Practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), it may be useful to know that once you learn not to disturb yourself it isn’t as though you’ll never do so again. It took me a while to unconditionally accept this fact in regard to my personal practice of the psychotherapeutic modality.
“I can’t be an effective psychotherapist when I still upset myself from time to time,” I once thought. However, I eventually understood that my rigid mindset wasn’t serving my interests and goals.
After all, I could simply tolerate and accept that I’m a fallible human being and be content with infrequent lapses in progress. A lapse merely suggests a departure from an accepted pattern or standard. However, it doesn’t mean devastation—to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness.
On page 205 of The REBT Therapist’s Pocket Companion (“Pocket Companion”), REBT practitioners are encouraged to teach clients about relapse prevention. This can be done my discussing lapses in progress and rehearsing rational beliefs in regard to imagined scenarios.
I do this helpful exercise while also inviting clients not to make the same mistake I once made when inflexibly expecting myself to never experience lapses in progress. Page 206 of the Pocket Companion refers to such lapses as “opportunities” rather than signs of relapse.
People can be effective practitioners of REBT even if they occasionally disturb themselves. Indeed, unproductively demanding that one must never experience a lapse in progress may result in the very lapse one intends on avoiding.
Therefore, if when practicing REBT your application of the modality begins trending downward, there’s no need to exacerbate the lapse in progress with additional unhelpful beliefs. Rather, unconditional acceptance may serve you well.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Dryden, W. and Neenan, M. (2003). The REBT Therapist’s Pocket Companion. Albert Ellis Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-rebt-therapists-pocket-companion-d185164652.html
Gpointstudio. (n.d.). Worried businessman with sign of decreased profit [Image]. Freepik. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/worried-businessman-with-sign-decreased-profit_10676634.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=1&uuid=72b5a4c8-0c64-4deb-a2ef-21db0260d3b0
Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2024, May 11). Fallible human being. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fallible-human-being
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2024, January 2). Interests and goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/interests-and-goals
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, January 4). Rigid vs. rigorous. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rigid-vs-rigorous
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2022, October 7). Should, must, and ought. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/should-must-and-ought
Hollings, D. (2023, February 16). Tna. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/tna
Hollings, D. (2022, July 11). Unconditional acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-acceptance
Comments