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Happy Life, Happy Life, and If Mama Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy
[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

Deric Hollings
2 days ago11 min read


Can’t Win for Losing: Hopelessness and Despair
[DISCLAIMER] On the third studio album, Getback (2007), by hip hop group Little Brother (lyricists Phonte and Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder) is the song “Can’t Win for Losing” which was produced by !llmind. Before exploring a portion of the song’s content, I’ll address the track’s namesake. Per one source, the phrase “can’t win for losing” means that the “odds are stacked against me. (Or no matter how much I try, I never succeed.).” This is a matter of hopelessness (t

Deric Hollings
Jul 2711 min read


If We Could Be Love, Then We Must Be Love
[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

Deric Hollings
Jun 99 min read


It Took a Lot From Inside of Me to Just Leave Silently
[DISCLAIMER] On the mixtape Sinatra 2 (2017), by subjectively underappreciated lyricist Vado, is the song “Egos”. When filtered through the lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), particularly the ABC model, the track discusses unhealthy and healthy negative emotions. For example, Vado states, “A good nigga, I tried to be. Hate when you lie to me. No more apologies, obviously. It took a lot from inside of me to just leave silently and not become violently, hones

Deric Hollings
Jun 55 min read


What's Love Got to Do With It?
[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?

Deric Hollings
May 1117 min read


I Still Hear Your Name
[ DISCLAIMER ] Have you ever been in love with or simply loved someone so much that after the person leaves (i.e., a breakup, death, etc.) it’s almost as though (or actually, in some cases) you can still hear the individual’s name? If so, then you aren’t alone. Aside from the clients with whom I work, as a number of them report this experience, I was reminded of this matter when listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Vera Aire . Namely, she spun the tra

Deric Hollings
Mar 167 min read


Playing Games
[ DISCLAIMER ] In 1998, while on leave from Okinawa, Japan when serving in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), I sat watching gameplay concerning boys of the family who accepted me into their household from the children’s home in which I previously lived. At the time, I was self-disturbed by irrational beliefs about a former intimate partner who broke up with me as I underwent USMC Recruit Training in 1996. Per my distorted view, she was playing games with my affect

Deric Hollings
Oct 14, 20256 min read


Walking on Broken Glass
[ DISCLAIMER ] For whatever reason, “ Walking on Broken Glass ” by Annie Lennox , from her 1992 debut studio album Diva , popped into...

Deric Hollings
Feb 12, 20257 min read
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