Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
All humans have fears and doubts, but they aren't always grounded in reality or common sense. For those with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, disproportionate feelings of fear and guilt can be common. These negative underlying beliefs, thoughts, and emotions feel very real to the individual experiencing them and can negatively affect their overall mental health. However, a therapist who employs rational emotive behavioral therapy can sometimes help the person understand the nature of their feelings by reducing irrational beliefs and putting them into the appropriate perspective.
History of rational emotive behavior therapy
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) was coined by psychologist Albert Ellis in the mid-1950s. Formed on his own experiences with psychological problems, this therapy type is based on the idea that underlying thought patterns that create emotional distress or other mental health concerns should be examined and challenged to determine whether they are rational. Rational emotive behavior therapy focuses on looking at rational and irrational beliefs and how to replace irrational thought patterns with new rational beliefs.
For example, if you were experiencing intense fear of a potentially stressful event such as approaching someone to ask them out on a date, it might help to ask yourself, “What's the worst they can do?” Most likely, the worst that will happen is that they’ll just say no, but the best-case scenario means you’ll have a date. From a rational perspective, the best potential outcome outweighs the negative consequences of the worst-case scenario.
The therapy rational emotive behavior therapy of Albert Ellis focuses on thoughts or beliefs that can end up causing self-destructive behaviors, with the goal of replacing those thoughts with a rational belief or something more positive, ultimately improving one's well-being. In this way, it is similar to cognitive therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), like rational emotive behavior therapy, challenges unhelpful thoughts or thought patterns. The primary distinction between the two lies in the explicit focus of rational emotive behavior therapy on identifying and challenging irrational beliefs as the key factor in emotional disturbance.
The ABC model of rational emotive behavior therapy
Rational emotive behavior therapy has a principle known as the ABC model, which research suggests can be effective in addressing mental health issues. The ABC model is based on Ellis's interpretation of how people engage in thinking about the world. He believed that people's understanding of certain events is what causes psychological distress and emotive behavior and the ABC model explains it. Take care not to confuse it with the other ABC model—the antecedent behavior consequence model— which focuses on examining and shifting components of behavior.
Activating event
In the rational emotive behavior therapy process, the activating event is often the catalyst for an irrational belief, which can lead to conditions rational emotive behavior therapy aims to address. For instance, some people have a fear of flying, yet they aren’t afraid to drive a car even though people are statistically more likely to die in auto accidents. Rationally speaking, the fear of flying isn’t proportionate to the danger. However, when plane crashes do happen, they’re likely to be covered in the media, sometimes making the frequency of plane crashes seem greater than they are. This is the activating event of the irrational fear of flying, which can contribute to feeling depressed or anxious or causing a person to have unhealthy thoughts or to take unhealthy actions.
Beliefs
When someone sees adverse events, such as the plane crash on the news, they may begin to believe that every plane is at high risk of crashing. Eventually, this can lead to the belief that they will likely die if they ride on an airplane.
Consequence
The consequence is the emotional response to the irrational belief. Because an individual believes that planes are dangerous, they may blame external events to avoid flying whenever possible. If there is no choice, flying can elicit feelings of constant, intense panic. The time leading up to a flight may involve serious mental health distress. It doesn't matter that the odds of dying in a plane crash are one in 11 million while the odds of dying in a car crash are one in 5,000.
Rational emotive behavior therapy has the potential to help with a variety of symptoms and conditions, including anxiety, depression, grief, and addictive or unhealthy behaviors. One of the ways it does this is by promoting unconditional acceptance so that the individual understands and accepts their irrational and rational beliefs. While each therapist may have their own method of using rational emotive behavior therapy, here are the basic steps detailing how a REBT session may go:
Step one: Identify your irrational beliefs
In the first session, you will likely identify what irrational beliefs or feelings are the sources of your mental distress. These beliefs likely compel you to do something or not want to do something. "I should" and "I can't" are common conclusions of irrational thoughts and beliefs. A few examples of irrational conclusions include:
- I must succeed at everything I do, or else I'm useless.
- I can avoid life's challenges and live a perfect life.
- I can't control my happiness.
- Unhealthy eating is the only way to cope with stress and emotions.
Belief in these conclusions may have a negative impact on your self-esteem and can lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, depression, and more.
Step two: Challenge your irrational beliefs
Once you identify the irrational beliefs you have, your therapist will likely assist you in examining ways to clear them from your mind. While other therapists tend to help through gentle encouragement and communication, Ellis's approach was to be candid and honest. The therapist may be direct about how irrational your beliefs are and use logic to debunk them.
Step three: Change your irrational beliefs
While the responsibility for changing your irrational beliefs ultimately lies with you, a therapist using rational emotive behavior therapy may help you uncover and examine those beliefs and why they don’t serve you.
Your therapist may help you with the emotional responses that can sprout from irrational beliefs in different ways. Part of your treatment might include practicing meditation and mindfulness exercises, writing your thoughts in a journal, or changing your lifestyle. The therapist may assign you homework to help change your beliefs, encourage you to utilize self-help techniques, and give feedback based on peer-reviewed studies or another helpful report.
Rational emotive behavior therapy example
Nick has severe job-related stress, as he believes he will be fired every day, despite his performance. As a result of his fear, he has poor job satisfaction and is unable to stop obsessing over his work performance. Eventually, he works so hard that it begins to impact his relationships, his daily life, and his mental health.
He decides to seek therapy and is referred to local therapists who perform group rational emotive behavior therapy and individual REBT. Based on the reality of the circumstances, rational emotive behavior therapy teaches Nick the likelihood of losing his job is minimal. His therapist also helps him find ways to cope with the worst-case scenario.
Eventually, Nick is convinced that he is competent without doing the extra work that affects his stress levels and his relationships. From this understanding, he finds healing from his fears and irrational beliefs.
This example might be applied to any case, such as athletic performance, school performance, or relationship concerns. The core concept typically involves learning more about yourself through your fears and knowing that you can cope in any situation where irrational thoughts may be present.
Finding a therapist for rational emotive behavior therapy
There are plenty of ways to find an rational emotive behavior therapy therapist, beginning with referrals from your primary care physician. You can also obtain a list of providers from your insurance company, or you may look online for a licensed mental health professional who utilizes REBT and has both credentials and positive reviews to endorse them. In some cases therapy school students may be trained in rational emotive behavior therapy from the Albert Ellis Institute, however, this is not a requirement for a therapist to use rational emotive behavior therapy.
Some find that the direct nature of rational emotive behavior therapy can be off-putting at first, so developing a relationship with a compatible therapist may be essential for it to be effective. A good therapist will likely be able to recognize if you are uncomfortable with the tone of the treatment and adjust it accordingly without compromising the process.
Rational emotive behavior therapy’s effectiveness may depend on the reason an individual has irrational beliefs. For instance, if you are experiencing mental health concerns related to traumatic external events or a trauma disorder, rational emotive behavior therapy may do the opposite of what it should. Invalidating a person’s trauma is likely not an effective approach.
If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
However, for individuals with negative feelings related to expectations or long-held beliefs that may be causing stress, rational emotive behavior therapy techniques may be helpful. By reducing symptoms of rigidness and fear and creating an action-oriented approach, rational emotive behavior therapy may decrease irrational beliefs and help clients start exhibiting different behaviors. A systematic review and meta-analysis of fundamental and applied research suggests that rational emotive behavior therapy is effective for healing anxiety, OCD, and beliefs associated with personality disorders.
If you think you have irrational beliefs, feelings that don't match the reality of your circumstances, or overexaggerated negative emotions, you might try rational emotive behavior therapy. You can seek therapy from a mental health professional working locally from an office, but many people choose online therapy, which research shows to be just as effective as in-person therapy. Some people may benefit from online behavioral therapies like rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or another type of behavioral therapy, because they have fears of encountering others in a psychologist’s office or other places outside of the house. Online therapy can be helpful for overcoming barriers such as these.
BetterHelp offers licensed mental health providers for you to speak with from the comfort of your home or anywhere with an internet connection. You can communicate with a therapist via phone, video chat, or in-app messaging. For more information on rational emotive behavior therapy and other forms of therapy, reach out to BetterHelp today.
Who is rational emotive behavior therapy associated with?
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), also called rational emotive therapy, is primarily associated with psychologist Albert Ellis, who developed the REBT framework in the 1950s. Ellis designed rational emotive behavior therapy to address a broad range of issues, from managing emotional disturbances like stress and anxiety to dealing with addictive behaviors.
What's the main focus of Albert Ellis’ rational emotive behavior therapy?
Psychologist Albert Ellis introduced rational emotive behavior therapy as a form of rational therapy that emphasizes changing irrational core beliefs and negative thoughts to improve dysfunctional emotional and behavioral responses. Rational emotive behavior therapy practitioners follow Ellis’ foundational work to encourage clients to adopt unconditional self-acceptance. This level of self-acceptance prompts more rational living as an improved outlook on daily life, preventing people from perceiving themselves as a complete failure when they encounter setbacks.
Example of the rational emotive behavior therapy mental health treatment?
An example of rational emotive behavior therapy could involve an individual dealing with low frustration tolerance, which often leads to emotional outbursts. Using REBT techniques, the person can learn to challenge the irrational belief that things must always go as they want, reducing emotional disturbances and encouraging a response that is a more effective behavior than the outburst.
Which type of therapy is most similar to rational emotive behavior therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often considered the most similar to rational emotive behavior therapy, as both focus on identifying and altering negative thought patterns and adopting self-acceptance.
Why is rational emotive behavior therapy important?
Rational emotive behavior therapy empowers people to confront limiting beliefs and dysfunctional emotional patterns, promoting healthier behaviors and thoughts in daily life. This shift in outlook helps individuals build resilience and emotional stability.
Research shows that REBT is effective for a broad range of applications, including addressing anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, and even sports performance.
Why is rational emotive behavior therapy good for depression?
Rational emotive behavior therapy can help individuals with depression by targeting negative thought patterns and self-critical tendencies, fostering an environment where unconditional self-acceptance can thrive over perfectionism and self-doubt. Additionally, people with depression can often benefit from learning to combat low frustration tolerance and adopt more effective coping mechanisms than emotional outbursts or getting down on oneself. It helps people recognize irrational beliefs, such as the belief that they must be perfectly competent to be worthy, which can lead to feelings of hopelessness and limiting self-beliefs.
Why is rational emotive behavior therapy better than other therapies?
Rational emotive behavior therapy is not necessarily better than other therapies, as each mode of therapy has its useful applications. However, REBT is particularly effective for people who experience emotional instability due to perfectionism, limited self-efficacy, or low frustration tolerance, as it emphasizes practical strategies to challenge irrational thoughts. Because REBT is focused on the present rather than uprooting the past, REBT techniques are well-suited to improving present-day functioning.
How effective is rational emotive behavior therapy?
A systematic review of REBT studies indicates its effectiveness in treating a variety of issues, from anxiety to addictive behaviors. REBT theory has a solid base of fundamental and applied research, showcasing its versatility in addressing both emotional and behavioral responses.
What method is taught to rational emotive behavior therapy clients?
One key method of REBT is the ABC model, in which individuals learn to identify the core beliefs that contribute to their emotional responses.
- A is for “activating event.” Was the event internal or external?
- B is for “beliefs” about the event. How does the event affect the way the individual perceives themselves, their situation, and others? Are these beliefs rational or irrational?
- C is for “consequence(s).” What will happen as a direct or indirect consequence of the activating event and subsequent beliefs? Are these consequences positive or negative? These could include the individual’s emotional and behavioral responses.
What is the most common cognitive method of rational emotive behavior therapy?
The most common cognitive method of REBT involves disputing irrational beliefs. Through this process, individuals learn to question their negative thought patterns and replace them with more rational ones. These may include cognitive distortions like all-or-nothing thinking, self-labeling, or fortune-telling. The ultimate objective of REBT is to foster long-term change and rational living.
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