Conditioned Reflex Therapy

Andrew Salter (May 9, 1914 – October 6, 1996) was the founder of conditioned reflex therapy, an early form of behaviour therapy which emphasized assertive and expressive behaviour as the way to combat the inhibitory personality traits which Salter believed were the underlying cause of most neuroses. In the 1940s, Salter introduced to American psychotherapy a Pavlovian model of hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis training.

"I have read [Salter’s work] with admiration and approval." - H.G. Wells (1943) "Most interesting and fundamentally sound." - Aldous Huxley (1943) "… a founder of behavior therapy … [Salter] helped develop the theoretical underpinnings and clinical applications of behavior therapy decades before the field became popular." - New York Times (1996) "A pioneering behavior therapist." - Albert Ellis, PhD; President, Albert Ellis Institute; Developer of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (2002) Praise for CRT "Andrew Salter blazed a trail into new territory, paving the way for what has become known as cognitive behavior therapy." - Arnold Lazerus, PhD, ABPP; Distinguished Professor of Psychology (Emeritus), Rutgers University; Past-President, Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (2002) "CRT remains decades ahead of the field. A half a century later, it is still an extraordinarily effective classic. The vision of Andrew Salter lives on." - Pat de Leon, PhD; Former President, American Psychological Association; former Chief of Staff, Senator Daniel Inouye (2002) "… [L]ively, literate, and sometimes puckishly provocative prose …. [A] vision and a set of techniques that have become … widely accepted and applied … effective for a wide variety of disorders…. Salter’s ongoing influence extends beyond behavior therapy and psychology generally." - Gerald Davison, PhD; Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California; Past-President, Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (2002) "… remarkably engaging, clinically astute, and of great practical value…. anticipated much of contemporary behavior therapy…. groundbreaking…. focused primarily on action in everyday life and expression of how one feels to achieve therapeutic change." - Alan Kazdin, PhD, ABPP; Sterling Professor of Psychology & Professor of Child Psychiatry (Emeritus), Yale University; former President, American Psychological Association; Past-President, Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (2018) "Salter … helped forge an important new path in psychological healing, and the procedures … in the book can now continue to help people for many years to come." - Francine Shapiro, PhD; Senior Research Fellow, Emeritus  Mental Research Institute; Originator of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy (2018) "… energy and boldness. …. direct, wise without being complex, and ready to take on the world…. [I]t lit the match that became behavior therapy …. Salter’s genius is his intuitive grasp of what moves human beings and his willingness to charge straight in that direction …. of more than historical interest … especially for beginning behavioral and cognitive therapists. " - Steven C. Hayes, PhD; Foundation Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno; Developer of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory (2018) "Much of the science and wisdom on which modern day, powerful … interventions are based comes from this book…. fascinating case studies described in lucid and vigorous prose … this timeless classic should be read by every therapist and most of their patients." - David H. Barlow Ph.D, ABPP; Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Emeritus; Founder, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University; Past-President, AABT