Walter J. Matweychuk, Ph.D. I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered a shipwreck. Zeno of Citium youtu.be/0QI_tzaiJRI?si=JTIQdBduBuLCoGlU Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, REBT, is a system of ideas aimed at helping you bear adversity. REBT encourages you to change what you can as you see fit, but sadly, there is much in life you cannot change. The philosophical solution … Read more
Keep reminding yourself of this simple insight from REBT: I am too smart to anger myself. I have had my eyes opened to the fact that life conditions and other people’s actions do not have to conform to my wishes. I will choose to feel deeply disappointed and move on.
I often describe Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as a system of ideas for facing life’s most difficult challenges. It is a philosophy of life and a distinct form of cognitive behavior therapy. I wish to highlight the integration and synergistic effect of particular core concepts of REBT. In addition to writing about how these … Read more
My clinical experience has demonstrated that more than psychological insight is needed for you to make real change. Even REBT insight, which is more focused and efficiently achieved than the insights of other psychotherapies, must be augmented for fundamental emotional and behavioral change. You must actively engage with your self-defeating rigid and extreme attitudes to … Read more
There is a podcast I recently came across titled We Regret to Inform You. Each episode tells the story of someone who has triumphed over rejection. One episode I found particularly interesting focused on the rise of Lady Gaga. It chronicles her hardship as she went from someone her peers bullied to a music icon. Rejection is … Read more
My goal in these Intermittent Reinforcement emails is to help people deepen their understanding of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to use it to better their lives. REBT is a well-woven system of ideas that Dr. Albert Ellis constructed by combining his vast knowledge of ancient and modern philosophy with his clinical experience working with patients … Read more
The brave own the world. – German Proverb I made a conscious decision that I wasn’t going to be dependent on being liked. – Bjork I reflect on REBT’s application to various problems in these weekly emails. This week it occurred to me that interpersonal fear and shame are a problem for nearly all people … Read more
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a philosophy of life and the original formulation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). It is the form of CBT I choose to practice because of its distinct strengths and emphases. REBT’s primary focus is to help people reduce emotional disturbance in the face of adversity. A close second aim … Read more
To effectively use the ABC framework to facilitate your attempt to experience healthy negative emotions, you need to specify the Adversity you are reacting to and the unhealthy, self-defeating emotional-behavioral response you are exhibiting. People often struggle to correctly identify their feelings at C or the Adversity at A. For example, they may recognize they … Read more
During my daily REBT sessions, I identify and dispute a person’s rigid, extreme, self-defeating attitudes. I then generate flexible and non-extreme attitudes and other self-helping thoughts, which I pass to the person to work on between sessions to adopt and implement. Before telehealth, I would write these attitudes on index cards and then give these … Read more
