Learning about psychotherapy: what is REBT?

One of the evidence-based therapies used nowadays, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, was proposed by Albert Ellis at the age of fifty in the late fifties. After a long history of anxiety, depression, and relationship trouble, and after studying other psychological methods, Albert Ellis started a new way of interacting with his patients during the therapeutic process because he found out psychotherapy worked faster if patients had practice during the sessions and if the therapist asked many reflexive questions during the intervention.

The original name of this style was Rational Therapy, but throughout the years, RT changed its name. This was because Albert Ellis and his collaborators noticed that even though they thought that emotions and behavior were important and had to be considered during the psychological intervention, it did not seem that way when you read the name, so it first changed to Rational Emotive Therapy and finally to Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy.

REBT states that our thoughts or BELIEFS are the main source of our suffering. It proposes that the therapeutic process helps us find and develop the tools to change those thoughts into RATIONAL BELIEFS so we can start living with more acceptance and tolerance towards ourselves, the world, and others. In other words, REBT postulates that people become disturbed when they make a want or desire into an absolute demand on the universe: they think that what they want “must be”. REBT claims that when you start to be less demanding and more accepting, you’ll live your life in a more peaceful manner.

As part of the REBT philosophy, during the psychotherapy intervention there should be activities that could convince the client to change, which can be translated into an integrative view of psychotherapy and turns REBT into a pioneer of this kind. To develop this view, he believed that there is a main philosophy that any trained therapist should follow while working with a client or patient, but the tools and techniques are not determined and some are invented during the intervention, having the patients’ wellbeing in mind and the scientific study and the therapist experience to back up the process.

With the announcement of REBT, the group of Cognitive therapies had their first representative, soon to be followed by Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. With the presentation of its ABC model, therapy started sounding less complex and more accessible to the general public. The ABC states the following:

• A — stands for ACTIVATING EVENT, which is a significant event along with the details (where, when, what, how, and who) and our impression of the event.
• B — stands for BELIEFS, which means our basic belief or as it is called “nuclear belief” system that models the way we evaluate the world, ourselves, and others.
• C — stands for CONSEQUENCES, which are the reactions influenced by our belief system that we have after the activating event (emotions, behaviors, thoughts)

In REBT, we use this model as the base of the intervention, but we also use other techniques depending on each person’s needs, and we reinforce each therapy session with “homework” or inter-session activities, for example:

• Keeping a diary of your sensations, thoughts, and behaviors if you’re having trouble identifying your emotions.
• Practice meditation or relaxation techniques at home if you’re having trouble regulating your emotions.
• Register, grade, and even discuss your thoughts, by writing them or even by speaking to yourself when already making progress, and need to deepen in the belief system.

As explained above, REBT is an excellent option if you’re looking for an effective, focused and directive way to do psychotherapy. It works with everyday issues such as relationship or work troubles, but it has also proven effective to treat anxiety, depression, and other disorders.

Just remember: practice and consistency is crucial during the psychotherapy process.