Dealing with Emotional Problems Using Rational-Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Client's Guide

201 Pages·2011·0.88 MB·English

by  Windy Dryden

Dealing with Dealing with Emotional Problems offers clear,
practicaladviceonhowtodealwithsomeofthe
Emotional mostcommonemotionaldifficulties.
RECBT is a technique that encourages a direct
Problems Using
focus on emotional problems, helping you to
understandthethoughts,beliefsandbehaviours
Rational- thatcauseyoutomaintaintheseproblems.This
understanding will enable you to overcome
problemsandleadahappierandmorefulfilling
Emotive
life.
Cognitive The book begins by outlining foundations of
emotional problems. Each problem is then
presented in a similar way allowing the reader
Behaviour
to compare and contrast similarities and
differences between each emotion, and how to
Therapy: A
copewithit.Thisbookcovers:
Client’s Guide anxiety
depression
guilt
shame
hurt
unhealthyanger
unhealthyjealousy
unhealthyenvy.
Dealing with Emotional Problems Using Rational-
Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Client’s
Guide can be used on your own or in con-
junction with a therapist who can use the
Practitioner’sGuide.
Windy Dryden is Professor of Psychothera-
peutic Studies at Goldsmiths, University of
London.

Dealing with
Emotional
Problems Using
Rational-
Emotive
Cognitive
Behaviour
Therapy A Client’s Guide
WINDY DRYDEN
Firstpublished2012byRoutledge
27ChurchRoad,Hove,EastSussexBN32FA
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
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(cid:216)2012WindyDryden
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
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Dryden, Windy.
Dealingwithemotionalproblemsusingrational-emotivecognitive-
behaviourtherapy:aclient’sguide/WindyDryden.
p.;cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-415-58686-3(hardback)ISBN978-0-415-58687-0(paperback)
1.Rationalemotivebehaviortherapy.2.Cognitivetherapy.3.
Psychotherapy,Rational-Emotive. I.Title.
RC489.R3D78632012
616.89'1425–dc23
2011013055
ISBN:978-0-415-58686-3(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-415-58687-0(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-15764-0(ebk)
TypesetinStoneSerifbyGarfieldMorgan,Swansea,WestGlamorgan
PaperbackcoverdesignbyAndrewWard
PrintedbyTJInternationalLtd,Padstow,Cornwall
Contents
Preface vi
1 Emotional problems: foundations and healthy alternatives 1
2 Dealing with anxiety 17
3 Dealing with depression 37
4 Dealing with guilt 57
5 Dealing with shame 74
6 Dealing with hurt 92
7 Dealing with unhealthy anger 108
8 Dealing with unhealthy jealousy 128
9 Dealing with unhealthy envy 146
References 165
Appendix 1 166
Appendix 2 171
Appendix 3 173
Appendix 4 175
Appendix 5 177
Appendix 6 179
Index 181
Preface
In this book, I am going to deal with the eight emotional problems that
people routinely seek help for and how you can deal with them. I wanted
to discuss all eight problems in one volume, since many of you will
experience more than one such emotional problem during your lives.
I begin the book by outlining the foundations of the emotional prob-
lems. I then devote one chapter to each of the eight emotional problems
and use a similar structure in each chapter. Thus, I start by helping you to
understand the emotional problem in question, discuss what you disturb
yourself about when you experience the emotion, and outline what
largely determines the emotion and how you tend to act and think when
you experience it. Then, I discuss how you can deal with the emotional
problem in question. I will help you to identify the themes in the
emotion, and your behaviour and thinking when you experience it,
before encouraging you to set appropriate emotional, behavioural and
thinkinggoals.Then,Iwillhelpyoutoidentify,challengeandchangethe
rigid and extreme beliefs that account for your emotional problem and to
develop the flexible and non-extreme beliefs that will enable you to
achieve your goals. Next, I show you what you need to do to strengthen
your conviction in your rational beliefs so that you become less prone to
your emotional problem. I then deal with a number of additional issues
relevant to the emotional problem in question, before finally outlining a
number of world views that underpin the emotional problem and its
healthy alternative.
The common chapter structure that I employ in Chapters 2–9 is to
ensure that all relevant issues are discussed for each emotional problem.
As I said at the outset, it is unlikely that you will be prone to all eight
emotional problems, but you may be prone to two or three. The view of
emotional problems that I am taking in this book states that while there
are common features among the eight emotions, there are also features
that are distinctive to each emotion. This is reflected in Chapters 2–9 and
you will need to bear this point in mind when you read these chapters or
a selection of them.
Preface vii
Youcanusethisguideonitsownorinconjunctionwiththerapy.Ifyou
have a therapist, I have written a Practitioner’s Guide companion volume
to help your therapist help you to get the most out of this book.
Windy Dryden
London and Eastbourne

1
Emotional problems: foundations and
healthy alternatives
In this book, I am going to discuss some common emotional problems and
show you how to deal with them. The book is structured as a workbook so
that you can implement the skills that I teach you in a step-by-step manner.
Inthisopeningchapter,Iamgoingto coversomeimportantmaterialthat
I regard as foundations to your understanding of the eight emotional
problems that I discuss in this book and their healthy alternatives.
WHAT ARE THE EIGHT EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS?
I have been practising in the field of counselling and psychotherapy since
1975 and have worked in a variety of different settings. In that time, I have
seen many people suffering from one or more of the eight emotional
problems that I cover in this book. They are:
anxiety
depression
guilt
shame
hurt
unhealthy anger
unhealthy jealousy
unhealthy envy.
You will note that I have put the adjective ‘unhealthy’ in front of anger,
jealousy and envy. I have done this to distinguish the unhealthy version of
the emotion with its healthy version. I will discuss healthy alternatives to
the eight emotional problems in the next section.