What is Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)

What is REBT?: 

What is REBT? An introductory talk by Dr Jim Byrne, 16 th November 2011 University of Manchester

Origins: 

Origins REBT began life as Rational Therapy (RT) in New York City, in 1955’ish. It was created by Dr Albert Ellis, a Clinical Psychologist who had been trained as a regular therapist, plus marriage and family therapist, and who worked mainly as a sex therapist. He then trained as a psychoanalyst, because he though it would be deeper…

Rejecting psychoanalysis: 

Rejecting psychoanalysis However he experienced psychoanalysis, after a five year period of using it, as inefficient. He then began to develop psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy of a more active form. And eventually he broke with psychoanalysis to form his own Rational Therapy system.

Discovering ‘languaging’: 

Discovering ‘languaging’ In Ellis (1962) Dr Ellis describes how he discovered that one of his clients ‘defined herself’ as worthless, and it was her language-based definition of herself that was at the root of her problems, not her parents’ evaluations of her. Upsets are caused by “simple declarative sentences”, he concluded; which include the idea that “this is awful ”, and it “ must not be happening”, and if it happens “it makes me a bad person”.

Evolution: 

Evolution RT became Rational Emotive Therapy, because Ellis had thought from the start that thinking and feeling are interlinked, overlap, and, in some respects, are essentially “the same thing”. Later the name was changed to Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, because it had also included a focus on the behaviour of the client from the beginning.

Enter the ABCs: 

Enter the ABCs At some point, perhaps in the early ’70s, the ABCs of REBT were presented. This was an evolution from the original Stimulus > Organism > Response model of the neo-behaviourists. See next slide…

PowerPoint Presentation: 

The Original S>R Model of Behaviourism

The ABC Advance: 

The ABC Advance Albert Ellis’s ABC Model (Which is a refined form of the S>O>R Model)

PowerPoint Presentation: 

The A-B-C Model can be shown in elaborated form, as follows:

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Distinguishing “Rational” and “Irrational” Beliefs

THE THREE BASIC MUSTURBATORY BELIEFS DISTINGUISHED BY DR ALBERT ELLIS: 

THE THREE BASIC MUSTURBATORY BELIEFS DISTINGUISHED BY DR ALBERT ELLIS 1. The first is about ego: I...I...I... "I must do well, and I must be greatly approved by all significant others, at all times, under all conditions; and if I don't do as I must , it's awful ; it's horrible; I can't bear it. I am a turd for acting turdily, as I must not. And I'll always be this way, and I'll never succeed". Sheer assininity - according to Albert Ellis - which 99% of the human race, no matter who they are or who raised them, believe: because humans are crazy! They invent and create these damn musts (says Ellis). (This first irrational belief leads to: Anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, despair, self-hatred and panic. And these feelings may in turn lead to social withdrawal and drug abuse!)

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2. The second irrational belief is about other people... "You, other people, (my parents, my sister, my brother, my wife, my husband, my boss, my teacher, etc., etc.,) must treat a doll like me nobly and kindly and considerately and fairly. And I know what you are if you don't do what you must , and which hell you ought to be blasted into and roasted in for eternity". (This second irrational belief creates: Anger, fury and rage, passive-aggression, violence, homicide and genocide, and maybe, one day, an atomic holocaust!)

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3. The third irrational belief is less dramatic, and is about the environment; the world: "The world of my environment must give me what I want, when I want it, no crap about it, right now, immediately, yesterday. And unless conditions do that, it's horrible and I can't bear these conditions, and the world's a terrible place and I think I'll kill myself". (This third musturbatory belief creates: Depression again, despair and self-pity, and low frustration tolerance, otherwise known as laziness; plus problems of self-discipline, including procrastination and addictive behaviours).

Activity:: 

Activity: Read the three Musturbatory beliefs, in your handouts, on page 8. Discuss them with a neighbour (there may be one trio) What do you recognize about musturbation (or ‘Demandingness’)? What is new ?

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The full Irrational Belief:

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The Full Rational Belief:

Activity on demandingness: 

Activity on demandingness Handout 5 on pages 12-13 describes the six-cell disturbance matrix , which combines the three basic Musts with the two types of disturbance – Ego disturbance and Discomfort disturbance. Please read through this Handout, think about a client or associate you have known who was emotionally disturbed, and see if you can identify to which cell his/her disturbance belongs. (10 mins)*

Reflection - Discussion: 

Reflection - Discussion Discuss your results in pairs (there may be one trio)… Five minutes each way (for pairs, 3 mins for the trio) Total time for activity: 10 mins…

Philosophical change…: 

Philosophical change… How I used REBT to cope with a major career crisis, 1992/93>… Describe the scenario… See my General Disputation , which I wrote at that time, on page 15 of the handout booklet. Talk it through… Imagine applying that philosophy of life to one of your own major problems of daily living. Could that help you? (5 mins)…

Reflection - Discussion: 

Reflection - Discussion Discuss your conclusions with your neighbour… Five minutes each way (3 mins for the trio)… Total time: 10 mins…

Disputing Irrational Beliefs in REBT: 

Disputing Irrational Beliefs in REBT REBT therapists have developed a range of questions to help challenge the irrational beliefs of their clients. These come in the form of Logical disputations, Empirical disputations, and Pragmatic disputations. See the Questions in Handout No.15 on pages 17-19…

Reflection - Discussion: 

Reflection - Discussion 1. Think of a problem of anger, anxiety or depression that you (or somebody close to you) had recently. 3 mins… 2. Can you imagine any of these Disputing Questions being of help in that situation? 10 mins… 3. Discuss your conclusions with your neighbour. 2 mins… Total time 15 mins…

End of this presentation…: 

End of this presentation… That’s the end of this presentation… We can either move straight on to the next presentation, or we can go to a break if that is appropriate??? (It’s very difficult to anticipate the time of day at which we will reach this point! ) The next presentation will be on The Standard Structure of an REBT Therapy Session…