Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: It Works for Me--It Can Work for You [Paperback]

Albert Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

Albert Ellis, the renowned creator of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy - Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) - offers this candid self-assessment, which reveals how he overcame his own mental and physical problems using the techniques of REBT. Part memoir and part self-help guide, this very personal story traces the private struggles that Ellis faced from early childhood to well into his adult life. Whether you are already familiar with Ellis' many best-selling psychology books or are discovering his work for the first time, you will gain many insights into how to deal with your problems by seeing how Ellis learned to cope with his own serious challenges.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Albert Ellis, PhD, the author of more than seventy-five books, including OVERCOMING DESTRUCTIVE BELIEFS, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIORS, is the president of the Albert Ellis Institute for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. He has practiced psychotherapy, marriage and family counseling, and sex therapy for over sixty-one years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591021847
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021841
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

(1913-2007) Albert Ellis held M.A and Ph.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. He was the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the pioneering form of the modern Cognitive Behavior therapies. He was the president of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York, where he practiced individual and group psychotherapy, supervised and trained psychotherapists, and presented many talks and workshops at the Institute and throughout the world. He published over seven hundred articles and more than sixty books on psychotherapy, marital and family therapy, and sex therapy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two for One., May 26, 2006

By 

Patrick Greenan "Caesar" (Peterborough, ON, Canada.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: It Works for Me--It Can Work for You (Paperback)

This auto-bio/self-help combo book was fairly clearly written offhand. It was sloppily proofread if it was proofread at all. There are factual mistakes and contradictions. For example, after one of his "love affairs" ended Ellis writes both that he did, and that he didn't, make himself feel depressed. He also writes that he invented his shame-attacking technique both in his 20's and in his 40's. At times the book is awkwardly written, including confusion in tenses.
Fortunately, the above doesn't matter too much. He is extremely honest--to the point where some readers may dislike what he writes--in his account of details of his life. He suffered from many physical afflictions as a child and was hospitilized a number of times. Frail from the beginning, Ellis turned his attention away from physical activities and toward exercising his imagination and developing his impressive intellect.
In the main the book is an account of some of the difficulties he encountered in life and how he applied nascent REBT principles to his difficulties. These difficulties not only include his many and ongoing health problems but also the disapproval and sometimes censorship he received for holding the political, social, sexual, and atheistic views he did. In addition, Ellis includes how he dealt with the emotional issues he had; such as shyness, shame, anxiousness, and his famous, or infamous, irritibility. After a fairly long gestation period REBT was born in 1955.
This book is recommended to readers who want to catch a glimpse of "the man behind the myth" and to people who have to deal with serious ongoing health concerns.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There may be better REBT books, but this was useful for me, March 11, 2005

By 

Thanks2Albert "REBT enthusiast" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: It Works for Me--It Can Work for You (Paperback)

I think that one of the other reviewers was correct, other REBT books will teach you better REBT than this book. In that sense, I think this is too simple. But, it's still an interesting book for me. I bought it a year ago. Since then, I've skimmed through it about five times, usually a couple of hours each time. Each time, I'm usually able to find a concept written a certain way that helps me to intellectually connect with the principles of REBT, again. Overall, it was an easy read, but continues to have a rejuvenating effect on me, not just mentally, but also helps me to immediately go out and behave differently with everybody. It's possible that I will never pick up any of the other more serious REBT books out there, but I will continually to read this simple book once or twice a year to wake me up. It's a chance to see about life through Ellis's eyes, and I like it (even though I don't worship him as a person).

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REBT - It Works!, April 28, 2004

By 

Elisa Monroe (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: It Works for Me--It Can Work for You (Paperback)

It was hard to put down the latest book by Dr. Albert Ellis, "REBT: It Works for Me It Can Work for You." I believe that this book is one of the best books that Dr. Ellis has written. I work as a therapist and have read many of his books over the years -- using his theory to help both my clients and myself.

This book offers both engaging insight into many aspects of Dr. Ellis' personal life and how he used REBT to help him cope with difficulties and challenges; as well as incredibly useful ideas and procedures for people going through disability due to illness or accident and for their helpers.
He used these procedures himself to help him get through a life-threatening time in 2003.

This book will greatly benefit both laypersons and therapists.