RATIONAL EMOTIVE THERAPY

 
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of therapy introduced by Albert Ellis in the 1950s. It’s an approach that helps you identify irrational beliefs and negative thought patterns that may lead to emotional or behavioral issues.

Once you’ve identified these patterns, a therapist will help you develop strategies to replace them with more rational thought patterns.

REBT can be particularly helpful for people living with a variety of issues, including:
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • addictive behaviours
  • phobias
  • overwhelming feelings of anger, guilt, or rage
  • procrastination
  • disordered eating habits
  • aggression
  • sleep problems

What are the principles of REBT?
REBT is grounded in the idea that people generally want to do well in life. For example, you probably want to achieve your goals and find happiness. But sometimes, irrational thoughts and feelings get in the way. These beliefs can influence how you perceive circumstances and events — usually not for the better.

Imagine you’ve texted someone you’ve been dating for a month. You see they’ve read the message, but several hours pass with no reply. By the next day, they still haven’t replied. You might start to think that they’re ignoring you because they don’t want to see you.

You might also tell yourself that you did something wrong when you last saw them, you may then tell yourself that relationships never work out and that you will be alone for the rest of your life.