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.