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Page 2 of 15 Note that 'A' alone does not cause 'C' - 'A' triggers off 'B', and 'B' then causes 'C'.It contains illogical ways of evaluating oneself, others, and the world: demandingness, awfulising, discomfort-intolerance and people-rating; When talking with clients, we often refer to beliefs as 'self-defeating' rather than 'irrational', to emphasise that the main reason for replacing a belief is because it negatively affects their lives.Two Types of Disturbance REBT suggests that human beings defeat or 'disturb' themselves in two main ways: (1) by holding irrational beliefs about their 'self' (ego disturbance) or (2) by holding irrational beliefs about their emotional or physical comfort (discomfort disturbance).For a person to go beyond feeling better to actually get better - that is, to achieve fundamental and lasting change - involves modifying the underlying core beliefs that create difficulties for them in a range of situations.Discomfort disturbance comes in two slightly different but related flavours: o Low frustration-tolerance (LFT) results from demands that frustration not happen, followed by catastrophising when it does.It blocks a person from achieving their goals, creates extreme emotions that persist and which distress and immobilise, and leads to behaviours that harm oneself, others, and one's life in general.They are habitual or automatic, often consisting of underlying 'rules' about how the world and life should be. With practice, though, people can learn to uncover such subconscious 'core' beliefs. At a superficial level you can feel better by altering your body chemistry (e.g. via exercise, dietary change or medication); by changing the situation (e.g. by avoiding contact with the other person); or by changing your inferences about the situation (for example, you make yourself feel less anxious by convincing yourself that the disapproval isn't going to happen).this proves I am no good' and so on. These beliefs create 'ego anxiety' - emotional tension resulting from the perception that one's 'self' or personal worth is threatened - and lead to other problems such as avoidance of situations where failure, disapproval, etc.o Low discomfort-tolerance (LDT) arises from demands that one not experience emotional or physical discomfort, with catastrophising when discomfort does occur.To achieve such change, REBT uses a range of cognitive, emotive and behavioural strategies (more about these later).2.

Page 2 of 15
Note that ‘A’ alone does not cause ‘C’ – ‘A’
triggers off ‘B’, and ‘B’ then causes ‘C’. Also,
ABC episodes do not stand alone: they run in
chains, with a ‘C’ often becoming the ‘A’ of another episode – we observe our own emotions and
behaviours, and react to them. For instance, the
person in the example above could observe their
avoidance of other people, interpret this as weak,
and engage in self-downing.
Note, too, that most beliefs are outside conscious awareness. They are habitual or automatic,
often consisting of underlying ‘rules’ about how
the world and life should be. With practice,
though, people can learn to uncover such subconscious ‘core’ beliefs.
Theory of change
According to REBT, change can occur at different
levels. Let’s say, for instance, that you are anxious because you think someone is disapproving
of you. At a superficial level you can feel better
by altering your body chemistry (e.g. via exercise,
dietary change or medication); by changing the
situation (e.g. by avoiding contact with the other
person); or by changing your inferences about the
situation (for example, you make yourself feel
less anxious by convincing yourself that the disapproval isn’t going to happen).
For a person to go beyond feeling better to actually get better – that is, to achieve fundamental
and lasting change – involves modifying the underlying core beliefs that create difficulties for
them in a range of situations. Using our example
above, rather than convince yourself that disapproval isn’t going to happen, you accept that it
might, but deal with your underlying core belief
that you need approval and must not ever receive
disapproval.
REBT therapists accept that superficial change
may sometimes be the more realistic option for
some clients, but aim for fundamental change
wherever possible. To achieve such change,
REBT uses a range of cognitive, emotive and behavioural strategies (more about these later).
What is irrational thinking?
We have seen that what we think determines what
we feel. But what types of thinking are problematical for human beings?
A definition
To describe a belief as ‘irrational’ is to say that:

1. It blocks a person from achieving their goals,
   creates extreme emotions that persist and
   which distress and immobilise, and leads to
   behaviours that harm oneself, others, and one’s
   life in general.


2. It distorts reality (it is a misinterpretation of
   what is happening and is not supported by the
   available evidence);


3. It contains illogical ways of evaluating oneself,
   others, and the world: demandingness, awfulising, discomfort-intolerance and people-rating;
   When talking with clients, we often refer to
   beliefs as ‘self-defeating’ rather than ‘irrational’,
   to emphasise that the main reason for replacing a
   belief is because it negatively affects their lives.
   Two Types of Disturbance
   REBT suggests that human beings defeat or ‘disturb’ themselves in two main ways: (1) by holding
   irrational beliefs about their ‘self’ (ego disturbance) or (2) by holding irrational beliefs about
   their emotional or physical comfort (discomfort
   disturbance). Frequently, the two go together –
   people may think irrationally about both their
   ‘selves’ and their circumstances – though one or
   the other will usually be predominant.
   Ego disturbance represents an upset to the
   self-image. It results from holding demands about
   one’s ‘self’, e.g. ‘I must … do well / not fail / get
   approval from others’; followed by negative selfevaluations such as: ‘When I fail / get disapproval
   / etc. this proves I am no good’ and so on. These
   beliefs create ‘ego anxiety’ – emotional tension
   resulting from the perception that one’s ‘self’ or
   personal worth is threatened – and lead to other
   problems such as avoidance of situations where
   failure, disapproval, etc. might occur; looking to
   other people for acceptance; and unassertive
   behaviour through fear of what others may think.
   Discomfort disturbance results from demands
   about others (e.g. ‘People must treat me right’)
   and about the world (e.g. ‘The circumstances under which I live must be the way I want’). Discomfort disturbance comes in two slightly different but related flavours:
   • Low frustration-tolerance (LFT) results from
   demands that frustration not happen, followed
   by catastrophising when it does. It is based on
   beliefs like: ‘The world owes me contentment
   and happiness;’ or: ‘Things should be as I
   want them to be, and I can’t stand it when
   they are not.’
   • Low discomfort-tolerance (LDT) arises from
   demands that one not experience emotional or
   physical discomfort, with catastrophising
   when discomfort does occur. It is based on beliefs like: ‘I should be able to feel happy all
   the time;’ ‘I must be able to feel comfortable