Walter J. Matweychuk, Ph.D. Effective use of REBT requires understanding what Adversities are in REBT, what attitudes are targeted for change at point B in the ABC model, and what constitutes healthy and unhealthy emotional\behavioral consequences at point C. In last week’s Intermittent Reinforcement email message, I defined the different elements of REBT’s ABC model of emotion. When you … Read more
Working with retired people who struggle with depression has made it clear that some were “waiting to die.” After successful careers, either adversity or choice led them to retire. The daily goals these people had, the satisfaction they received from their work, and the reinforcement and structure that went with their former lives vanished overnight. What crept … Read more
Do you have an ego problem? The honest answer to this question is probably a resounding yes if you are human. The Oxford English Language dictionary defines ego as a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance. Whether they realize it or not, most people value themselves based on some trait or traits they possess or something … Read more
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a problem-focused, solution-oriented therapy. You can find these solutions by doing REBT self-therapy or working with a professional REBT psychotherapist. When people elect to work with me, I believe I teach them skills and ideas for addressing their emotional and behavioral problems. I help people understand how they create and … Read more
Do you have regrets? If you are human, you have indeed done things you wished you had not or wished you had taken additional steps along with those you did take. Reflecting on how your life could be different and better if you had made other choices is inevitable and not necessarily a harmful activity. … Read more
People sometimes ask, what are the critical factors in achieving therapeutic change when using REBT? Do these apply if I am not working with a psychotherapist but using REBT as a method of self-therapy? Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a self-help type of therapy. The critical factors in achieving therapeutic change overlap whether one … Read more
In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), we encourage the daily practice of rational thinking. REBT theorizes that human nature has two competing instincts. One instinct is to think in rigid, dogmatic, and extreme ways, which leads to disturbed emotional reactions, self-defeating behavior, and ineffective interpersonal responses. The other instinct is to think in flexible, non-extreme, … Read more
In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, we speak a good deal about the importance of putting yourself first and other people a close second. We also talk about the value of long-term hedonism, where you maximize pleasure and minimize pain in the long run by delaying pleasure and bearing discomfort in the short run. It is … Read more
The art of living well and the art of dying well are one. ― Epicurus Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a philosophically based cognitive behavior therapy that can assist humans facing all sorts of challenges. REBT’s healthy attitudes apply to athletic performance, executive leadership, as well as problems of daily living. The focus of today’s Intermittent … Read more
There are patterns to be observed in life. The best predictor of future human behavior is past behavior. We can come to “expect” some behaviors from “some” people “some” of the time. This way of thinking often applies to the events of life. What has happened before often will happen again. It makes good sense for … Read more
