[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was formed by the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who reportedly developed the first cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) psychotherapeutic modality in 1955, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding his book, Ask Albert Ellis?: Straight Answers and Sound Advice from America’s Best-Known Psychologist. Now, consider the album What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed (2022), a collaboration between rapper Conwa

[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 practicing personal and professional care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I often encounter unproductive narratives related to one’s environment, which the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines: [T]he aggregate of external agents or conditions—physical, biological, social, and cultural—that influence the functions of an organism. The physical environment may be measured in terms of temperatur

[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] From time to time within my blog, I’ve referenced two of my favorite animated television series—Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Boondocks—both from which I’ve learned invaluable life lessons. The current blogpost regards the latter series. Specifically, there’s a scene in The Boondocks featuring a character known as Colonel H. Stinkmeaner who has a displeasing temperament, as he’s killed accidentally by character Robert Freeman (also known as “Grandad”). I

[DISCLAIMER] On his third studio album, Love Story (2015), rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Yelawolf released the song “Till It’s Gone”, which was produced by WLPWR. On the chorus and hook, Yelawolf sings: Ain’t much I can do, but I do what I can But I’m not a fool, there’s no need to pretend Just because you got yourself in some shit It doesn’t mean I have to come deal with it You handle your own when you become a man And become a man when you handle your

[DISCLAIMER] When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), as the main psychotherapeutic modality I employ for personal and professional care regarding mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I reject the notion of human perfection. For context, perfection is defined as the quality or state of being perfect (being entirely without fault or defect). As an example, even if you score a 100 out of a possible 100 points on an examin

[DISCLAIMER] I appreciate that lyricist Awon collaborated with music producer Phoniks on the album Nothing Less (2021). In particular, I reminisce upon the song “Fatherhood”, which was produced by DJ Eveready. Through a mix of various audio samples and Awon’s contribution, the chorus states: Be a father (inspiration when I write, I see my daughter’s eyes) Be a father (resurrect through the birth of my son, and live again) Fatherhood, it ain’t nothin’ like it Baby born, an

[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 serving in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps (1996-2007), as a sergeant (E-5), I met a female Marine (E-3) who told me that she was divorced from her male Marine husband (E-3). As it turned out, she was physically separated and going through a divorce, not actually divorced. Senior enlisted and officer personnel within my command ordered me not to maintain contact with the woman until her divorce was finalized (e.g., formal reprimand). Fellow junior-en

[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 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 defines knowledge as “the state of being familiar with something or aware of its existence, usually resulting from experience or study” and “the range of one’s understanding or information,” as you’ve just gained knowledge of this definition. In hip hop culture, there’s a popular saying “do the knowledge,” as one source succinctly describes it as “to break down and explore a subject with another person.” For instance, wi

[DISCLAIMER] Lyricist 2Pac released his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995), during my senior year of high school. Per my recollection, my peers who weren’t as focused on rap as I expressed adoration for the album. On it was the track “Dear Mama”, about which one source states: Dedicated to his mother, Afeni Shakur, Shakur [2Pac] details his childhood poverty and his mother’s addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, Designed by Magnific, fair use On the collaborative album The Darkest Hour (2017), by rapper Madchild and music producer Evidence, is the song “Club 33”, with contribution by music producer the Alchemist, on which Madchild states, “Words keep bouncin’ ‘round my head, just like a pinball.” For context, one source states, “Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various

[DISCLAIMER] I enjoy the album The Dynospectrum (1998) by hip hop collective The Dynospectrum (comprised of lyricists Slug, I Self Divine, Sab the Artist, and Swift—all who performed under the pseudonyms Sep Se7en, Pat Juba, General Woundwart, and Mr. Gene Poole, respectively). Noteworthy, the first song on the anthology is “You Can Lose Your Mind” on which Sep Se7en states, “Became accustomed to carrying weight, and waiting for better days to come, and if they don’t come

[DISCLAIMER] In high school, I had a friend who expressed a desire to one day own a gold-plated handgun. “I’m gonna call you Half Ton [stylized 1/2 Ton], because that shit’s gonna weigh about half a ton,” I laughed and responded. From then on, that’s how I’ve referred to him. Recently, when listening to “Solid Gold Guns” by rappers Banish and Conway the Machine, as well as lyricists Recognize Ali and Supreme Cerebral, on German underground hip hop production team Snowgoon

[DISCLAIMER] When dabbling in amateur photography while residing in Bomb City during 2009, I met person X. She was an alternative model, associated with the scene subculture, and someone I once considered a relatively close friend (one attached to another by affection or esteem). To provide an adequate example of our tight bond, when person X told me that she received a death threat of imminent potential, not wanting to involve the police – as was the case with many of my

[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 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