[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Living in a children’s home in 1992, a fellow resident and friend of mine told me about how the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps  was the “most bad-ass” military branch in our nation. Although I was raised under the tenets of Jehovah’s Witnesses , what he said appealed to me.   For those who are unaware, the religious doctrine up with which I was nurtured assumes a politically neutral position and discourages military service. Still, perhaps because I had lo

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Currently, my views on religion relate to agnosticism (the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle  or unknown in fact ). However, my perspective wasn’t always as it currently is.   In both junior high and high school, I participated in Vacation Bible School  (VBS) in association with the Churches of Christ . Mainly, the congregation of which I was a member engaged in mission work in and ar

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   REBT   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 .   Authors of The Daily Stoic  quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus  who stated, “The task of a philosopher: we should bring our will  into harmony with w

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , artist: Jean-Simon Berthélemy , fair use   Suppose you’re faced with tasks where are complicated or complex. “Complicated” matters may have many parts, yet can be problem-solved by focusing on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding  in alignment with logical and reasonable  rules (i.e., predictable and justifiable ).   Alternatively, “complex” matters may have many interconnected parts with uncertain and emergent behaviors which require adaptive

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I recently spoke with client X who, when initially seeking care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”), used self-disturbing forms of global evaluation  (a complete appraisal of people, places, and things without considering other potential value ).   For instance, client X maintained, “I’m a bad person, because my family wants little to do with me.” Rather than considering that client X’s immediate family members app

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Years ago, when working in the field of nuclear security and after having transitioned from an hourly employee position to a salaried member of management, my coworker introduced me to a book that served as the foundation for her master’s thesis. Regarding the book, one source states:   Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life is a 1998 motivational business fable by Spencer Johnson that describes four reactions

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I don’t know to whom credit is due for originally stating, “Excuses are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they all stink.” Nevertheless, I appreciate the expression. This is the case, even if not “all” assholish excuses are invalid (e.g., missing an important date, because you died).   In common parlance, an excuse is defined as an attempt to make apology  for, to try to remove blame from, to forgive entirely or disregard as of trivial import, or to gra

[ DISCLAIMER ]   When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set  by Aneya Rose , my face melted off as I heard her spin the track “ Sanctum ” (2024) by Belgian DJ and record producer Charlotte de Witte , featuring vocals by Marion di Napoli . No worries, my face molded back into shape.   The song reminds me of nights when raving in South America. For me, it drips with nostalgia and allows me to experience sanctum (a place where one is free from intrusion) within the

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy  (REBT) with client X recently, I used the analogy of how one’s life is similar to cake. As well, I engaged professional use of self  (a psychotherapist’s intentional and skillful use of one’s whole self as a tool for understanding ).   For context, I’m not typically fond of lemon-flavored food items. As an example, I enjoy cake quite a bit. However, I dislike lemony foods to the degre

[ 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 .   Have you given much thought about personal standards (levels of quality, achievement, performance, etc., which are considered acceptable or desirable )? Regarding this matter, authors of

[ 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 A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a