[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

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Kosmovsky, I heard her spin the track “Bayes Theorem”, from the EP Collateral Pleasure (2026), by DHÆÜR. I then thought about a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). In particular, when practicing the ABC model, I often use a scientific approach to care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). This practice requires flexibility rathe

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Hilde, I heard her spin the track “Point of View (Deflee, Panic Chase Radio Remix)” (2026) by Steve Lawler. I then considered my view of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). For context, one source states: In philosophy, a point of view is a specific attitude or manner through which a person thinks about something. This figurative usage of the expression dates back to 1730. In this meaning, the

[DISCLAIMER] I’ve just heard about the reported death of singer Oliver Tree. His song “Life Goes On”, from the album Ugly Is Beautiful (2020), has served as content for many electronic dance music (EDM) remixes. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed both the original track and its modifications. According to one source, “Tree stated in an interview that ‘Life Goes On’ is about ‘a problematic relationship where one person treats the other person badly […] shouldn’t waste time on to

[DISCLAIMER] I view many events through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Herein, I’ll provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason), or not (i.e., irrational), as it regards REBT. Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. Fo

[DISCLAIMER] I view many events through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Herein, I’ll provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason), or not (i.e., irrational), as it regards REBT. Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. Fo

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Solour, I heard her spin the track “Kidz (CamelPhat Remix)” (2025) by Arodes. I then thought of a psychoeducational lesson relevant to my practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an un

[DISCLAIMER] Realizing that the Electronic Daisy Carnival (EDC) recently took place in its home of Las Vegas, Nevada, I took to YouTube so that I could watch and listen to DJ sets from the largest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in North America, as I saw one of my favorite modern DJs perform. During his DJ set, French EDM producer and DJ going by the name of I Hate Models spun the track “4 by 4 Beats (I Don’t Care)” by Belgian EDM producer and DJ going by the name

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use In 2008, the album Walking on a Dream was released by electronic dance music (EDM) duo Empire of the Sun (a collaboration between Luke Steele, of alternative rock band The Sleepy Jackson, and Nick Littlemore, of electronic dance band Pnau). On the anthology was the song “Walking on a Dream”, which was virtually inescapable for anyone who went to a trendy restaurant, local mall, or other popular area of social gathering for years followi

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Deva Vicci, I heard her spin the song “My Mind” (2025) by Korolova and JOA. In part, the lyrics state, “I feel you in my mind.” When hearing the track, I helpfully thought of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence

[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] In a blogpost entitled Hulk, I stated, “Although I was nicknamed ‘2-Nice’ by my gang-related friends, a member of another gang set once stated to me something like, ‘You’re fucking crazier than any of us! I’m gonna call you ‘Suicide-Psycho,’ ‘cause you’re fucking crazy, ese!” In high school, neither my Sureño friend nor I knew what “psycho” actually meant. In common parlance, this term merely suggests a mentally unstable person, as this isn’t a useful definit

[DISCLAIMER] When assigned to the Marine Security Guard (MSG) detachment (det) in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (1999-2000), my Brasilian Portuguese tutor gave me advice which she’d plausibly have given to those about whom she cared. “Xuxu,” she said, “Stay away from piranhas!” For context, “xuxu” (pronounced “shoo-shoo”) is a Brasilian Portuguese slang term that, in my case, was used endearingly to mean “cutie.” As for “piranhas,” the tutor wasn’t referencing fish. Rather, it’s

[DISCLAIMER] In 2002, I was romantically involved with a woman who shared my appreciation for electronic dance music (EDM). During that year, Louie DeVito released his album Dance Factory which contained the DJ Sammy track “Heaven”, featuring Yanou and the vocals of Do. From his album Heaven (2002), DJ Sammy’s song “Heaven” served as a cover to Bryan Adams’ song “Heaven” from the romantic drama film A Night in Heaven (1983), later released on Adams’ album Reckless (1984).

[DISCLAIMER] Regarding professional care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), there are many psychotherapeutic modalities available. My preferred model is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) which aims to help people get better, not merely feel better. For instance, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines catharsis as “in psychoanalytic theory, the discharge of previously repressed affects connected to traumatic ev

[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