Quote:
Originally Posted by Daisymay
My long term T (the one I had many a problem with - but over it now!) was trained in REBT. She specialised mainly in treating people who had OCD. I did not have OCD. When she applied her method to me I often did feel very invalidated and criticised just for having feelings. It might have just been me and my experience of REBT, but it was pretty awful and, for me personally, very unhelpful.
I see it as a reasonable way to deal with everyday non-urgent worries - but I wonder if some T's think they can apply it where it's not appropriate (effects of trauma for example). That's when it's not the right thing.
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No, you weren't the only one - my first therapist was in REBT and I felt the same way you did about this person - he was confrontational, critical, shaming, and aggressive. This was for OCD too and over 20 years ago. Perhaps it's softened up a great deal in 2 decades in a lot of practice but I still see in the way the the Ellis Institute demonstrates it that it is still full of fire and brimstone and judgment etc. I see if having practical purpose but not when it is applied as you stated and as I experienced it. Yes, not appropriate at times when it is used as well. Are there many others like you and I out there? As case studies released by the Ellis Institute don't show any dropouts or people who burn out or leave right away when therapy starts due to it being too grating on them emotionally. All success stories - probably normal for any practice anyway so it's hard to tell at all if there have been just as many turned away from this kind of treatment than treated for it. But nobody shows the negative side of their practice results. Only positive. Seems biased.