REBT Philosophy in a Nutshell

Change what you can change about yourself, others and the world while accepting what you cannot change. Have high frustration tolerance for yourself, others and the world. Things generally take more time and effort than we wish. This is too bad. Remain responsible for your emotional responses at all times. Keep your ego out of … Read more

The REBT Path

Acceptance, tolerance, resilience, flexibility, rolling with the punches, making the best of a bad situation, accommodation all are different ways of saying what is at the heart of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. We all face thwarted desires. We then try and get around the obstacle and get what we desire. This is all well and … Read more

Sadly, These Things Happen

I recently heard a news report where several train commuters were inconvenienced due a computer glitch on the railroad. Trains lost their ability to be centrally coordinated and so each train had to proceed to the nearest station and wait for a couple of hours until the problem was solved. After the spokesperson more or … Read more

Inconvenient but Not Awful

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) encourages people to experience and then maintain healthy negative emotions when they encounter problems. Healthy negative emotions help us experience the motivation to change what can be changed. Healthy negative emotions enable us to have the poise to do what is in our long-term best interest rather than to do … Read more

People Cannot Be Scored

Remember to only measure your acts but do not attempt to measure your “self”. We can never measure our “self” as it is too complex and is in a constant state of evolution. You can measure or rate your deeds. If you perform poorly acknowledge it. Learn from it. But see that your deeds cannot … Read more

Rational Quote

You can’t learn without feedback. A big ego is the best way to drive away and insulate yourself from feedback good or bad. So if you want to learn and improve, lose your ego. – Albert Ellis, Ph.D.

Great Men and Women are a Myth

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) argues that putting people on pedestals is a dangerous and invalid thing to do. People do it but it is very unwise to do. It is dangerous because men and women who place themselves on pedestals as “great people” can really go only one place and that is down off … Read more

What People Want but Sadly Rarely Get in an Enduring Way

People want quick and lasting relief. Our society typically attempts to give us what we badly want in the form of   ·        Medication relief ·        Fixing the external situation or problem often through some new technology ·        Distraction from the problem and one’s reaction to it ·        Reassurance that bad events won’t occur Life … Read more

On Failed Experiments and Ultimate Success

In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) we attempt to teach people how to control their emotions and to have healthy negative emotions when they do not get what they want. However, REBT also helps people to change what can be changed. Fallible humans often hold pessimistic beliefs about achieving goals. These pessimistic beliefs hold them … Read more