All Out! An Autobiography

by Albert Ellis, Debbie Joffe Ellis (Editor)

This candid autobiography, the last work by renowned psychologist Albert Ellis, is a tour de force of stimulating ideas, colorful descriptions of memorable people and events, and straightforward, no-nonsense talk. Ellis, the creator of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy―Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)―recounts the memorable episodes of his life; discusses how he coped with emotional problems at different stages of life; describes his love life; and subjects his own self-description to a ruthlessly honest critique. The heart of Ellis's book is his analysis of the psychological leitmotifs that have appeared again and again throughout his life. He describes the aim of this autobiography as "As far as I can, I shall present my bad and good, stupid and intelligent, weak and strong points. Why? Because, following H. G. Wells's recommendation, I want to go as all-out as I can. I want to acknowledge my idiocies―and use REBT to feel sorry about but unashamed of them. I want to make the point―again a central tenet of REBT―that all humans are fabulously fallible―including, of course, me. We have no real choice about this, but we can unconditionally accept ourselves―our so-called essence or being―with our fallibility. That will momentously help us, probably encourage us to acquire unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and possibly inspire other people to give it to themselves, too." With a concluding chapter by Ellis's widow, Debbie Joffe Ellis, describing the final years of his life, this is the definitive summation of the life and work of one of psychology's most successful thinkers and practitioners.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Biography

668 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Albert Ellis was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded and was the President of the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute for decades.
He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and the founder of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Based on a 1982 professional survey of USA and Canadian psychologists, he was considered as the second most influential psychotherapist in history (Carl Rogers ranked first in the survey; Sigmund Freud was ranked third).

Reviews

[Jeffrey Guterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first met Albert Ellis in 1986 when I came to see him for personal psychotherapy. At the time I was a Master's level counselor and a practitioner of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). My relationship evolved with Ellis through the years. He was my supervisor, then a colleague when we debated in print and at workshops, and I always considered him my friend. Although I moved away from REBT and adopted a solution-focused approach starting in the 1990s after I received by Ph.D., I always had a soft spot for REBT. In fact, I consider myself a recovering REBT therapist because I still have occasional relapses when I sneak in Ellis's techniques. So, I looked forward to reading "All Out," Ellis's long-awaited autobiography.


Jeffrey T. Guterman (left) and Albert Ellis, Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy (later called the Albert Ellis Institute), New York City, 1991.

I strongly recommend "All Out" for experienced REBT therapists, clinicians who are new to the model, and general consumers. Ellis uses his own techniques to shamelessly disclose some of his own immoral behaviors, including teenage frotteurism and fathering three illegitimate children. The book includes many photos from Ellis's life that have never before been published. In addition, readers will gain a unique understanding of the theory and practice of REBT through Ellis's personal narrative.

I must admit that I was surprised to read and learn about some of Ellis's behavior, especially how he fathered three illegitimate children with a married woman while the woman's husband had no clue. I prefer not to explicate the details because they are quite involved and, anyway, I prefer to leave it a mystery for you. After reading the book, I felt more than disappointed in Ellis, who was my first mentor. But I quickly used the REBT on myself to dispute the irrational belief that Ellis should not have done such acts and that he was a bad person for doing them. I also gave up the idea that people, especially people whom I admire and respect, absolutely must live up to my expectations. Too bad! That's not the way the world is. I then felt sorry and disappointed in some of Ellis's behavior, but not him as a total human being. I could almost hear the late, great Albert Ellis say to me, "That's rational!"

[Iain · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is utterly dreadful, despite my having anticipated its publication I struggled to finish it. I could barely find a convincing emotion in the entire book.

Recalling a scene at nursery school and how he dealt with the perceived indifference of his peers,Ellis claims to have invented his REBT in infancy! He disputes their indifference and its awfulness, telling himself he can stand it. Absolute rubbish. Ellis would have called such claims out, had others made them, as bullshit.

There is barely a negative emotion, it's all rationalised/disputed away. How very tidy and convenient- and unrealistic. Freud got a lot wrong, but rightly argued repression doesn't work.

Any empathic person concerned with applying therapeutic systems to alleviate distress and improve lives ought to exercise a great deal of scepticism about the entire CBT rubric. The level of discounting necessary to disregard whole tracts of human experience (emotions) ought to set warning flags flying.

Imploring others to forget their "godawful past", rather than working through their experiences is terrible advice that could do immense harm. Maybe Ellis was Schizoid and the system he developed (in adulthood and over many years, not as an infant as he claims in the book) worked for him. Like Freud, Rogers and Perls etc, he developed a system that was initially intended to lay to rest his own demons.

I have come to disbelieve a number of claims Ellis made such as the famous one about asking out dozens of women and it not bothering him that they all refused, except one who didn't show up. Anyone would have feelings about such experiences and it would be normal and natural to do so. More to the point, it would be disavantageous not to experience, acknowledge and work through such feelings.

Feelings aren't tidy things one can conveniently shut away and forget about as Ellis tried to do and encouraged others to do. His entire therapeutic system (and CBT taken as a whole) seems to be built on the desire to avoid inconvenient feelings and have people merely functioning as automatons rather than rounded and emotionally intelligent human beings.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book giving an insight into an incredibly high achiever.

Albert Ellis set up his own institute, did individual and group counselling sessions developed his own system for treatment and wrote countless books and articles as well as writing the odd song.

The book is a very candid account of his life and includes his parents material affair's, his numerous affairs, 3 marriages and how he secretly fathered 3 children with an ex-wife and passed them off as her new husbands.

Albert Ellis originally used REBT on himself without realising. He was constantly trying to avoid irrational behaviour.

Where he had anxiety about public speaking he made himself speak and continue doing so until the fear was gone.

For his social anxiety he forced himself to speak to 130 women in the NY botanical gardens and this eliminated his anxiety and improved his confidence.

His later years were marred by health issues and betrayal by the trustee's of the Albert Ellis Institute who now promote a watered down version of REBT and even made Albert Ellis remove his own name from his own website.

I would recommend this for anyone with an interest in Albert Ellis but it really doesn't go in to huge detail about REBT, he has written many other books focused on that.