Have you ever heard the saying, “Be careful what you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”? According to the National Science Foundation, the average person thinks over ten thousand thoughts in a day. That breaks down to over four-hundred thoughts per hour! If it is true that our lives are shaped by our thoughts, many of us may need help filtering out our negative thoughts in order to lead a positive life. Luckily, a form of psychotherapy has been developed for just that reason. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of psychotherapy that can help us overcome our negative thoughts, resulting in a more desirable daily life.
The belief behind REBT is that our thoughts shape our emotions, and our emotions shape our behavior. REBT focuses on uncovering unhealthy beliefs that may lead to negative emotions and replacing them with more productive alternatives. In order for us to change our negative thoughts, we must be conscious of their existence. We have to learn to become aware of the thousands of thoughts we have each day that present themselves in the form of self-talk. This is accomplished through a process called Rational Self Analysis (RSA).
RSA is constructed from an uncomplicated ABC format that is designed to show you how your thoughts lead to your emotions and behaviors. A stands for activating event (what happened). B stands for your beliefs (thoughts) about the event. C stands for the consequences (what happened) resulting from your beliefs. Imagine this activating event; your employer accuses you of taking an extended lunch when you actually met up with a client. Your beliefs are, “She is a terrible boss. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her the truth. I hate this job.” Your consequence is that you are angry and unproductive for the rest of the day. You say nothing to your employer. The RSA serves as a map that illustrates the path from your thoughts through your behavior.
As...