Blog: Self-Help Posts on REBT

Discipline Your Thinking – The World Has Not Come to An End

In 1956 Albert Ellis gave an important address at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. In this seminal address, he outlined twelve ideas that cause emotional disturbance and human misery. Until this time, Freud’s approach, and variants of orthodox Freudian theory, dominated psychotherapy. Ellis introduced a new paradigm that was to usher in … Read more

Self-Defeating Idea #2 – Villainous People Should Be Rated and Punished

In 1956 Albert Ellis gave an important address at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. In this seminal address, he outlined twelve ideas that cause emotional disturbance and human misery. Until this time, Freud’s approach, and variants of orthodox Freudian theory, dominated psychotherapy. Ellis introduced a new paradigm that was to usher in … Read more

Self-Defeating Idea #1 – The Dire Need for Approval

In 1956 Albert Ellis gave an important address at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. In this seminal address, he outlined twelve ideas that cause emotional disturbance and human misery. Until this time, Freud’s approach, and certain variants of orthodox Freudian theory, dominated psychotherapy. Ellis introduced a new paradigm that was to usher … Read more

Using Pen and Paper to Understand and Change Your Thinking When You Are Disturbing Yourself

In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, REBT, I often encourage my patients to complete self-help forms when in a state of emotional disturbance. REBT practitioners have created different self-help forms to assist a patient in identifying and changing their self-defeating attitudes. These are great tools, but too often, patients refuse to sit down when in the throes … Read more

Concern is Your Friend, Anxiety Your Foe

In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), we distinguish between healthy negative emotions and unhealthy negative emotions. Healthy negative emotions include concern, sadness, remorse, disappointment, sorrow, and self-helping anger, self-helping jealousy, and self-helping envy. In this piece, I will discuss the healthy negative feeling of concern. I often say concern is my favorite healthy negative emotion. … Read more

Coping with An Open-ended COVID-19 Pandemic When Will It End? I Cannot Take It Anymore!

Attend The Saturday Morning Rational Emotive Behavioral Conversation Hour and Learn How to Help Yourself Using the Self-Helping Philosophy of Dr. Albert Ellis In working with my patients over the past few weeks as the pandemic drags on, one aspect of the COVID-19 crisis that appears to be challenging to many is the pandemic’s open-ended … Read more

Do Yourself a Favor – Learn to Accept Yourself Unconditionally

Warning: This Intermittent Reinforcement email is long, but well worth reading! You can bear the struggle. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a philosophy of life used psychotherapeutically. One unique aspect of it as a form of psychotherapy is that it advocates for the development of unconditional self-acceptance. Cultivating unconditional self-acceptance is not an easy task. No other therapy … Read more

Repetition Is the Mother of Learning

Dr. Albert Ellis, the originator of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), often said that “Repetition is the mother of learning.” I like to remind my patients that to use REBT, one needs to understand its core principles and therapeutic strategies. REBT is a psychoeducational therapy, and therefore one can learn by listening to audios and videos. On … Read more