“No other individual—not even Freud himself—has had a greater impact on modern psychotherapy.” —Psychology Today All of us worry about something, big or small, every day. But much of the emotional misery we feel is an overreaction—and can be significantly reduced using the techniques in this book. World-renowned therapist Dr. Albert Ellis, who created Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), believed that anger, anxiety, and depression are not only unnecessary, they’re unethical, because when we allow ourselves to become emotionally upset, we’re being unfair and unjust to ourselves. Thinking negative thoughts is a choice we can refuse to make. Applying the proven, time-tested principles of REBT is a simple, logical way to find true mental health and happiness. REBT acknowledges the power of emotions, but it also helps us understand which feelings are healthy and which are not. This classic book teaches you how to: · Retrain your brain to focus on the positive and face obstacles without unnecessary despair · Control your emotional destiny · Refuse to upset yourself about upsetting yourself · Solve practical problems as well as emotional problems · Conquer the tyranny of “should,” and much more Get the tools you need to take back your life—and your happiness. If you can refuse to make yourself miserable, you’re that much closer to making yourself happy—every day. “Shows how to avoid the traps of self-harm and find mental health.” —Publishers Weekly

"... Dozens of real-life case examples, detailed descriptions of self-help action steps ... [to help] overcome anxiety, depression, rage, self-hate, or self pity ... "--Cover.

Examining the thinking of great religious teachers, philosophers, and psychologists, the founder of one of the world's most successful forms of therapy teaches readers how to accept themselves--and others--unconditionally.

Albert Ellis, the renowned creator of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy — Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) — offers this candid self-assessment, which reveals how he overcame his own mental and physical problems using the techniques of REBT. Part memoir and part self-help guide, this very personal story traces the private struggles that Ellis faced from early childhood to well into his adult life. Whether you are already familiar with Ellis's many best-selling psychology books or are discovering his work for the first time, you will gain many insights into how to deal with your problems by seeing how Ellis learned to cope with his own serious challenges.In his early life, Ellis was faced with a major physical disability, chronic nephritis, which plagued him from age five to nine and led to hospitalization. This experience then caused the emotional reaction of separation anxiety. At this time he also suffered from severe, migraine-like headaches, which persisted into his forties. Later in life, he realized that some of his emotional upset was the result of initially taking parental neglect too seriously. Active and energetic by nature, he gradually learned that the best way to cope with any problem, physical or emotional, was to stop "catastrophizing" and to do something to correct it.As Ellis points out in all of his work, when faced with adversity, we must realize that we have a real choice, either to think rationally about the problem or to react irrationally. The first choice leads to healthy consequences—normal emotions such as sorrow, regret, frustration, or annoyance, which are justifiable reactions to troubling situations. The second choice leads to the unhealthy consequences of anxiety, depression, rage, and low self-esteem. When we recognize irrational beliefs as such, we must then use our reason to dispute their validity. Ellis goes on to describe how these techniques helped him to cope with many other adult emotional problems, including failure in love affairs, shame, anger, distress over his parents' divorce, stress from others' reactions to his atheistic convictions, and upset due to his attitudes about academic and professional setbacks.Honest and unflinching yet always positive and forward-looking, Ellis demonstrates how to gain and grow from trying experiences through rational thinking.

Learn to stop letting people and situations upset you and start enjoying life in this classic self-help book by a respected pioneer of psychotherapy. Life can get tough. From unemployment—or overwork—to divorce or remarriage, the challenges of newly blended families, not to mention everyday hassles, stress can feel non-stop. To top it off, technology confronts us with a barrage of seemingly urgent tasks 24/7. It’s no wonder things and people can make you lose your cool. In this landmark book you’ll find a very specific, powerful skill set designed to help you keep any scenario from pushing your buttons—and it works. Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), created by world-renowned therapist Dr. Albert Ellis, provides you with realistic, simple, proven techniques that will significantly reduce your stress levels and help you react effectively, whether the circumstances are professional or personal. Discover: • Ten beliefs we use to let people and situations needlessly push our buttons • A powerful alternative to the kind of thinking that upsets us • The Fatal Foursome—feelings that sabotage you • How to change your irrational thinking using four key steps Whether you’re dealing with colleagues, parents, kids, friends, or lovers, How to Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons will show you how to enjoy an active, vibrant, successful life. “No individual—not even Freud himself—has had a greater impact on modern psychotherapy.” —Psychology Today Praise for How to Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons “Don’t get mad or get even—get placid using these techniques for defusing difficult situations.” —Booklist

Learn to manage your anxiety with this classic self-help book from a respected pioneer of psychotherapy. From social anxiety to phobias to post-traumatic stress disorder, sources of anxiety in daily life are numerous, and can have a powerful impact on your future. By following the rules of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), created by world renowned therapist Dr. Albert Ellis, you can stop anxiety in its tracks if you will admit this important fact: Things and people do not make you anxious. You do. Your unrealistic expectations produce your needless anxiety. Yet not all anxiety is needless . . . Healthy anxiety can ward off dangers and make you aware of negative things that you can change. Unhealthy anxiety inhibits you from enjoying everyday activities and relationships, causes you to perform poorly, and blocks your creativity. Using the easy-to-master, proven precepts of REBT, this classic book not only helps you distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anxiety, but teaches you how to: • Understand and dispute the irrational beliefs that make you anxious • Use a variety of exercises, including rational coping self-statements, reframing, problem-solving methods, and Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA), to control your anxiety • Apply over two hundred maxims to control your anxious thinking as well as your bodily reactions to anxiety . . . and much more, including examples from dozens of cases Dr. Ellis treated successfully. Now you can overcome the crippling effects of anxiety—and increase your prospects for success, pleasure, and happiness at home and in the workplace. “No individual—not even Freud himself—has had a greater impact on modern psychotherapy.” —Psychology Today