Happy Birthday to me. I am 65 today! Writing about unconditional self-acceptance and unconditional life acceptance is particularly apt on my Birthday as I age and progress deeper into my sixties. (Click here to view the special video accompanying this blog.) Although no one is promised life tomorrow, as we age, the likelihood of illness … Read more

It is not the negative thought that stops you from doing what is best in the long run; it is the failure to counter it. In REBT, we teach people to take responsibility for countering self-defeating attitudes and thoughts. The first step in change is to acknowledge the nonsense you tell yourself without putting yourself … Read more

In REBT, we propose that you cultivate flexible and non-extreme attitudes as a way of establishing and maintaining healthy, that is, self-helping, reactions to adversity. This stance towards the most significant challenges of life is the basis for the unconditional self, other, and life acceptance, which are the foundation of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Daily … Read more

The secret to living well with others is not simply getting them to do what you wish—the secret lies in controlling your reaction to them when they disappoint you or treat you poorly so that you and the other person can resolve your impasse constructively. Disagreements between people are inevitable in life. Rather than end … Read more

REBT is a cohesive self-help theory for managing our emotions and behaviors, which was created and refined over Albert Ellis’s 60-year clinical career. At first glance, it seems like a straightforward approach, chock-full of practical ideas to implement. Although this is true, effective use of REBT requires an accurate understanding of its core ideas and … Read more

The theory of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) starts with the position that people have two biological tendencies. The “rational” or “self-helping” tendency expresses itself with flexible and non-extreme attitudes, allowing us to solve problems using logic and scientific reasoning. REBT therapy builds, strengthens, and looks to expand this side of us. Unfortunately, we also have … Read more

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. – Pablo Picasso  REBT teaches healthy attitudes toward yourself, others, and life to minimize pain and maximize pleasure. REBT promotes long-term hedonism. From the REBT perspective, life has no inherent meaning. We give life meaning by … Read more

As a former athlete, I wish I had known about REBT when competing in high school and college varsity sports. Had I been skilled in the use of REBT, I would have suffered less emotional pain, performed at an even higher level, and experienced greater enjoyment during the many hours I spent in athletic training … Read more

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy aims to enhance a person’s ability to adapt to and learn from adversity. I have found that cultivating the capacity to take the good from the bad exemplifies adaptation and is essential to making the most of life. In life, bad things will happen. We will perform poorly, suffer losses and … Read more

Emotional pain is an inevitable part of life, but REBT can effectively treat self-defeating emotional disturbance. Strive to adopt the profound philosophical idea of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): no matter how much you desire something or how important it is to you, you never absolutely have to get your wishes fulfilled. When you understand … Read more