts previously got stuck in your thought patterns you may find new paths. More alternatives than those you had considered may appear. Disregarding what direction the philosophical quest may take, philosophical tools can bring greater clarity and deepen our understanding. History of philosophy may offer input and guidance from those who throughout the previous few thousands of years put effort into investigating the very same philosophical questions.

What:

There is a clear difference between the philosophical and the psychotherapeutic dialogue. The philosophical dialogue is open-ended and centered around some question that is of importance for you at this time of your life. It is not about treatment or focused on change toward some set goal. In philosophical dialogues the Question is the centerpiece.

Where:

At Färjenäs near Eriksberg in Gothenburg, at a café if you prefer, or via Skype.

When:

The philosophical consultation will be scheduled for one whole hour, while at some times the topic may be closed in a little less time and sometimes the conversation may need a little more time.

Cost:

Individual consultations 950 SEK/hr or 450 SEK/hr for students, the retired or unemployed.