[ 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 ]   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 .   The authors quote Seneca  who stated, “This is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseus —how to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I migh

[ 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 .   The authors quote Epictetus  who stated, “If you are defeated once and tell yourself you will overcome, but carry on as before, know in the end you’ll be so ill and weakened that eventuall

[ 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 .   It isn’t uncommon for people to reach out to me regarding care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”), as they seek advice . Regarding such behavior

[ DISCLAIMER ]   By the time I attended United States Marine Corps Recruit Training (1996), I’d already been in a number of physical altercations. As my experience with fistfights began in elementary school, I had awareness of what it was like to get punched in the face.   For instance, as a resident of a children’s home in middle and high school, I’d engaged in mutual affrays with various boys. On one instance, a school bus driver pulled me off of a boy who sucker punched me

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Earlier, when looking through video content from my time in the Marine Corps (1996-2007), for a Veterans Day  blogpost, I came across footage of my first time ice skating. In 1998, when stationed in Okinawa, Japan, I found that there was no exception to gravity’s force when on ice.   The memory of that subjectively humorous event reminded me of a Passport Rav song from his 2021 album Sand in My Carry On , entitled “ Ice Skating ”. For those who are unfamilia

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   Halfway through my fifth grade year, my mom sent me from Amarillo, Texas, where I lived with her, to live with my dad in Aurora, Colorado. I was an overweight, white-appearing, biracial (white and black) child with a thick Texas accent, and who didn’t know any other kids at school.   When enrolled in Crawford Elementary School (pictured above), I was introduced to Crips  who lived in the local neighborhood. This introduction was by way

[ DISCLAIMER ]   In a blogpost entitled Practice How You Perform , I discussed a concept that I learned in childhood: Practice how you play and play how you practice. This expression was also reflected throughout my training when I served in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps (1996-2007).   For example, the above photo is the only image I have depicting my law enforcement defensive tactics  training when becoming military police (MP) while stationed aboard Fort McClellan ,

[ DISCLAIMER ]   When assigned to the Marine Security Guard detachment (det) in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (1999-2000), I was quite athletic...

[DISCLAIMER]   Have you ever been exposed to a CS gas chamber? I have. In a blogpost entitled Resilience, I described my experience from...

[ DISCLAIMER ]     On his 2000 album The Understanding , rapper Memphis Bleek  released the track “In My Life” which featured a sample of...

[DISCLAIMER] Only the strong I remember the passionate sound of Jerry Butler’s 1968 song “Only the Strong Survive” playing from a vinyl...

[DISCLAIMER] (My high school friend, “1/2 Ton,” with me in the late ‘90s, as “2 Nice” was stenciled on my jacket) Shame attacking When...