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Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy (REBT): What is it and will it help?

  • Writer: Chris Endersby
    Chris Endersby
  • Oct 2, 2022
  • 6 min read
Dr Chris Endersby

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Welcome to what will become a series of blog articles on different types of therapy and coaching. First up is “Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy” (REBT). This is based upon the works of Albert Ellis (1913-2007). This approach has come to form an increasingly integral part of the philosophy behind my practice and my mission here is to explain it a litte, work through some of the key takeaways and set out how it might be applicable in our work and personal lives, It's not perfect - but it's definitely one for the fellow Firestarters out there! So here goes…

Q: So what is REBT?

REBT’s focus is very much on helping clients maintain progress towards solving their problems and preventing development of new problems in the future. REBT is as much of a life philosophy as it is a form of therapy. It places individual responsibility for good mental and psychological health at its core. Further, REBT asserts that happiness is to be found in meaning, and comfort can be found in hard times through taking risks in the pursuit of our goals.


Q: What are your top 3 takeaways from REBT?

  1. It's our experience of events and in particular our attitudes that disturb us - not necessarily the events themselves. We can hold all rigid, extreme, irrational, or otherwise unhelpful beliefs that drive our emotional reactions. These can prevent us responding with reason and balance. REBT views that we are responsible for and construct our thoughts, feelings and behaviours - including those we find especially difficult. The realisation that we can cause (or at least amplify) our own distress and disturbance can be a real head spin.

  2. We can get wrapped up in things we can’t control - at the cost of those we can. A REBT programme will improve our ability to determine what is in our control or sphere of influence and what lies outside of these. It explores how we can get out of our own way, stop setting ourselves up for failure and instead give ourselves the best chance of success. In most circumstances it’s likely to come back to the key role our perceptions, evaluations and value system (our own personal philosophy) has on our mental health and well-being.

  3. It's possible to get disturbed about being disturbed - a psychological two-for-one deal. REBT is based on the assertion that we can get distressed by our disturbance. We can become fearful and even experience panic about our anxiety, be guilty about being angry, be depressed about our sadness, or ashamed at our feelings of anxiety. So, an REBT approach might take things in the order of: 1) dealing head-on with the disturbances; 2) addressing the dissatisfaction itself; 3) then finally focusing upon the development of personal capacities and the forward path.


Q: How can it help me in my personal life?

REBT is extensive and thorough. It deals not only with presenting problems, but with the potential for happiness and well-being. Here are 3 ways in which it can make a difference.

  1. Through greater awareness comes more informed choices. Through understanding how beliefs impact our reactions to events we can make more informed choices on how we respond to difficult situations. Ellis states that irrational beliefs are based upon rigid,, goal-blocking,, illogical and unhelpful thinking. It’s these attitudes that are at the core of psychological disturbance and undesirable behaviour, whether in work or our personal lives. Realising that we are potentially placing unrealistic, unhelpful and ultimately unkind demands upon ourselves, others and the world around us can be a revelation.

  2. A flexible and compassionate approach to self is helpful. These days the term ‘irrational’ may be better understood as ‘unhelpful’ - and this links to our individual circumstances and personal goals. After all, the loss of a loved one, or the pending consequences of a failed business, rightly demand strong emotional responses and may understandably result in distress. Responses that are flexible, logical, realistic and fit with where we want to go, tend to be more adaptable and ultimately more compassionate of ourselves and others. Are the voices in our head full of “musts” and “shoulds” or are they full of possibilities, and open to what may be?

  3. There is more than one way to move away from problems and towards well-being but they are likely to be hard going. REBT uses the full-range of psychological touchpoints as a basis for change - whether cognitive, emotional or behavioural. While REBT seeks the biggest and most meaningful shifts for the least amount of input, the approach sees change as hard. The patterns of thoughts and feelings frequently have attributes that are (or have been) somewhat protective or serve some purpose for us. To change them takes courage, determination and persistence to make and maintain changes.


Q: Could it help me as a business owner too?

Sure it can. The importance of taking ownership of, and control over, our responses to presenting situations can have a far reaching impact in business settings too. By becoming more aware of what fills the gap between a trigger and an outcome we can be better prepared to deal with stressful situations.


In taking responsibility for our own thoughts, emotions and behaviours, we can rise above instinctive reactions to conflict. In turn this can raise the quality of our decisions - which become informed by intentional and deliberate responses.

Finally, by focusing on what we can control and promoting a more flexible attitude, we find it far easier to ‘roll with the punches’ of running a business..


Q: How can I put it into action?

  1. Check your thinking REBT uses a technique called ‘disputation’ which at its core involves questions such as: Is this belief logical? Do I have evidence to support my conclusions? And the all important: Does maintaining this belief help? Sure, we may be familiar and even comforted by a particular viewpoint but sometimes it helps to step back and consider how useful and helpful it is. You could write up a simple ‘pros and cons’ analysis of holding a particular belief or behaviour. Or, rate attitudes upon a ‘performance enhancing or inhibiting’ scale as a means of assessing them and choosing alternatives.

  2. Be more curious This all becomes possible by adopting a mindset of curiosity and seeing it as an experiment. Be intrigued in the outcome, but the point sometimes is see what happens from doing something different and learning from it. By becoming less attached to the outcomes (and things we can't control) we can be freed up to focus on our inputs and what we can control. Instead of placing demands on what ‘should be’ and how things ‘must be’ - be prepared to see things as they are and be open to a wider range of possibilities as to how things may turn out.

  3. Just fu*king do it! REBT highlights the benefits of what it calls ‘discomfort tolerance’. This really means to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. To do the opposite of what our emotions and instinct tells us. To act despite (and maybe even against) our existing attitudes in the pursuit of our goals.


Q: So what are the pros and cons?


The Pros

  • It is direct and to the point. It doesn't delve into places that aren't helpful in achieving the desired outcome.

  • It deals with the widest range of problems rather than specific problems and is focused upon making progress towards goals.

  • It provides a kind of ‘life-code’ to deal with new problems as they emerge.


The Cons

  • For some its direct approach can seem harsh and its focus upon individual responsibility is not always an easy place to start.

  • It doesn’t place emphasis upon the sparks of ingenuity and creativity that can come from irrationality - there are surely some limits to rationality for a life well lived.

  • The importance of attachment and trauma are now well supported by neuroscience and do not always get airtime in an REBT view.


Q: Where can I find out more?

If what you read here resonates with you and you’d like to find out more about the work of Firestarter Coaching: get in touch


If you’d like to explore REBT for yourself I’d recommend the following resources…

 
 
 

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