Walter J. Matweychuk, Ph.D. Healthy Attitude toward Adversity I wish there were a quick fix for my problems, but sadly, there are none. There are also no perfect solutions to any dilemma. Different solutions have different tradeoffs. When I am upset, I fail to appreciate my emotional choices. I can make myself miserable or have a healthy emotional response … Read more
My weekly therapy discussions with patients inspire some of my Intermittent Reinforcement emails. One particularly challenging problem parents request help with is when an adult child rejects them and refuses to have anything to do with them. Parents suffer tremendously when this occurs and often experience powerlessness, bitterness, anger, and hurt. Sadly, a parent cannot … Read more
People often acknowledge their friends and family’s self-defeating emotional and behavioral reactions, such as excessive worry, anger outbursts, or social withdrawal. As a friend or family member, you may be in a position to encourage these people to consider working on their self-defeating reactions and suggest how best to do it. Let me offer a … Read more
My emails aim to show how Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) can apply to different problems. In this piece, I will address how adult children with advanced education sometimes face interpersonal and emotional struggles with less well-educated parents. I will also show how they can feel healthy negative emotions like disappointment and sadness when they are … Read more
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a tough-minded approach to emotional well-being, and this spirit of tough-mindedness attracts some people to it. In generic cognitive behavior therapy, the therapist guides the patients to test the validity of their worrisome thoughts, assessing the probability that adversity will occur. REBT, a distinct form of cognitive behavior therapy, … Read more
I feel about aging the way William Saroyan said he felt about death: Everybody has to do it, but I always believed an exception would be made in my case. – Martha Beck Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a system of ideas that broadly applies to life’s most significant challenges. Earlier this week, I read … Read more
Sadly, humans are capable of deceit and dishonesty in all human relationships. However, when dishonesty occurs in romance, it is especially painful. You do not live in a utopian world with saintly beings; sadly, the fallible humans you love sometimes will act dishonestly. Sometimes, they believe it is too painful for them to hurt you … Read more
“I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on, nothing ever did unless I caused it.” — Charles Bukowski In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), self-reliance is encouraged. REBT shows you how to adopt healthy attitudes to achieve your personal goals. The ABC model of emotion emphasizes how our … Read more
On Sunday, March 3rd, at 9 AM in New York City, I will be doing a special 90-minute lecture on Zoom titled Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy – Core Principles and Strategies. This lecture is free to attend and open to professionals and non-professionals alike. It aims to enhance your understanding of REBT’s system of ideas. Reason for This Lecture REBT is a psycho-educational approach … Read more
It is relatively easy for people to experience unhealthy versions of different negative emotions, which are part of the human experience. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy encourages people to distinguish between a healthy version of a negative feeling and a harmful version. Once stuck in an unhealthy emotional state, humans often act in self-defeating ways. Furthermore, … Read more
