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Shaping: Force of Habit – No Rewarding Bad Behavior!
[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. Herein, I’ll discuss my evolved perspective on life when viewed through the proverbial corrective lenses of REBT and Stoicism. In this way, I’m addressing how a subjective view has altered my unde

Deric Hollings
2 days ago10 min read


You Ought to Be Ashamed
[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
Jun 29 min read


Embarrassment Attacking: Risk-Taking Exercises
[DISCLAIMER] There’s a tool used in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) known as shame attacking. Regarding this useful technique, I stated in Shame Attacking: When working with clients, I find it worthy to differentiate guilt from shame. Guilt (from inside) is something I take credit for, as shame (from outside) is something others assign credit for. Regarding shame and REBT, one source states, “[S]hame attack [homework] assignments are valuable as they challenge

Deric Hollings
Apr 2516 min read


Ain't That a Shame? Oh Well, Goodbye
[DISCLAIMER] In childhood, I enjoyed some artists and songs associated with 1950s rock and roll, as well as boogie-woogie acts, such as the late Fats Domino. For instance, I liked his song “Ain’t That a Shame” (1956) about which one source states: “Ain’t That a Shame” is a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Domino’s recording of the song, originally stated as “Ain’t It a Shame”, released by Imperial Records in 1955, was a hit, eventually selling a million c

Deric Hollings
Apr 238 min read


Healthy Remorse vs. Unhealthy Guilt
[ DISCLAIMER ] Earlier, when listening to rapper Key Glock ’s sixth mixtape Son of a Gun (2020), I heard the song “ Cops N Robbers ” in which he states, “Throwin’ bullets, not knuckles. Young Glock Brady , I’ma score, yeah (Fire). Cutthroat to the core. I’ll kill a nigga with no remorse !” That’s when I thought about a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines remorse as “a s

Deric Hollings
Mar 2711 min read


Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless
[ DISCLAIMER ] Growing up in a standard slightly above abject poverty (the most severe form of poverty, defined as a lack of basic human needs like food, clean water, sanitation, and shelter), I recall watching the television series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous which was hosted by Robin Leach . Although the program didn’t distract from my own circumstances (i.e., government-assisted living, roach and rat infestations, insecure housing, etc.), I’d often fantasize abo

Deric Hollings
Oct 24, 20259 min read


Making Amends
[ DISCLAIMER ] On Radio Embargo Lifted EP (2021), electronic dance music (EDM) artist Lord Leopard released the song “ Make Amends ”....

Deric Hollings
Sep 16, 20259 min read


Dancing with Myself
[ DISCLAIMER ] In childhood, I heard the song “ Dancing with Myself ” by English punk rock band Gen X (formerly Generation X), with...

Deric Hollings
Sep 1, 20259 min read


Your Boos Mean Nothing, I've See What Makes You Cheer
[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , property of Adult Swim, fair use On season four, episode three of adult animated science fiction sitcom...

Deric Hollings
Jun 12, 20255 min read


All I Do Is Win
[ DISCLAIMER ] I sat at a table in Torchy’s Tacos and awaited my takeout order when five multiracial males of approximately middle to...

Deric Hollings
Jun 3, 20255 min read


Shame on You
[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use There’s a scene in the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones in which the character...

Deric Hollings
Mar 13, 20257 min read


Insufferable vs. Undesirable
[DISCLAIMER] Having attended Valleyview Junior High School in my youth, I witnessed a homecoming football custom for which students...

Deric Hollings
Feb 14, 20246 min read


What Shame?
[DISCLAIMER] In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), shame attacking exercises are used to inoculate a client from embarrassment...

Deric Hollings
Jun 21, 20235 min read


2-Nice
[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...

Deric Hollings
Apr 8, 202312 min read


A Place for Shame
[DISCLAIMER] Shame! Yesterday, I spoke with a friend, “Jammies,” about whether or not there’s a place for shame within society. To frame...

Deric Hollings
Mar 28, 202311 min read


Shame Attacking
[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use **Carrie spoiler alert** Carrie In the 1976 film Carrie, “Carrie White, who lives with her...

Deric Hollings
Sep 8, 202210 min read
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