[DISCLAIMER] Back when lyricist Busta Rhymes made creative hip hop music that I appreciated, unlike whatever content he’s released within the past decade or so, I enjoyed his third studio album Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front (1998). It was a subjective work of beauty! As an example of Busta Rhymes’ yesteryear resourcefulness, I invite you to consider the song “Extinction Level Event (The Song of Salvation)”, produced by the talented Nottz. Speaking over the

[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. Noteworthy, when practicing REBT, I use personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership

[DISCLAIMER] In childhood, I enjoyed watching the television sitcom The Facts of Life (1979-1988), about the character Mrs. Edna Garrett as she became a housemother and later dietitian at the fictional Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York. Noteworthy, the show featured an opening credit theme song called “The Facts of Life”, by Al Burton, Gloria Loring, and Alan Thicke, on which Loring sang, “You take the good, you take the bad, you take th

[DISCLAIMER] On Driver or Driven (2023), by lyricist Es and music producer Das Da Beat Junkie, is the song “Driver or Driven”, on which Es states, “Got drive (or given)? Rock live (or given)? Pop five to industry high-fives (this isn’t). Driven, ‘cause my inward remains focused on my mission.” For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines drive as “a generalized state of readiness precipitating or motivating an activity or course of action. Drive is hy

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, Designed by Magnific, fair use When working with client X, I recently analogized personal and professional care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) to the difference between visiting and living in a home. Client X voiced comprehension of this matter, as I’ll now share it with you. Since having begun the informal practice of life coaching in 1991, and having officially begun the practice of psychotherapy in

[DISCLAIMER] In common parlance, change regards the act of making different in some particular way or aspect (e.g., losing weight by running). As well, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines an agent as “a means by which something is done or caused” (e.g., running to lose weight). Thus, the APA defines a change agent as “a specific causative factor or element or an entire process that results in change, particularly in the sense of improvement. In psychother

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ Set by Lisa Marty, I heard her spin the song “Take Control” (2026) by Alexey Union and Aves Volare. The lyrics state: It’s you that must change when enough is enough You gotta get on your feet when the goin’ gets tough There’s no time to think, just the time to react Life is gone in a blink; it’s a matter of fact No one will come to save your own soul It’s not done till it’s done, you must take full control

[DISCLAIMER] I looked for my United States (U.S.) Marine Corps recruiter at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Bomb City on the day that I flew to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego for U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training (i.e., boot camp) in 1996. However, among the many other lies I was told about military service by my recruiter, he was dishonest about his pledge to see me off to boot camp. Apparently, once he had an enlistment signature and

[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. Marcus Aurelius stated, “Meditate often on the swiftness with which all that exists and is coming into being is swept by us and carried away. For substance is like a river’s unending flow, its act

[DISCLAIMER] When sorting through a box of photographs with my (then) wife, I came across a picture of her from a time before we were married. I didn’t recognize the woman in the image who had bleached hair (hair made blond through the use of chemicals). “Who is this?” I asked. My wife laughed and responded, “That’s me!” Apparently, it was a snapshot in a particular moment of time, prior to when we’d met, and it was at that instant that I contemplated how little I recogni

[DISCLAIMER] Years ago, when I engaged in the act of amateur photography, I was assisted by my friend “Freckles”—someone who I met when I lived in a children’s home in 1991. Freckles was a professional photographer, as she mentored me by teaching techniques about my hobby. Thus, my friend helped me with change (to make different in some particular way or aspect). Specifically, although I’d been a photography hobbyist since elementary school, Freckles assisted me with chan

[DISCLAIMER] “Son,” my dad told me when I was a child, “I don’t know why I brought children into this world when it’s so wicked [morally very bad; evil],” per 1 John 5:19. He went on to explain that anyone with knowledge of the Bible would do well to reconsider the desire to have kids. This was a revelation to me, as my dad had four children! Furthermore, his admission was contrary to what my late stepmom told me when saying it was an “abomination” not to abide by the bib

[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 ] 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 (2004-2008), I joined a running club with several coworkers and one of their spouses. Having developed a number of injuries associated with my military service (1996-2007), I underwent an adjustment period with running. That method of change was radical (very different from the usual or traditional), because I’d grown accustomed to simply being injured and not appreciating previously enjoyed activitie

[ DISCLAIMER ] It’d be difficult for me to come up with an entire verse from a hip hop song that better represents the progression of...

[ DISCLAIMER ] On the deluxe edition of his 2011 album Beach Cruiser , rapper Glasses Malone released the track “ Just Wait’n ”....

[ DISCLAIMER ] Released on Loose Cannons 001 (2016), produced by Bozack Morris , was the track “ Never Change ” which was performed by...