Why Some Therapies Don't Work: The Dangers of Transpersonal Psychology

Albert Ellis, Raymond J. Yeager

Prometheus Books, 1989 - Medical - 189 pages

Joined by his colleague Raymond J. Yeager, renowned therapist Albert Ellis explains the revolutionary technique of rational-emotive therapy (RET) and contrasts it with transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy in a devastating analysis of cult therapy.

Contrasting the theories, methods, and results of transpersonal psychotherapy with the more sensible and effective RET approach, Ellis and Yeager explain the goals of psychotherapy in terms of human well-being, showing how transpersonal psychology can actually increase a person's frustration, intensify neurotic defenses, and impede the development of a healthy self-image.

A tremendous amount of research supports the effectiveness of RET and its related forms of treatment. The cognitive-therapy revolution, with its realistic approach to life problems, is gaining momentum both inside clinical practice and among the general population. In Why Some Therapies Don't Work, Ellis and Yeager emphasize the inherent dangers of the transpersonal phenomenon, in whatever form it might take. By comparing and contrasting RET and transpersonalism, they provide professionals with a valuable resource while offering general readers a functional and clearly written self-help guide.

Contents

• What Is Transpersonal Psychology: 7
• What Is RationalEmotive Therapy?: 17
• The Goals of Psychotherapy: 23

About the author

Albert Ellis was a clinical psychologist and a marriage counselor. He was born on September 27, 1913 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ellis originated the rational-emotive therapy movement, which ignores Freudian theories and advocates the belief that emotions come from conscious thought "as well as internalized ideas of which the individual may be unaware." At first, Ellis' books on marital romance and sexuality were criticized by some as being radical and sensational; however, few realized that Ellis was merely laying the groundwork for modern sex education. Ellis was educated at the City College of New York Downtown and at Columbia University, where he received a Ph.D. in psychology in 1943. He taught for a number of years at Rutgers University, New Jersey, and the Union Graduate School. He was executive director of the Institute for Rational Living, Inc., in New York City. Ellis was the author of Sex and the Liberated Man, Sex Without Guilt, and Sex Without Guilt in the Twenty-First Century. Despite his health issues, Ellis never stopped working with the assistance of his wife, Australian psychologist Debbie Joffe Ellis. In April 2006, Ellis was hospitalized with pneumonia, and had to stay in either the hospital or the rehabilitation facility. He eventually returned to his home --- the top floor of the Albert Ellis Institute. He died there on July 24, 2007 in his wife's arms. Ellis had authored and co-authored more than 80 books and 1200 articles during his lifetime. He was 93 when he died.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Why Some Therapies Don't Work: The Dangers of Transpersonal Psychology; G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series; Psychology Series - Prometheus Books; Psychology series
• Authors: Albert Ellis, Raymond J. Yeager
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Prometheus Books, 1989
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Aug 8, 2008
• ISBN: 0879754710, 9780879754716
• Length: 189 pages
• Subjects: Medical / Psychiatry / General; Psychology / General; Psychology / Psychotherapy / General