The embodied simulation account of cognition in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is built on a unique theory of cognitive vulnerability for emotional disorders that differentiates itself from other forms of cognitive behaviour therapy by several important features. In this article, we describe concepts from the embodied simulation framework on cognition with relevance to REBT and we argue that several distinctive features of REBT may benefit from clarification from an embodied perspective on the cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders. We present important embodied cognition concepts from the position of grounded cognition and conceptual-act theory of emotions and discuss their implications for the biological foundation of irrational beliefs, the identity position on psychological interactionism, and the centrality of irrational beliefs for disturbed emotions. Finally, we describe the embodied simulation concepts in relation to the cognitive model of emotional disturbance in REBT and conclude by pointing to general implications for the treatment.