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Wisdom and Acting Justly Are One and the Same
[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 ancient Stoic Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “Soon you will die, and still you aren’t sincere, undisturbed, or free from suspicion that external things can harm you, nor are you gr
Deric Hollings
Aug 1910 min read
Nobody and Nothing Can Make You Feel Happy, or Otherwise
[DISCLAIMER] I recall that in childhood, when cleaning our house, my mom would play the album I Feel for You (1984), the fifth solo studio release by R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan. I liked the song “I Feel for You”, which featured rapper Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Fusing R&B, funk, and hip hop, the track was a fitting selection for breakdancing at outdoor urban settings, as well as within clubs—regarding which I was too young to attend. In any e
Deric Hollings
Aug 1813 min read
Examination of Consequences and Allowing for Time Outs
[DISCLAIMER] I recently spoke with client X about the examination of consequences, as well as allowing for time outs when practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). As it can be challenging to provide this information in a session with limited time, I’ll now share it with you herein. First, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines examination as “a test, observation, or other means of investigation carried out on a patient to evaluate physical or men
Deric Hollings
Jul 279 min read
Tar-Baby: One’s Beliefs Cause the Consequences
[DISCLAIMER] In childhood, my sisters and I owned a vinyl record of the controversial live-action/animated musical drama film Song of the South (1946). Although I’m biracial (white and black), I’m not offended by my beliefs about the film’s racial dynamics. I’ll explain this view in a bit. Based on the collective written stories Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation (1886) by Joel Chandler Harris, the film follows a young boy named Jo
Deric Hollings
Jul 2111 min read
Emotional Exhaustion: Drained, Agitated, and Overwhelmed
[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association (APA) defines emotion as “a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event.” Colloquially, emotions are called feelings. Additionally, the APA defines exhaustion as “a state of extreme fatigue,” as the APA also defines fatigue as “a state of tiredness and diminished functioning. Fatigue is typi
Deric Hollings
Jul 157 min read
In the Words of el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, “I Don’t Feel That Stick”
[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 Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who stated, “He was sent to prison. But the observation ‘he has suffered evil,’ is an addition coming from you” (page 345). Here, Epictetus advocated
Deric Hollings
Jul 138 min read
It’s Not the Thing Itself That Troubles You, but Only Your Judgment of It
[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 ancient Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your
Deric Hollings
Jul 1010 min read
Nonconscious: Just Because You Can’t Detect the Belief Doesn’t Mean That It Isn’t Present
[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to the clients with whom I work, I often find that some people require additional information about the conscious, preconscious, unconscious, and nonconscious conceptual functions of the mind. For clarity, I practice REBT in my personal and professional life. Thus, I subscribe to many propositions put forth in REBT theory, which was initially developed by the late psychologis
Deric Hollings
Jul 910 min read
Displeasing: Choose How You Will Suffer
[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association defines the term suffering as “the experience of pain or acute distress, either physical or psychological, in response to a physical trauma or a significant event, particularly one that is threatening or involves loss (e.g., the death of a loved one).” When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I differentiate between physical and psychological trauma, as well as separating disp
Deric Hollings
May 1811 min read
The Speed of Thoughts and Beliefs: Flipping the Bird
[DISCLAIMER] I invite you to contemplate Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) through use of a psychoeducational lesson spawned by two lyricists that aren’t to be confused with rappers. For context, a rapper merely performs the function of rapping (rhythmic wordplay to a beat). Some rappers are arguably better than others. A lyricist raps while concentrating on the art of storytelling, devotes attention to written lyrics, experiments with wordplay, emphasizes poetic d
Deric Hollings
May 1513 min read
The Effect of Affect
[DISCLAIMER] As it pertains to this blogpost, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines the term “effect” as “an event or state that is brought about as the result of another (its cause).” Specifically, cause and effect is the principle of causality, establishing one event or action as the direct result of another. As an example, if you place your hand in fire (Action), then you’ll likely sustain a burn (Consequence). Using the ABC model of Rational Emotive Beh
Deric Hollings
Apr 235 min read
You Give Me Such a Vibe: It Feels So Good
[ DISCLAIMER ] Imagine that I told you about an electronic dance music (EDM) track to which I often danced when in South America, as I said “it was such a vibe … it felt so good,” do you think you could identify the error in that expression? If not, you aren’t alone. Many people wouldn’t be able to! As such, I invite you to consider a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) so that you may separate yourself from a crowd of ignorance (lacki
Deric Hollings
Apr 2110 min read
Inner Citadel: Stuff Cannot Touch the Soul
[ 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 . For this blogpost, it’s worth noting that a citadel is a fortress that commands a city, and a fortress is a fortified place: stronghold—a place of security or survival. Given these useful
Deric Hollings
Apr 216 min read
Disgust
[ DISCLAIMER ] From the third compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019), by Dreamville Records , is the song “ Disgusted ” by rappers Cozz and Childish Major . The track begins with Cozz stating: I’m disgusted, she said she[’s] in love, but it’s nothin’ we discussed yet Says she love my hair, and that shit growin’ so luscious And she wanna fuck, but I know she fucked my cousin Every time I think about you I say, “You[’re] disgustin’!” Per the American Psych
Deric Hollings
Apr 1713 min read
Bemoaning My Suffering: Consequences of My Actions
[ DISCLAIMER ] I enlisted in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps in 1996, serving as military police and as a Marine Security Guard , with a final discharge from military service in 2007. Yet, that single sentence doesn’t provide a meaningful depiction of the in-service challenges I faced. On June 5, 2002, under authority of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), I was subject to a non-judicial punishment procedure for failure to obey an order or regulation (
Deric Hollings
Apr 1611 min read
The Shipwreck Doesn't Wreck You
[ 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 . Stoic philosopher Seneca stated, “I was shipwrecked before I even boarded . . . the journey showed me this—how much of what we have is unnecessary, and how easily we can decide to rid our
Deric Hollings
Apr 26 min read
Nothing but Opinion Is the Cause of a Troubled Mind and Uneasiness
[ 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 . Today’s lesson on Stoicism regards opinions ( subjective , and often invalid and/or unreliable , views , judgments , or appraisals formed in the mind about a particular matter). Regardi
Deric Hollings
Mar 2111 min read
Euphoria: Walking on Clouds
[ DISCLAIMER ] I invite you to consider that from a psychological perspective, people distress and disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection . Still, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection . Perhaps if you’re unfamiliar with Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), that last paragraph may be bewildering to you. “A-C and B-C connections?” you may ask, “What is D
Deric Hollings
Feb 238 min read
UNO Reverse Card
[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit (edited), fair use In childhood, I enjoyed playing UNO (a shedding-type card game derived from the crazy eights family of card games). Notably, there was a “reverse” card that, in effect when played from the hand, switched the order of play directions (i.e., clockwise to counterclockwise, or vice versa). As well, in effect as the first discard, the dealer played first while play then proceeded counterclockwise. Later in life, the UNO reverse
Deric Hollings
Dec 3, 20257 min read
Because of X, the Effect Is Y
[ DISCLAIMER ] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy , this blog entry is part of an ongoing...
Deric Hollings
Oct 2, 20258 min read
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