Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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).

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.