Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1957) is a psychotherapeutic approach receiving increasing interest within sport. REBT is focused on identifying, disputing, and replacing irrational beliefs (IBs) with rational beliefs (RBs) to promote emotional well-being and goal achievement. This study provides a detailed case outlining the application and effect of seven one-to-one REBT sessions with an elite level archer who was experiencing performance-related anxiety, before and during competition. The case also offers an insight into common misconceptions, challenges, and guidance for those who may consider applying REBT within their practice. Data revealed meaningful short and long-term (6-months) reductions in IBs and improvements in RBs, self-efficacy, perception of control and archery performance. The case supports the effective application of REBT as an intervention with athletic performers, promoting lasting changes in an athlete’s ability to manage their cognitions, emotions and behaviors in the pursuit of performance excellence.

Traditionally a psychotherapeutic intervention, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is receiving increasing attention within the extant literature as an intervention to enhance the athletic performance and psychological well-being of competitive athletes. Whilst the benefits of REBT on psychological health are established, less is understood about the effects on athletic performance. This study aimed to examine the immediate and maintained effects of REBT on physiological, psychological, and performance outcomes with elite Paralympic athletes. Using a singlecase research design, eight athletes recruited from the same Paralympic sport (M=40.12, SD=12.99) received five, one-to-one REBT sessions. Measures of irrational beliefs were collected weekly, whereas the remaining psychological and physiological measures were collected at a pre-, post-, and at a 9-month follow-up time point. Visual and statistical analyzes of the data indicates reductions in irrational beliefs were coupled with reductions in systolic blood pressure indicative of an adaptive physiological response, improved athletic performance during competition simulations, and reductions in avoidance goals. Furthermore, social validation data indicated greater self-awareness, emotional control, and enhanced focus during competition as a result of the REBT intervention. This study contributes to growing literature supporting the efficacy of REBT as an intervention that not only facilitates psychological health but also enhances athletic performance. Results are discussed with reference to theory, limitations, and future recommendations. K E Y W O R D Selite sport, emotion, irrational beliefs, paralympic athletes, physiology, single-case design, stress | INTRODUCTIONRational emotive behavior therapy (REBT 1 ) is a psychotherapeutic approach that promotes psychological health. In REBT, irrational beliefs about adversity (eg, failure, rejection, and ill-treatment) lead to unhealthy negative emotions (eg, anxiety, depression, and guilt) and dysfunctional behaviors, whereas rational beliefs about adversity lead to healthy negative emotions (eg, concern, sadness, and remorse) and functional behaviors. Irrational beliefs and rational beliefs each consist of four core beliefs comprising of one primary and three secondary beliefs. 2 The primary core irrational belief is a rigid and extreme demand followed by three secondary beliefs of awfulizing, discomfort intolerance, and self/ other/life-depreciation. Irrational beliefs are characterized as dogmatic, rigid, inconsistent with social reality, and hinder long-term goal attainment. In contrast, the primary core rational belief is a flexible and a non-extreme preference followed by three secondary beliefs of anti-awfulizing, discomfort tolerance, and self/other/life acceptance. Rational beliefs are characterized as flexible, functional, consistent with social reality, and help long-term goal attainment.3

The ability to regulate emotions is important for human function and health. That emotion regulation can be achieved through cognitive change is predicated on the notion of cognitive mediation. However, the extent to which individuals believe that their emotions are cognitively mediated (C-M), or in contrast, that their emotions occur via stimulusresponse (S-R), is underexplored, and whether C-M and S-R beliefs shape emotion reactivity is not yet known. Research that addresses these empirical needs could inform emotion regulation interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs). The current paper reports the development and initial validity testing of the cognitive mediation beliefs questionnaire (CMBQ). Five studies report the factor structure, the construct and criterion validity, and the test-retest reliability of the CMBQ. The CMBQ was found to have a correlated two-factor structure (C-M change beliefs, and S-R generation beliefs). Higher C-M change beliefs and lower S-R generation beliefs were related to greater emotion regulation, greater thought control ability, higher positive mental health, and lower emotion reactivity. The CMBQ also demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability. Initial testing indicates that the CMBQ is a valid and reliable questionnaire for psychometric use in adult populations, including those with a diagnosed mental health condition.

The investigation of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) in sport settings is growing, but controlled experimental field studies are sparse. In the limited extant literature, researchers have found that irrational (extreme, rigid, and illogical) self-talk leads to disrupted motor skill performance, compared to rational (non-extreme, flexible, and logical) self-talk. However, methodological limitations of past research and the absence of sport-relevant tasks limit the application of findings to athletic settings. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of rational and irrational self-talk on the pressured putting performance of amateur golfers, by adopting a controlled and field-based experimental study design. A two-way repeated-measures ANCOVA, controlling for baseline putting ability, revealed that golfers' putting accuracy was significantly better when using rational self-talk than when using irrational self-talk. In addition, one-samples and paired-samples t-tests showed that golfers reported that rational self-talk was more usable than the irrational self-talk, and perceived the rational self-talk to be more facilitative than the irrational self-talk for their putting performance. The results are discussed with reference to potential explanatory mechanisms, study limitations, and future research needs.

Highlights• Used an idiographic staggered multiple-baseline across participants design • Rational self-talk used as part of the intervention • REBT increased self-determined motivation of the athletes • REBT increased self-efficacy motivation of the athletes