Challenging Your Thinking
Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a pioneering form of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that focuses on challenging and replacing Irrational Beliefs (IBs) with Rational Beliefs (RBs) to achieve healthier emotional and behavioral outcomes. Its core philosophy is that external events don't directly cause our emotional responses; instead, our interpretations and beliefs about those events are the true source of our distress.
Who Created REBT?
REBT was created by American psychologist Dr. Albert Ellis in the mid-1950s. Initially calling it Rational Therapy, Ellis established it as one of the first cognitive therapies. He developed REBT as a response to the perceived inefficiency of traditional psychoanalysis, believing that a direct, action-oriented approach focused on changing core philosophical beliefs was needed to produce profound and lasting emotional change (Ellis, 2001).
Perspectives in REBT
The Therapist's Perspective
The REBT therapist views most severe and persistent emotional problems as stemming from a handful of core irrational beliefs related to absolute demands, such as:
Demandingness: I absolutely must perform well and win approval.
Awfulizing: It's awful and terrible when things don't go my way.
Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT): I can't stand this discomfort or inconvenience.
Global Rating of Self/Others: People who act badly are bad, worthless people.
The therapist adopts an active-directive, pedagogical (teaching) stance. Their goal is to vigorously Dispute (D) the client's irrational beliefs using logical and empirical methods, helping the client recognize these beliefs are rigid, illogical, and impede goal achievement. They function as a scientific investigator challenging a hypothesis (the client's belief).
The Client's Perspective
The client shifts from believing that a negative event (A, the Adversity) causes their unhealthy emotion (C, the Consequence) to realizing that their Belief System (B) about the event is the true problem. This is the A-B-C Model of REBT.
The client learns to:
Identify their "musts," "shoulds," and "have tos" that lead to emotional distress.
Accept that they are a fallible human being who sometimes makes mistakes, rather than catastrophizing every failure.
Challenge their own beliefs, asking: "Where is the evidence that I must have approval?" and "Does this belief help me or hurt me?" The goal is to replace rigid demands with flexible preferences (e.g., "I strongly prefersuccess, but if I fail, I can stand it").
What to Expect in an REBT Session
REBT is highly structured, didactic, and philosophical. Sessions typically follow the A-B-C-D-E framework:
A - Adversity/Activating Event: Identifying the specific event or situation that triggered the client's distress.
B - Beliefs: Eliciting the Irrational Beliefs (demands, awfulizing, LFT) the client held about the event.
C - Consequences: Identifying the unhealthy emotional (e.g., panic, rage, depression) and behavioral (e.g., avoidance, aggression) consequences resulting from the beliefs.
D - Dispute: The therapist aggressively, yet respectfully, challenges the client's irrational beliefs using logical and empirical arguments (e.g., "Where is the rule of the universe that says you must be treated fairly?").
E - Effective New Philosophy: The client replaces the irrational belief with a Rational Belief (a preference or desire) that leads to a healthier consequence (e.g., concern instead of anxiety, disappointment instead of depression).
The therapist also assigns frequent homework—cognitive (e.g., challenging beliefs in a journal) and behavioral (e.g., intentionally facing an avoided situation to prove they can tolerate discomfort).
How REBT Can Help a Person
REBT helps a person achieve deep, lasting emotional and behavioral change (known as profound philosophical change) by:
Reducing Emotional Distress: By changing rigid demands into flexible preferences, the client shifts unhealthy negative emotions (like anxiety or rage) into healthy negative emotions (like concern or annoyance) that do not block goal achievement.
Improving Frustration Tolerance: Behavioral assignments help clients prove to themselves that they can standdiscomfort, inconvenience, and uncertainty, thereby overcoming Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT).
Promoting Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA): Clients learn to accept themselves as fallible humans regardless of their performance or others' approval, separating their worth from their deeds.
Common Uses and Applications (DSM-5 Disorders and Life Problems)
REBT is broadly applicable because it targets the underlying irrational thinking processes common to many disorders. It is particularly effective for:
Anxiety Disorders (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder).
Depressive Disorders (targeting self-downing and the demand for easy living).
Anger and Impulse Control Problems (addressing the demand that others must treat them well).
Phobias (used in conjunction with exposure, challenging LFT beliefs).
Procrastination and Perfectionism (challenging demandingness and awfulizing).
Common Life Problems such as relationship conflict, stress, and low self-esteem.
References
Ellis, A. (2001). Feeling better, getting better, staying better: Profound self-help therapy for your emotions. Prometheus Books.
Ellis, A. (2004). Rational emotive behavior therapy. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (2nd ed., pp. 209–238). Oxford University Press.
Ready to Ditch the 'Musts' and Think Rationally?
If you are ready to identify the rigid demands that fuel your emotional distress and gain the philosophical tools for lasting change, a therapist trained in REBT can guide you.
Book a session to connect with a therapist who uses the directive, powerful techniques of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.
