REBT/Helpful Therapy for Aspergers

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_e ... or_therapy



The above link is for anyone seeking treatment for AS co-morbids,anxiety and depression.

I feel I wasted a lot of time in "traditional" therapy that focused on negative experiences in childhood.The therapist appeared to have a belief that all my difficulties in my life were caused by being "warped" by childhood traumas.Although I had some life experiences that seemed to validify their beliefs.....I was given up by my bio family at 2,spent time in a foster home where the parents were alcoholic and abusive to each other and not very nice to me then shutteled from there back to foster home to be eventually adopted by a family that I never felt liked me.However,after going over and over these experiences,I didnt "get better",so they then claimed that I had been sexually abused and repressed it,(this was in the early 80's and sort of a fad at the time).

At 26,I met a therapist in CD treatment who was "eclectic" but whose main approach was REBT(ration emotive behavior therapy).I think that the "inventor" of this school pf psychology/philosophy has a very "aspie friendly" approach.He respects logic and analytical approach to emotion.People with AS have a tendency to be "black and white thinkers" when it comes to emotion.He specifically addresses this,though AS was not a DX at the time(1950's),he saw this charactoristics in all people as being distructive as it counters logic.

Other aspects of this therapy that I like....

It reminds me of Spock,not Fruede.
The use of logic over blind emotion is incouraged
It has an existential and Buddhist "element"
It incourages humor at life, at yourself,at humanity in general by useing "absurdist extremes".
It coined the term...."awfulizing"



So,I want to incourage anyone interested in seeking treatment for some of the anxiety and depression of AS to consider looking into this school of thought.They dont spend all the time digging into your traumatic past because they dont find it productive to focus your energy on defining yourself as a victem.I didnt have an AS DX when I went into therapy but I dont think they would think you need to "cure AS",just the irrational thought habits that make people miserable.

Any thoughts?

I think it is good but modern objective CBT is better imo. Though, I think you sometimes need something like psychodynamic as well because you can't do the CBT without a. motivation and b. clearly defined problems.

But you are completely right. As it happens I can’t actually remember my childhood so going back was not an option. You don’t need to, many experts now say it can be more harmful. However CBT does not exclude this possibility, I know with my friend reassessing one particular event really helped.

"Awfulisation" is indeed a great word - as is "musturbation".

[rest of comment deleted as a snap judgement which I now see was unfair]

I have tried group DBT before which was of absolutely no help and I didn't understand half of it. But REBT sounds quite good. Not that I am looking into going to therapy again, therapists annoy me with all of their question asking