"...easy
to read, easy to understand, and easy to remember -- the hallmarks of any
good self-help volume. Readers who heed these cogent recommendations...
are likely to find life more livable and decidedly more enjoyable."
Arnold
A. Lazarus, Ph.D., ABPP
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Rutgers University
Author of Marital Myths Revisited
and co-author of The 60-Second Shrink
"...well
worth reading carefully... almost equivalent to a visit with Albert
Ellis."
Raymond
Corsini, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist (ret.),
Editor
Encylopedia of Psychology, Current Psychotherapies
and Handbook for Innovative Psychotherapies
"The well-known, highly respected psychotherapist
explains healthy thinking, healthy emotions, healthy behavior. Detailed
examples for building lasting emotional well-being."
NAPRA ReView
July/August 2001
"Virtually
everyone has a need to feel better at some time and this self-help guide,
written in Ellis's customary down-to-earth style, does the trick. It
worked for me, and it can work for you..."
Cyril M.
Franks, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Rutgers University
Editor, Child & Family Behavior Therapy
"For
those not familiar with rational-emotive-behavior therapy (REBT), this is
an excellent primer. For those who are willing to work at improving their
life, this is a source book on how to do that."
AAMFT-CA
Division News
Spring 2002
"Few
authors can refer with pride to their own work of 45 years ago.
Psychologist Ellis is one such: his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) dates back to
1955. This book proves that the author is still a force to be
reckoned with
in the field of psychotherapy and education for mental
health.
Outspoken, assured,
eager to help, Ellis presents his argument succinctly with brief examples
from his practice. When people are disturbed by things that happen, he
says, they themselves are largely responsible for the disturbance. People's
attitudes toward, or beliefs about, something are more important than the
external 'causative' event. Loss, failure, and disappointment are examples
of hurtful setbacks that can be dealt with better with self-acceptance
rather than self-criticism. Indeed, most people tend to fall into negative
feelings about themselves in response to hardship -- a kind of slippery
slope.
This theory
dismisses the psychoanalytic emphasis on childhood trauma as a cause of
adult problems. It embraces contemporary philosophies like constructivism;
people can (and should) create the environment that fosters unconditional
self-acceptance. This means that performance is not the criterion for
liking oneself; being human is! 'I affirm myself as worthwhile' is the
antidote (or the vaccine) for 'I depress myself.'
According to Ellis,
the structure of everyday language can add to the difficulty. Like Alfred
Korzybski (Science and Sanity) he avoids phrases like 'I am
anxious' by using verbs like 'anxietize.' The reader must bear with some
verbal acrobatics, but it is not necessary to agree with everything Ellis
says, or to adopt his terminology, to benefit from his approach.
'REBT has always
favored real-life practice or risking beneficial exposure as a method you
can use to feel better and get better. In fact, I used it successfully on
myself at the age of 19 -- before I ever thought of becoming a
psychotherapist! If you force yourself to change your behaviors, you can
sometimes change your feelings quickly and effectively. In addition, you
may profoundly change part of your underlying philosophy.'
Ellis values
practice over insight and teaches cognitive reframing, imaging,
desensitization, unconditional positive regard, and the importance of
conscious choice. Underlying it all is the sound principle that behavior
change often precedes emotional change. One can't get much farther away
from Freud than that!"
ForeWord
Magazine
Fall Trade Show Issue 2001
