Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a therapeutic strategy that focuses on coping with irrational or unhealthy ideas, feelings, and behaviors. In distinction to extra passive speak remedy, REBT focuses on actions. Together with a therapist, REBT helps sufferers determine and cut back unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors.
REBT was first developed within the Fifties by psychologist Albert Ellis as a substitute for psychotherapy. The time period “psychotherapy” now encompasses many various kinds of speak remedy, together with REBT. However, on the time Ellis started growing REBT, psychotherapy primarily consisted of sufferers simply speaking to a therapist about what was bothering them, with none actual concentrate on altering thought processes or habits patterns.
Ellis took a special, extra philosophical strategy to growing REBT. REBT relies on the concept sure thought processes, notably compelling ideas that say we “must” or “should” do one thing, are irrational. When we fail to satisfy expectations, these irrational ideas can rapidly flip into unhealthy behaviors and even secondary irrational ideas.
Irrational beliefs about life experiences can result in elevated emotional misery. Irrational beliefs can come up in response to issues we expertise or to troublesome or tense life occasions that inevitably happen. These beliefs can manifest in adverse penalties resembling unhealthy or self-destructive behaviors, or they will morph into extra irrational ideas and beliefs, all of which might trigger much more emotional misery.
For instance, being late for an necessary assembly that you want to attend could be a tense occasion.
- A irrational perception In this case, being late to the assembly could make you a nasty worker.
- A adverse behavioral consequence Maybe he decides to skip the assembly solely somewhat than be a couple of minutes late.
- A adverse facet impact You may end up worrying extra simply fascinated by your fears surrounding the assembly.
REBT focuses on questioning and contesting irrational beliefs. One of the objectives of REBT is to query irrational thought processes and the ensuing penalties. The fundamental rules of REBT will be summarized with the ABC mannequin:
- AActivating occasions happen which might be troublesome or undesirable.
- bBeliefs surrounding these occasions will be rational or irrational.
- CPositive or adverse penalties come up from our rational and irrational beliefs.
REBT works by difficult irrational thought processes that may result in adverse penalties, resembling unhealthy habits and even elevated adverse ideas. Challenging unhealthy beliefs is summarized by DEF:
- Refuting or restructuring irrational beliefs and ideas
- Creating simpler and environment friendly beliefs and ideas
- Feeling higher when incorporating these new rational beliefs and ideas in response to activating occasions
The ABCDEF framework of rational-emotive habits remedy helps sufferers take an energetic position of their psychological well being. The methods utilized in REBT, which embody recognizing irrational or dangerous thought processes, difficult these beliefs, and specializing in rational thought processes, make it a lot simpler to cope with activating occasions after they inevitably come up.
Going again to our instance of being late for a gathering, the related beliefs and penalties can look fully totally different after rational-emotive habits remedy.
- A rational perception It could also be that somebody who’s late to a gathering isn’t a nasty worker and it could occur to anybody.
- A optimistic behavioral penalties Possibly seem and be current for the assembly regardless of being late.
- Maintaining rational beliefs about being late to the assembly reduces adverse secondary penalties, resembling: B. elevated nervousness on account of current concern of the assembly.
Similarities between REBT and CBT. Rational-emotive habits remedy and cognitive behavioral remedy (CBT) are primarily based on related rules. Cognitive remedy, a precursor to cognitive behavioral remedy, was based within the Nineteen Seventies by psychologist Aaron Beck and integrated most of the concepts of REBT.
REBT and CBT each assume that ideas, behaviors and feelings are interconnected and should be addressed as an entire. Both varieties of remedy additionally encourage sufferers to actively problem irrational or dangerous thought processes and as a substitute undertake extra adaptive beliefs.
Differences between REBT and CBT. REBT and CBT are related and are each thought of varieties of cognitive therapies. However, there are some variations between them.
- REBT was developed on a philosophical foundation. CBT was developed empirically by research of sufferers with despair.
- According to REBT, some beliefs are at all times irrational. CBT works with sufferers to find out whether or not their beliefs are practical or dysfunctional for them individually.
- REBT promotes unconditional acceptance of self, acceptance that we can’t management what others do or suppose, and acceptance that we’ll face adversarial occasions in life. In distinction, CBT focuses extra on rising shallowness and utilizing wholesome coping mechanisms.
Research has proven that rational-emotive habits remedy is useful for a variety of individuals. It has been used successfully with quite a few sufferers, teams and organizations. REBT is efficient in lowering signs of alcohol dependence, assuaging stress on educational efficiency, and serving to sufferers with psychological sicknesses resembling despair and nervousness.
It is necessary to talk with a licensed therapist, particularly one who has expertise with REBT, to find out whether or not rational emotional behavioral remedy is best for you. With your therapist, you’ll be able to develop an motion plan and study extra about how REBT may help you problem irrational ideas and work on unconditional acceptance of your self and the world round you.