[DISCLAIMER] A little over a decade ago, nitape’skw (nee-dub-besk) and I discussed lyricist Oddisee’s album The Good Fight (2015)—one of my all-time favorite hip hop albums. For instance, my beloved friend and I conversed about our opposing views regarding the track “Belong to the World”. Nitape’skw was a proud member of the Penobscot Nation, thus a Native American (also called American Indian), a United States (U.S.) citizen, and a Mainer (a native resident of Maine). As

[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association defines the term suffering as “the experience of pain or acute distress, either physical or psychological, in response to a physical trauma or a significant event, particularly one that is threatening or involves loss (e.g., the death of a loved one).” When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I differentiate between physical and psychological trauma, as well as separating disp

[DISCLAIMER] In common parlance, suggesting that something is “screwed up” means that someone or something is acting or functioning in an erratic, confused, or otherwise undesirable way. A grittier version of this phrase is to say that something is “fucked up,” also “messed up.” In hip hop, the expression “screwed up” may also reflect music of the late and legendary Houston, Texas pioneer DJ Screw, who’s best known as the creator of the chopped and screwed DJ technique. I

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Reportedly one of the four Stoic virtues, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines courage as “the ability to meet a difficult challenge despite the physical, psychological, or moral r

[DISCLAIMER] I invite you to contemplate Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) through use of a psychoeducational lesson spawned by two lyricists that aren’t to be confused with rappers. For context, a rapper merely performs the function of rapping (rhythmic wordplay to a beat). Some rappers are arguably better than others. A lyricist raps while concentrating on the art of storytelling, devotes attention to written lyrics, experiments with wordplay, emphasizes poetic d

[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association defines a rule as “a guideline or standard that is used to guide responses or behavior or that communicates situational norms.” I’ll now provide a mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) lesson on a form of rule. When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I use personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”). For improved understanding, responsibility i

[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

[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] Earlier, when listening to 2010 A.D. (2015) by lyricist Planet Asia and producer DirtyDiggs, I heard the track “Love Hell or Right” on which the lyricist states, “Second grade, I started playin’ soccer. Michael Jackson [MJ] was the shit!” This event spawned a psychoeducational lesson. Before I discuss the psychotherapeutic modality that I favor, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I thank you for bearing with me as I discuss my own perspective on MJ and

[DISCLAIMER] *What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit, Property of Touchstone Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, fair use My now-deceased mom was a fan of the late Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock). As such, my mother owned a vinyl record of Private Dancer (1984) and played the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It” loudly from a stereo when cleaning our home. The chorus states: What’s love got to do, got to do with it?

[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 high school, after years of tolerating distorted vision, a family that invited me to live with them from the children’s home in which I was a resident took me to an optometrist. It turned out that I needed prescription eyewear. If memory serves, once I received my new glasses, I was excited about being able to see details of the leaves on a tree from a window of the optometry clinic. “See that?” the optometrist said, “That’s what you’ve been missing!” On

[DISCLAIMER] Unique disclaimer: Nothing expressed herein is meant to serve as a how-to method regarding violence, which the American Psychological Association defines as “the expression of hostility and rage with the intent to injure or damage people or property through physical force.” Readers are strongly encouraged to use personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”) when reviewing the material contained herein. As explicitly stated within my bl

[DISCLAIMER] *Havoc (2005) spoilers contained herein. I recently posted a blog entry on The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), as I stated, “I enjoyed it due to appreciating the acting of Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt.” Since then, I’ve become aware of controversy surrounding Hathaway, as one source states: She’s currently riding high on the success of the hotly-anticipated sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2. Yet Anne Hathaway’s life couldn’t have be

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Throughout The Daily Stoic, references to slavery are used. According to Merriam-Webster, a slave is thusly defined: Noun – 1. someone captured, sold, or born into chattel slavery (slavery in wh

[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] When they were assembled, before apparently going on to pursue solo careers, the group Tragic Allies reminded me of golden age hip hop. Therefore, I still appreciate the album 14 Forms: The Book of Estee Nack (2015) by former group members lyricist Estee Nack and producer Purpose. As a side note, Estee Nack has more self-ascribed nicknames than any other rapper or lyricist of which I can think. A personal favorite is “Nacknuggets.” In any event, on the aforem

[DISCLAIMER] On his album Wednesday After Next (2019), rapper Chris Webby featured the song “Stuck in My Ways” in which he states, “While these minutes on the clock tickin’, either learn to love me as the man I am, or don’t, but I’m not switching,” and he continues on a chorus by admitting: I’m stuck in my ways, stuck in my ways They saying that I gotta grow up, and to start acting my age I ain’t saying I’ma never change But some things’ll always be the same I’m stuck in