REBT Techniques – Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) was introduced by Albert Ellis in the 1950s. Through REBT you learn to recognize irrational beliefs and negative thought patterns that can lead to behavioral or emotional issues. When you have identified these patterns, you can learn to utilize REBT techniques to replace those irrational patterns with more rational thought patterns.
Rational emotive behavior therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It’s an action-oriented therapeutic method that focuses on helping people deal with irrational beliefs so that they can manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a healthier, more realistic way.
When people have irrational beliefs about themselves or the world, it can cause problems. The goal of REBT is to help people identify and change those beliefs and negative patterns of thinking. This helps overcome psychological problems and mental disturbance.
As stated in REBT, our cognition, emotions, and behaviors are all connected. To be able to understand the effect of events and situations that people come across throughout their lives, it’s important to look at the beliefs that people have about these experiences and the emotions that emerge as a result of those beliefs.
Core Principles of REBT
REBT is based on the idea that generally, people want to do well in life. People want to reach their goals and find happiness. However, sometimes irrational thoughts and feelings get in the way. These beliefs can influence how a person perceives circumstances and events. It is usually not for the better.
An Example
Imagine a situation where you have texted someone you’ve been dating for a month. You can tell that the person has seen the text but several hours have passed by without a reply. Then, the next day passes without a reply.
You might start to think that the person doesn’t want to reply because he or she doesn’t want to see you. You might also tell yourself that you did something wrong the last time you saw that person. Then you might begin to tell yourself that relationships never work out. Then you may come to the irrational conclusion that you will be alone for the rest of your life.
Common Irrational Beliefs
In this process, an important step is recognizing the underlying beliefs that cause psychological distress. Many times, these are framed as “I must,” “I should,” or “I can’t.” The most common irrational beliefs include:
Hanging on to unrelenting beliefs like these makes it almost impossible to respond to activating situations or events in a way that is healthy psychologically. Maintaining strict expectations of yourself and others only leads to disappointment, regret, and anxiety.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING REBT THERAPY?
There are three main types of REBT techniques that correspond with the ABCs of rational emotive behavior therapy. Different therapists might use a slightly different combination of REBT techniques depending on their past clinical experiences and their symptoms. The three types of REBT techniques are described below.
Problem-Solving Techniques
These address the activating event or situation (A). They include working to develop:
Cognitive Restructuring Techniques
Cognitive processes are higher-level brain functions that include language, imagination, perception, and planning.
These strategies help change irrational beliefs (B) and might include:
Coping Techniques
Coping techniques help with managing the emotional consequences (C) of irrational thoughts.
Examples of coping techniques include:
No matter what techniques are used, your therapist will also probably give you work to do on your own between sessions. This way, you can apply the skills you learn to your daily life.
Changing Behavior by Gaining Awareness
A key part of the REBT process is replacing your irrational beliefs with healthier beliefs. This can be an intimidating and upsetting process, so it is normal to be concerned that you’ve made a mistake and to feel some discomfort. However, the aim of REBT is to help people learn to respond rationally to situations that would usually cause them to experience stress, depression, and other negative feelings.
Main Insights of REBT
According to Albert Ellis, these are the 3 main insights that REBT teaches:
- When a person understands and accepts that the main cause of his or her emotional reactions is his or her beliefs about an event instead of the event or situation itself. We get upset because of irrational beliefs.
- When a person picks up an irrational belief, he or she will hold onto that belief until he or she deals with it. And that’s what continues to upset that person in the present.
- Understanding these insights does not make us “better” than others. Understanding these beliefs and having insights into how they affect our emotional responses is not enough to cure us. The reality is that the best way to get better and stay better is to persistently work on identifying irrational beliefs, disputing them, changing our irrational “musts,” and changing negative emotions into positive ones.
