To overcome anxiety, we don’t just look at the newest techniques or therapies. There is a psychotherapy that has been practiced since the 50s and that is very effective in treating anxiety disorders. It is a therapy capable of eliminating the negative thought that this distressing concern produces in us. And do it base on logical reasoning. We have the keys to rational emotive therapy.
What is rational emotive therapy
- We believe that overcoming anxiety requires psychological treatment, so we are looking at the different types of psychotherapy that exist to treat anxiety disorders. And it is that depending on the type of anxiety, one therapy will be more effective than another. In the case of rational emotional therapy, for example, it is perfect for overcoming social anxiety, although it is also effective in other anxiety disorders.
- Rational emotive therapy is based on the assumption that the state of anxiety is generated by a process that begins with distorted thinking. That distorted thought generates irrational beliefs that are what lead us to dysfunctional behavior. But there is more. Aspects such as inflexible demands, guilt, lack of self-esteem, criticism or rigidity of thought come into play.
- Although distorted thinking is the origin of our anxiety problems, rational emotive therapy works especially on irrational beliefs. The psychologist uses a technique like a Socratic dialogue, in which through questions he refutes those irrational beliefs until we realize that we are not being very realistic. Reason against unreason or, rather, against distorted reason.
Steps of Rational Emotive Therapy
Rational emotive therapy consists of three basic steps:
- Identify irrational beliefs that lead to disruptive behaviors by keeping a self-registration.
- Refute those beliefs using the Socratic dialogue
- Distinguish irrational from rational thought
It is a rational method that we must follow at the hands of a psychologist but that, once the treatment is finished, we can continue ourselves to guarantee an emotional balance and a life free of anxiety. The basic aspects to keep in mind in this rational emotional therapy will help us to manage life with more security and less worries.
Those basic aspects that rational emotional therapy works on are self acceptance, tolerance with ourselves and with others, rational thought, flexibility of thought, the responsibility of being the owners of our happiness, the prevalence of reality over the Utopia and the acceptance of frustration.