1st Edition
A Cross-Cultural Redefinition of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy From the West to the Middle East
This unique volume integrates history, mythology/folklore, and theory and research to bridge the gap between Western and Middle Eastern approaches to and understanding of psychotherapy, particularly Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
Part I lays the foundation with an overview of the theoretical essentials of REBT and CBT in the West, the goals and assumptions of REBT and CBT in the Middle East, and what Middle Eastern clients understand about cognitive distortions, irrational beliefs, and emotions. In Part II, chapters delve more deeply into how psychology is placed in the context of Middle Eastern folklore. The author provides a summary of the history of psychology in the Middle East; an analysis of the relevance of Sufism to self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and life acceptance; and an evaluation of the use of metaphor in psychotherapy from the Middle Eastern perspective. Finally, the author provides case studies that show how these concepts are applied in practice.
This text is ideal reading for researchers and clinicians who study Middle Eastern psychology and who work with Middle Eastern clients, as well as for Middle Eastern psychologists and clients.
Preface Introduction PART 1: Western Theory 1. What is This Book For? 2. The Essentials of RE & CBT 3. The Bs of the ABC Model 4. The Goals of Therapy 5. What the Theory Says, What the Culture Understands PART 2: Eastern Sources 6. A Brief History of Psychology in the Middle East 7. Unconditional Acceptance and Sufism 8. Middle Eastern Metaphors 9. Middle Eastern Idioms, Proverbs & Folk Sayings 10. Session Structures and Examples
Biography
Murat Artiran, PhD, is a psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, director of the Albert Ellis Institute Affiliated Training Center in Turkey, and a certified CBT and REBT supervisor. He has translated three books on clinical psychology, REBT, and emotional regulation and has published six peer-reviewed articles on REBT & CBT and Self-Determination Theory.
"Nasreddin would have loved this book! So few people have the experience or dare to tackle such a complex subject. Slowly, we may learn how to integrate Western psychotherapeutic ideas with those from the Middle East. This book will help. It is thought-provoking and of immense value, especially for those who are unfamiliar with Rumi and the other great thinkers from that area."
F. Michler Bishop, PhD, director of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Service, The Albert Ellis Institute, author of Managing Addictions: Cognitive, Emotive and Behavioral Techniques"Many psychologists today acknowledge that we must study all people across the globe. However, few books integrate the principles of REBT and CBT with the cultural attitudes of a specific region as does this book. Dr. Artıran has done an excellent job showing how the tenets of RE&CBT can be enhanced by incorporating the philosophies of the Middle East.□He offers sound advice to help psychotherapists work with clients. This book is theoretically and philosophically exciting and is filled with effective clinical strategies to reduce human suffering."
Raymond DiGiuseppe, PhD, ABPP, professor of psychology, St. John’s University, director of Professional Education at The Albert Ellis Institute, coauthor of the Practitioners’ Guide to Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, past president of the Association for Behavioral and Costive Therapies"This timely and artfully crafted volume by Dr. Artiran offers mental health practitioners from all over the world essential insights on how to provide culturally informed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to clients from the Middle East. Chapters that address the use of metaphors and stories emanating from the Middle East in addressing essential themes of REBT are of particular use to the practicing clinician. This is essential reading in multicultural competence within the professions of counseling and psychotherapy."
John Viterito, LPC, diplomate in Rational Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Albert Ellis Institute, New York City
