News From the REBT Network

REBT Moves Forward
The first two of a series of summit conferences on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy recently concluded.  A special meeting on training and development followed. The outcome of both the summit conference and training conference points to an exciting future for REBT as developed by Dr. Albert Ellis. http://www.rebtnetwork.org/library/REBT_Moves_Forward.html.

 

 International REE Committee Formed
The formation of an international committee to advance Rational Emotive Education is a major step towards the introduction of REBT to school students around the world. http://www.rebtnetwork.org/library/International_REE_Committee_Formed.html.

 

 New Ebook Released
The REBT Network is pleased to announce the release of  How to Conquer Your Frustrations by Dr. William J. Knaus. This (PDF) eBook is available as a free download from the REBT Network website. The Network is grateful to Bill Knaus for making this book available all. How to Conquer Your Frustrations shows you how to accomplish what you want in life, and how to apply revolutionary stress-reducing strategies to rid yourself of destructive habits -- smoking and overeating, among others -- and of impatience, worry, depression, and boredom. http://www.rebtnetwork.org/library/How_to_Conquer_Your_Frustrations.pdf

Albert Ellis's new book, Personality Theories, soon to be released

In January 1955, Albert Ellis founded Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), thereby starting the Cognitive Revolution in Psychology. REBT, which is both a psychotherapy and a philosophy of living, inspired the development of other approaches that now fall under the rubric of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

Aaron Beck, originator of Cognitive Therapy, has said the following about Albert Ellis:
"There is no question that Ellis is the pioneer in modern-day psychotherapy. He really cleared the road for the rest of us who followed behind him...He's absolutely right about the shoulds and the musts...I do want to personally thank him for what he's done in helping me to develop my own therapeutic techniques."

Dr. Ellis left us on July 24, 2007. In the last year of his life, Dr. Ellis was working on the book titled "Personality Theories: Critical Perspectives". This book is co-authored by Mike Abrams and Lidia Abrams. I am happy to inform that this book is to be released soon.

Fortunate Son

I was conceived in February, 1955, just one month after Albert Ellis began practicing REBT.

 

From the beginning of time, until that summer night in sunny Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, I did not exist. Sometime in the future, I will once again cease to exist, and I will return to my natural state: nonexistence.

 

Some might argue, with reasonable justification, that the world was a better place up until the moment of my conception. But for me, it was the beginning of a grand adventure, a brief interruption to, and vacation from, nonexistence.

 

Yes, I regard my entire life as a vacation. It's an opportunity to have fun, to see the sights, and to meet the people. It's also an opportunity to learn about the universe I temporarily inhabit. During my stay here, I have made it my business to learn skills that make my visit more enjoyable, and occasionally do what I can to make the visit of other vacationers a rewarding experience for them.

 

Thinking of my life as a vacation, rather than as an examination to see whether or not I am "good enough," has allowed me to concentrate on what I am doing, rather than fretting over how well I am doing it.

 

In a few decades, possibly sooner, I will die. And, as Richard Dawkins points out in Unweaving the Rainbow, that makes me one of the lucky ones.

 

As I reflect on that balmy night in the 1950s, while Bill Haley was rocking around the clock, and my parents were humping and grinding, I can't help but think how it all could have been different. I might never have been here.

 

As my father enjoyed a post-coital cigarette, millions of his sperm were racing towards my mother's ovum. Had another sperm won the race, I would not be here. At the moment I was conceived, millions of my potential brothers and sisters lost their opportunity for a vacation. I was the lucky one.

 

And so one day I will die, making me far better off than my brothers and sisters who never lived. I am the fortunate son.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Albert Ellis,REBT,Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy,Richard Dawkins,New Zealand,Bill Haley

How to rationally respond to betrayal?

I am making this posting to learn the rational ways to respond to betrayal. I define betrayal as intentional actions attempted to harm someone (say "X") by those persons whom X helped a lot in the past.
Paul Hauck has written in "Overcoming the Rating Game" (page 67 to 94) that "If people do something bad to you intentionally, then do something equally annoying or discomforting to them". He says that we get the behavior we accept.
Carl Sagan refers to Robert Axelrod's related work involving continuing round-robin computer tournament (Chaper: "The rules of the game" in his book "Billions and Billions"). He concludes that the most effective strategy is "Tit-for-Tat". Tit-for-Tat is defined as "you start co-operating, and subsequently you simply do what the other person did last time".
If direct speaking doesn't work and if it is clear (even to outside observer) that the actions are intentional, is it better to use indirect actions to employ the strategy of Tit-for-Tat?

Art and Irrationality

A topic for the blogteam or any interested reader to take up:

REBT, proceeding from logical-empirical bases, offers important guidelines for rational living and personal happiness. But the rational road is not the only path to knowledge. In his writings, Dr Ellis rarely touches on the subject of artistic creativity. Given his friendships with artists of many kinds over the years – from Artie Shaw to Lenny Bruce to Saul Bellow – it seems a surprising omission.

Artistic discoveries can’t be forced by purely systematic means. The artist must periodically shut off the rational-critical part of the mind, and at times even embrace irrationality, as he or she sifts the unconscious for new insights.

While it is possible to over-romanticize the quest for inspiration, the matter is not always resolved, Sinclair Lewis-style, by sitting in a chair and staying there until the novel is finished! In seeking creative shortcuts and illuminations thousands of artists down the ages have destroyed themselves with drink and drugs. They continue to hurl themselves, lemming-like, from the same reckless cliff. This particular phenomenon is not discussed in Ellis’s writing on addictions, nor I believe in other writings on Rational Recovery.

My questions then: how can creative intuition and REBT practical logic best be harnessed? And are there any writings on art and irrationality in the literature of REBT/CBT?

Steve

Some evidence-based REBT literature

  On March 31, 2008, I conducted a review of the ACP Journal Club, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and of the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) search engines (this is NOT a systematic review of the literature). I used the search terms “rational emotive behavior therapy” and “rational emotive therapy."

It revealed the following twenty-five studies:

1970

Karst TO, Trexler LD Initial study using fixed-role and rational-emotive therapy in treating public-speaking anxiety. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 34(3):360-6, 1970 Jun.

1972

Trexler LD, Karst TO Rational-emotive therapy, placebo, and no-treatment effects on public-speaking anxiety. [Clinical Trial. Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal Article] Journal of abnormal psychology. 79(1):60-7, 1972 Feb.

1976

Moleski R , Tosi D J Comparative psychotherapy: rational-emotive therapy versus systematic desensitization in the treatment of stuttering. J Consult Clin Psychol. 44(2):309-11, 1976.

1978

Block J Effects of a rational emotive mental health program on poorly achieving, disruptive high school students. Journal-of-Counseling-Psychology. 25(1):61-5, 1978.

Hymen SP, Warren R An evaluation of rational-emotive imagery as a component of rational-emotive therapy in the treatment of test anxiety. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Perceptual and motor skills. 46(3 Pt 1):847-53, 1978 Jun.

1979

Lake A, Rainey J, Papsdorf JD Biofeedback and rational-emotive therapy in the management of migraine headache. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Journal of applied behavior analysis. 12(1):127-40, 1979.

Smith RR, Jenkins WO, Petko CM, Warner RW An experimental application and evaluation of Rational Behavior Therapy in a work release setting. Journal-of-Counseling-Psychology. 26(6):519-25, 1979.

1980

Lipsky MJ, Kassinove H, Miller NJ Effects of rational-emotive therapy, rational role reversal, and rational-emotive imagery on the emotional adjustment of community mental health center patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 48(3):366-74, 1980.

1981

Barabasz AF, Barabasz M Effects of rational-emotive therapy on psychophysiological and reported measures of test anxiety arousal. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Journal of clinical psychology. 37(3):511-4, 1981 Jul.

1983

Bernard ME, Kratochwill TR, Keefauver LW The effects of rational-emotive therapy and self-instructional training on chronic hair pulling. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 7(3):273-9, 1983.

1984

Munjack DJ, Schlaks A, Sanchez VC, Usigli R, Zulueta A, Leonard M Rational-emotive therapy in the treatment of erectile failure: an initial study. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Journal of sex & marital therapy. 10(3):170-5, 1984.

Warren R, Smith G, Velten E Rational-emotive therapy and the reduction of interpersonal anxiety in junior high school students. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Adolescence. 19(76):893-902, 1984.

1985

Everaerd W, Dekker J Treatment of male sexual dysfunction: sex therapy compared with systematic desensitization and rational emotive therapy. [Clinical Trial. Comparative Study. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Behaviour research and therapy. 23(1):13-25, 1985.

Hooper SR, Layne CC Rational emotive education as a short-term primary prevention technique Techniques: A Journal of Remedial Education and Counseling. 1(4):264-9, 1985.

1987

Swanston MC Effects of rational-emotive therapy and rational-emotive imagery on self-reported affect and behavioral infractions in prisoners 1987.

1988

Warren R, McLellarn RW, Ponzoha C Rational-emotive therapy vs general cognitive-behavior therapy in the treatment of low self-esteem and related emotional disturbances. Cognitive-Therapy-and-Research. 12(1):21-37, 1988.

1989

Stanton HE Hypnosis and rational-emotive therapy--a de-stressing combination: a brief communication. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis. 37(2):95-9, 1989 Apr.

1991

Finn Thomas, DiGiuseppe Raymond, Culver Clayton The effectiveness of rational-emotive therapy in the reduction of muscle contraction headaches. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: an International Quarterly. 5(2):93-103, 1991.

Master SM, Miller SM A test of RET theory using an RET theory-based mood induction procedure: The rationality of thinking rationally. Cognitive-Therapy-and-Research. 15(6):491-502, 1991.

1993

Moller AT, Kotze HF, Sieberhagen KJ Comparison of the effects of auditory subliminal stimulation and rational-emotive therapy, separately and combined, on self-concept. [Clinical Trial. Comparative Study. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Psychological reports. 72(1):131-45, 1993 Feb.

1995

Mersch PP The treatment of social phobia: the differential effectiveness of exposure in vivo and an integration of exposure in vivo, rational emotive therapy and social skills training. [Clinical Trial. Comparative Study. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial] Behaviour research and therapy. 33(3):259-69, 1995 Mar.

1996

Macaskill ND,Macaskill A Rational-emotive therapy plus pharmacotherapy versus pharmacotherapy alone in the treatment of high cognitive dysfunction depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 20(6):575-92, 1996.

Moller AT, Botha HC Effects of a group rational-emotive behavior therapy program on the Type A behavior pattern. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article. Randomized Controlled Trial. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Psychological reports. 78(3 Pt 1):947-61, 1996 Jun.

2000

Cardenal HV, Diaz Morales JF Self-esteem and anxiety modification by the application of different treatments (rational-emotive education and relaxation) in adolescents Ansiedad y Estres. 6(2-3):295-306, 2000.

2008

Rational emotive therapy with children and adolescents: a meta-analysis (Structured abstract). [Miscellaneous] Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. Issue 1, 2008.

Evidence-based practice

It is my hope to stimulate conversation and awareness of evidence-based practice.

I feel this conversation is important given the rapidly increasing cost of health care, the reliance upon interventions to be effective, and the proliferation of non-evidentiary based therapeutic interventions. As consumers of interventions, it is essential that we heed the axiom, caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware.

However as clinical practitioners it is our ethical obligation to also give rational consideration to the axiom, caveat venditor, or let the seller beware. We cannot disclaim responsibility for practicing interventions that have little to none evidentiary support. It is our onus to apply principles of evidence-based practice in our practices and therapeutic encounters.

So, what is evidence-based practice?

Evidence-based practice is “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” (Sackett, Richardson, Rosenberg, & Haynes, 1997, p. 71).

Its five steps include:

1. Posing a practice-relevant, answerable question;

2. Systematically searching the extant literature;

3. Appraising what is found;

4. Combining these findings with what is known about client preferences/actions and clinical state/circumstances in order to help clients make context-sensitive decisions;

5. Evaluating the outcome.

My next series of postings will include a brief exposition of each step. Comments are always welcomed (and encouraged)!

References

Sackett, D. L., Richardson, W. S., Rosenberg, W., & Haynes, R. B. (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. New York: Churchill Livingstone.