Overcoming Destructive Beliefs, Feelings, and Behaviors: New Directions for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Psychology) Hardcover – November 1, 2001

This new book by Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), is a collection of articles he published in the last several years, some of them partly rewritten. Ellis originated REBT in 1955. Since then, it has gained great influence, primarily in therapy, but also in management coaching and training.The basics of REBT have remained the same. They revolve around the ABCs of self-disturbing. (A) stands for the Adversities we encounter, (B) for our Beliefs about these Adversities, and (C) for the emotional and behavioral Consequences of these Beliefs. A coach, therapist, or trainer using REBT, has two goals: 1) to help people feel better and 2) to make them function better and does so by helping to replace the problematic Beliefs by more usable and realistic Beliefs.Although the core of REBT has remained the same, some aspects of the approach have kept on evolving, and Ellis keeps on leading the development of REBT himself. The book shows many examples. Important is for instance that Ellis now defines the (B) of the ABCs not merely as Believing but as Believing-Emoting-Behaving.Very interesting is how Ellis uses action language when writing about emotional problems. He thinks we misuse many nouns in psychology instead of verbs and therby create "semifictional entities" or "thought things". An example: Ellis doesn't say: "I suffer from depression" but "I depress (myself)".A terrific chapter I found the one about postmodernism and constructivism in psychotherapy. I have never read such a clarifying chapter about this intruiging subject before. Ellis convincingly demonstrates how REBT and constructivism are not at odds but conincide well with each other. To illustrate, he says: "You have considerable power to construct self-helping thoughts, feelings, and actions as well as to construct self defeating behaviors."Although this book is NOT intended to be a self-help book, each chapter ends with some great self-help suggestions, which can also be read as chapter summaries. This book, which is filled with great insights, shows the great inspiraton of Ellis, which is still there.

I have worked within the Rational Emotive Therapy theory for sometime. I am now at the point that I am teaching this to employees to build resilience into the work place. The Theory is simple enough that everybody can understand why it is popular and used often technique. This book helps to breakdown and give examples that everyday person can use. The big buzz these days is resilience and teaching coping skills so that the employee will maintain their value and not breakdown to the point of having large issues but be able to rationalize them down before they get big. This book peels back the layers of skills therapist use to teach clients how to use effective theoretical ideas like catastrophizing to rational feelings they are having to become less destructive and more manageable. Taking things from this book utilizing them in the ABC framework will prove wonders in the workplace for those that are looking to improve Human Resource involvement and Employee Assistance Programs throughout corporate America. It has also proved helpful in public service employees as well.

This was my first book by Albert Ellis. I am planning on reading ALL of his books. Hands down BEST BOOK EVER.His style is amazing, down to earth, plain and simple. This is what I needed. Thank you Albert Ellis for changing my life.update: 10/16/2013While my above review still stands, I finally found my cure for all the emotional and physical problems and I feel like a new person, I feel the way I should naturally feel.After more stress, soul searching and 1000 more books read I was found to have very low levels of magnesium, iron, vit D and vit B12. I just started the supplements a few days ago and I already feel like a normal person again. Please look into mineral and vitamin deficiencies before you give up or spend money on books on end with wise words but no actual cure for a "sick"person. It changed my life and I will never go without taking my supplements.Thank you

A very thorough introduction of REBT and how it’s used with patients, and how it can be used by counselors. The only thing that I found a little disconcerting was that it appears Albert Ellis had, at this time, drank too much from the postmodernist, “punchbowl” and had then incorporated too much of that thinking into his approach to therapy. However, all in all, a very good book.

I'm a self-proclaimed Ellis groupie. His wit, colorful language, and narcissism is always entertaining. But, a few chapters in I was over it. This is nothing new and constantly returns to Ellis' point that he is the master of all things therapeutic. Save your time and money. Just read a few articles.

Albert Ellis is a super psychologist who can help those with all kinds of hangups and issues. He is not for the seriously ill patients; he's more for the neurotic. His main technique is to have you, the patient, play the role of someone with whom he/she has a problem (parent, spouse, boss) so you can see yourself more objectively. In this way, it's like "psychodrama." This book is more for the therapist than the patient, but an experienced person with a background in psychology (from school, reading or treatment) can get a lot out of it. Like Dr. Ellis always said to the people in distress, "Stop "awfulizing!"' Unless everyone agrees that something is awful -- like a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer or a death in the family -- few things in life are really "awful."

Just a very interesting book. Very different approach to accepting yourself. This is my second purchase of this book, this was a gift to my friend.

the more I read about this subject from this man and his institute, the more open my mind becomes to the fact that he knows what he speaks of, and holy cow, is he talking about me