Use Of Rational Emotive Imagery ( Rei )

Emotion focused therapy (EFT) uses multiple techniques to illicit emotional reconstruction. “By bringing awareness, regulation, reflection and transformation” (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014, p. 160) to the forefront, the client, has the ability to focus on those emotions and recognize the maladaptive strategies used to alleviate these responses. Within EFT validation is key in promoting congruence, positive regard and empathy. “Validation is the processes of letting the [client] know that the therapist views their needs and reactions as understandable, valid, and normal” (Denton, Johnson, & Burleson, 2009). By allowing the client to lead the session and reflecting the client’s emotions back to her you reinforced to the client that it was safe

Within this model the counselor can employ a wide range of techniques to achieve the behavioural objectives agreed, these include - challenging irrational beliefs, rehearsing different self statements, experimentation of self statements in real situations and systematic desensitization (Mcleod 2008). Behavioural therapist work on changing behaviour and it’s assumed that changes in feeling and thinking will follow.

     One type of therapy used is psychotherapy, which “should focus on helping the individual understand the nature and consequences of his disorder so he can be helped to control his behavior” (Black, 2000). Another type of therapy used is cognitive therapy,

The intervention model that will be used for therapy session is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). According to Rabinowitz and Cochran (2002), “CBT is a psychotherapeutic approach that addresses dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and cognitive processes and

Shame is rarely—if ever—the presenting problem for clients entering therapy. It is, however, frequently a complication that occurs alongside the presenting problem. Because shame is almost never the only problem, it is important that therapists know how to work with it in the context of other problems; therapists need a way of dealing with their clients’ shame and addressing related disorders at the same time. They must be able to find ways to decrease the immediate negative reactions of shame during therapy. Such reactions of shame include wanting to run away, hide, or withdraw (Fable, 1999), which may defeat therapy before it begins.

Discuss the use of imagery in two stories of your choice. How do the various images work in a particular story to bring its subject matter into focus? Is there a central image? And how does this enhance or confuse or complicate the effect of the story?

It is, however, frequently a complication that occurs alongside the presenting problem. Because shame is almost never the only problem, it is important that therapists know how to work with it in the context of other problems; therapists need a way of dealing with their clients’ shame and addressing related disorders at the same time. They must be able to find ways to decrease the immediate negative reactions of shame during therapy. Such reactions of shame include wanting to run away, hide, or withdraw (Fable, 1999), which may defeat therapy before it begins.

Finally, therapist may be reinforced for iatrogenic treatment, where they reward clients for ineffective treatment strategies and punish them for effective treatment strategies. To address these difficulties, Linehan developed several modifications which formed the basis of DBT. (Dimeff & Linehan, Dialectical behavior therapy in a nutshell, 2001)

Symbolic imagery is intended to use descriptive language to express an abstract idea in concrete form. Light and dark imagery creates a visual interpretation that contrasts a positive and a negative concept. The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand and the short film “More” by Mark Osborne both contain symbolism in the form of black and white imagery. In Anthem, it is shown through Equality’s invention of electricity and the council of scholars rejection of it and in “More”, it is portrayed by the bland everyday world compared to the exciting and colorful world through bliss goggles.

In the cognitive behaviour approach to counselling the use of potential outcomes of cognitive behaviour therapy, looking at the fact that there are emotional disorders that result from negative thoughts and thinking on unrealistic terms, and this in time can be altered by changing the unrealistic terms and negative thoughts to positive thoughts and realistic ideas. Rational emotional therapy is there to assist the client to make enlightened changes to themselves. In 1962 Ellis stated that “ human thinking and emotions are, in some of their essences, the same thing, and that by changing the former one does change the latter ( Dryden 2001). This would let the client to give up the demands of their own psyche, others and the world, and change it to suit their choices and to allow themselves to accept themselves for who they really are. If the counsellor can get the client to do this, they can experience healthy negative emotions such as sadness, concern and disappointment, while still retaining their desires, wishes and needs. The client will rarely experience unhealthy

In the chapter reading, what stood out for me was that of “deconditioning feared thoughts” as a means of providing a kind of self-support to exploring different ways of facing life challenges. Having the client talk about their fears little by little and trying to make sense of why they are not important, helping to make them more manageable. They become less important and soon dissipate. I appreciated the mention of “reinforcing thinking” and using evocatively empathic therapy to do so. Encouraging the client towards independent problem solving by the therapist paves the way for fighting fears and healthier thinking.

The key concepts of behavior therapy are that it “is grounded on a scientific view of human behavior that accommodates a systematic and structured approach to counseling” (Corey, 2013, p. 250). The attention is focused on the behavior of the person. Behavior therapy is about giving control to the client to expand their freedom. “People have the capacity to choose how they will respond to external events in their environment” (Corey, 2013, p. 250).

‘Clients often are able to provide a theory or an idea of cause, blaming past experiences for behaviors of which they are ashamed. The therapist listens to their explanations however are concerned more with their willingness to accept responsibility for their future behavior and the achievement for their attainable goals’ (Milner & O Byrne, P162). Furthermore, by ‘Acknowledging the clients paradoxical strategies have the effect of empowering clients of their perfectly valid cautious, more fearful concerns about change and leaving them to operate out of their arguments as to why change should be attempted’ (Cade, B. p156).

A major focus will be on the rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), while incorporating other behavioral and cognitive techniques relevant in supporting Jane (Corey, 2005) A cognitive counsellor would facilitate a guided discovery and Socratic dialogue to gather information about past events (Weiten et al., 2009). Therefore, signaling evidence of potential cognitive distortions Jane has learnt and integrated that may have established rigid and unrealistic thoughts patterns. Hence, the goal is to replace these distortions with constructive automatic thoughts and core schemas by obtaining new ways to think and behave (Weiten et al., 2009). A counsellor would help Jane to identify cognitive distortions that contribute to behavioral problems and

The father of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is Albert Ellis. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1913, New York became Dr. Ellis’ home since his family move there when he was four years old. Ellis struggled with health problems and physical ailments from childhood until his death in 2007. As a child, Ellis survived on his own as his parents were absent. His father was a traveling business person and his mother was emotionally absent (Albert Ellis Institute, 2012). The foundation of REBT developed when a youthful Ellis utilized a philosophy of viewing life to deal with his physical and family issues (Corey, 2013).