[DISCLAIMER] When recently discussing electronic dance music (EDM) with client X, I employed the psychotherapeutic technique of professional use of self by briefly mentioning my former hobby as a DJ and period of time in my life when I attended nightclubs, festivals, and raves. As client X is also a fan of EDM, I said, “Back in my day,” at the risk of sounding like an old fogy, “we understood that it was called ‘electronic dance music’ for a reason, not ESM—electronic sta

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Debbie Yang, I heard her spin the track “Sandstorm (Hypertrance Mix)” (2026) by Skytech. It’s a remix of the certified platinum song “Sandstorm”, by DJ and record producer Darude, from the album Before the Storm (2000). Back when I would DJ or dance my nights away in South America, Darude’s song was virtually inescapable anywhere that EDM was featured. For clarity, a sandstorm is a windstorm, as in a

[DISCLAIMER] Earlier, when listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Yamatomaya, I heard her spin the track “Pegasus” (2023), by Meduza and Eli & Fur. The lyrics include: I wish I knew then what I know now And are we ever gonna get to higher ground? I wish I knew then what I know now And are we ever gonna get to higher ground? For context, the American Psychological Association defines a wish as “in classical psychoanalytic theory, the psychological manifes

[DISCLAIMER] In childhood, my artistic skills were relatively good. For those who knew me when I used to draw – as I won art contests, surpassed the talents of other children through junior high school, and received many accolades – I was largely considered the best in my class at drawing. Not uncommonly, my older sister used to playfully tease me for the manner by which I stuck out my tongue slightly when fully concentrating on art projects. Then, self-aware of my behavi

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Sara Collado, I heard her spin the track “Sleepy (DP-6 Dub)” (2025) by PTTY, LR, and DP-6. In the version spun by Collado, a woman’s voice can be heard saying “disconnected.” This reminds me of a personal anecdote. Given my appeal to rigor when attending graduate schools for counseling (2009-2011) and social work (2012-2014), as I maintain that the words people use matter, I was generally disconnecte

[DISCLAIMER] I recall that in childhood, when cleaning our house, my mom would play the album I Feel for You (1984), the fifth solo studio release by R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan. I liked the song “I Feel for You”, which featured rapper Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Fusing R&B, funk, and hip hop, the track was a fitting selection for breakdancing at outdoor urban settings, as well as within clubs—regarding which I was too young to attend. In any e

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] When involved in the last intimate partner relationship that I care to entertain, the woman to whom I referred as “my girlfriend” (“Marisela”) taught me a lesson on ownership (the state, relation, or fact of being an owner—a person who owns [to have or hold as property] something). “I don’t belong to you,” Marisela frankly told me. “Suppose we one day marry,” I retorted, “would you then be my wife, my partner, or not mine at all?” Marisela responded, “We’d be

[DISCLAIMER] A little over a decade before I began my career as a professional provider of care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), with a primary focus on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I served in the military as a Marine Security Guard (MSG). As the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps is the only military service which is entrusted with the responsibility of providing security for U.S. Embassies and Consulates around th

[DISCLAIMER] “I know, I’m not supposed to use ‘could’ve, would’ve, or should’ve,” client X erroneously stated during our recent session, during which I advocated use of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). At this point in the blogpost, some definitions may be useful. The term “could’ve” is a contraction for “could have,” meaning that something was possible in the past, or someone had the ability or a chance to do something, but one did not actually do it. For instan

[DISCLAIMER] When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I often make use of rhetoric (the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion). For instance, I ask a lot of questions (an interrogative expression often used to test knowledge). Noteworthy, one source states, “A rhetorical question is a rhetorical device where a question is asked for a purpose other than to obtain information. In many cases it may be intended to start a disc

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, property of Roger Birnbaum Productions and New Line Cinema, fair use In the film Rush Hour (1998), Carter (played by Chris Tucker), whose native language is English, shouts when meeting his new partner Lee (played by Jackie Chan), whose native language is Cantonese, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines understanding as “the process of gaining insight abou

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Sara Collado, I heard her spin the track “I am as I am (SHNNG Rework)” (2026) by Jonasclean. Lyrics include, “I don’t believe it if he says, ‘Neither pearl nor jewel.’ It is not even that, o brother. I am as I am.” For context, the tautological phrase “I am as I am” regards acceptance of oneself without use of inflexible conditions, reflecting self-acceptance, unyielding truth, and the fundamental st

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association (APA) defines sobriety as “a state in which one abstains [chooses not to do or have something] from drinking or taking drugs for a period of time; that is, abstinence.” In a blogpost entitled A Lifetime of Sobriety, I stated of this matter: [B]ecause I was the single sober teen in my friend group during high school, having been given the nickname “2-Nice” partially for this reason, I did a fair share of babysitting peopl

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by DJ Luane, I heard her spin the Henry Himself remix “Losing It (Henry Himself Remix)” (2025) of Fisher’s original track “Losing It” (2018). Repetitively, the lyrics state, “I’m losing it!” The phrase “losing it” is the past participle of “lose it,” as in “falling apart,” which means to yield to mental or emotional stress. For example, person X lost it when he was told there’d be yet another delay. As

[DISCLAIMER] When browsing the Shuffle subreddit recently, I discovered one Redditor’s video that featured the electronic dance music (EDM) track “Make Me Feel” (2025) by oskar med k. In repetition, lyrics of the song state, “Don’t nobody else make me feel like.” According to one source: The song is built around a vocal sample, with its lyric cutting off after the phrase “make me feel like…”, letting place to synth melodies in where the missing word would normally land. O

[DISCLAIMER] When browsing the Shuffle subreddit recently, I discovered one Redditor’s video that featured the electronic dance music (EDM) track “What Can I Do” (2025) by Portrait. Lyrics of the song, which I enjoy quite a bit, soulfully state: When I rise into the morning light There’s a joy that gives a way I know that one moment he is my world to embrace What can I do? You give me that feeling, get us the feeling Fresh, free, and you don’t wanna lose this feeling Ke

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n