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Outcome: Victim Mentality and Playing the Victim
[ DISCLAIMER ] * Outcome (2026) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit , property of Apple Studios, Apple TV, and Strong Baby Productions, fair use When discussing mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “ mental health ”), I often discuss what it is to be a victim (an individual who is the target of another person’s violent , discriminatory , harassing, or assaultive behaviors). There’s a reason that I address this matter. I posit that there’s a di
Deric Hollings
Apr 1917 min read
Avatar: Aang, the Last Airbender - Unconditional Acceptance
[ DISCLAIMER ] * Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender (2026), also known as The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender (2026), spoilers contained herein. Photo credit (unofficial movie poster), property of Paramount Pictures (Paramount+), Nickelodeon Movies, and Avatar Studios, fair use When providing psychoeducational lessons on mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “ mental health ”) within my blog—which predominately focuses on Rational Emotive Behavior T
Deric Hollings
Apr 1614 min read
Place to Hide
[ DISCLAIMER ] I thought of a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) when listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by the talented Roksana . As an aside, it would’ve been nice to have been able to dance to a Roksana set during my raving days. She goes hard! In any event, during the DJ set in focus, Roksana played the song “ Place to Hide ” by Mark Dekoda and Droplex . In repetition, the lyrics state: Tell me what you want f
Deric Hollings
Apr 147 min read
The Future's Not What It Used to Be
[ DISCLAIMER ] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Allia Sounds and Dimitri Aless , I heard the duo open with the song “ The Future ” (2025) by Ankhoï and Luch . In repetitious order, the lyrics states: We hold hands, as if nothing has changed I go forward, you come back to me We don’t have long to rearrange The future’s not what it used to be While viewing these lyrics through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT),
Deric Hollings
Apr 135 min read
The Cartesian Crisis: What Do I Control? What Do I Influence?
[ DISCLAIMER ] Reality , as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA), is “in philosophy, that which genuinely exists , usually in contrast to that which only seems to exist .” There are many Western, Eastern, and other philosophical perspectives which address this concept. This brings me to the notion of truth (the body of real things, events, and facts : a judgment , proposition , or idea that is true or accepted as true —being in accordance with the
Deric Hollings
Apr 1215 min read
Real Terrorism: Operation Eternal Darkness
[ DISCLAIMER ] When serving in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps (1996-2007), I was taught that terrorism was the use of violence against noncombatants to achieve political or ideological aims. Generally, such terroristic action involves intention (a determination to act in a certain way). To draw a meaningful distinction, I invite you to consider two hypothetical scenarios. Scenario one: A U.S. Marine expeditionary force deliberately targets a village of civi
Deric Hollings
Apr 910 min read
Impermanence and Uncertainty: I Don't Know Where Tomorrow Will Take Me
[ DISCLAIMER ] On the album Freakjet (2022), rapper Vel Nine (also known as Vel the Wonder ) released the song “ Winning Team ” that featured rapper YL . Wisely , Vel Nine stated, “I don’t know where tomorrow will take me, but I know where today is.” This is a matter of uncertainty. According to the American Psychological Association, uncertainty is defined as “the state or condition in which something (e.g., the probability of a particular outcome ) is not accuratel
Deric Hollings
Apr 85 min read
How Could This Happen to Me?
[ DISCLAIMER ] On the second studio album Still Not Getting Any... (2004) by Canadian rock band Simple Plan is the song “ Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?) ”. Describing the video for the track, one source states: The music video tells a story of a car crash on a rainy evening where a young male drunk driver crashes his Toyota Camry head-on into a Trans Am driven by a female, resulting in her death. The drunk driver, however, survives relatively uninjured, and en
Deric Hollings
Apr 510 min read
9 PM (Till I Come): Accepting What Once Was
[ DISCLAIMER ] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Mila Rubio , I heard her spin the track “ 9 PM (Till I Come) ” by trance music German DJ and producer ATB from his debut studio album Movin’ Melodies (1999). That track brought back a lot of pleasant memories! Hearing one of the EDM tracks I spun when DJing in the ‘90s and ‘00s, I thought of a relatively brief psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). Now, I invi
Deric Hollings
Apr 56 min read
It Is More Human to Laugh at Life Than to Lament It
[ DISCLAIMER ] I’ve paid close attention to the 2026 Iran war (also euphemistically referred to as an operation, hostilities, conflict, etc.) which was started by the United States (U.S.) and Israel—specifically, U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister [PM] of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu . In particular, I’ve observed quite a bit of propaganda ( ideas , facts , or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause). Much of what
Deric Hollings
Apr 310 min read
Every Time Someone Tries to Win a War Before It Starts, Innocent People Die
[ DISCLAIMER ] * Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) spoilers contained herein. Screenshot from Avengers: Age of Ultron , property of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, fair use In Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Steve Rogers and Tony Stark discuss the latter’s mistake that results in artificial intelligence (AI) supervillain Ultron coming into existence. The former states, “Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people di
Deric Hollings
Apr 19 min read
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice: I Guess We Had a Good Run
[ DISCLAIMER ] * Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit , property of 20th Century Studios, Hulu, and Disney+, fair use I often share my opinions on movies, expressing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) about how I tolerate and accept outcomes of frustration, annoyance, and disappointment which stem from my beliefs. For clarity, one REBT source states (page 71): REBT conceptualizes [ distress ]
Deric Hollings
Mar 319 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
The House Negro and the Field Negro: Suffer Peacefully
[ DISCLAIMER ] Message to the Grass Roots On his 2018 album I Self Lord and Master (I.S.L.A.M.) , lyricist Recognize Ali released the song “ Liftin Me Higher ” that featured a sample of the 1963 speech “ Message to the Grass Roots ” by the late black nationalist leader el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (better known as Malcolm X ) who said: All the revolutions that’s going on in Asia and Africa today are based on what? Black nationalism . A revolutionary is a black nationali
Deric Hollings
Mar 2418 min read
Concern With the Here and Now
[ DISCLAIMER ] I practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a psychotherapeutic modality developed by the late psychologist Albert Ellis . Unlike other models which focus on the past (having existed or taken place in a period before the present), I stated of REBT in It’s In the Past : The overwhelming majority of clients with whom I’ve ever worked have discussed unresolved issues of the past. While I meet with these individuals in the present, I’m unable to alte
Deric Hollings
Mar 1710 min read
It's Just Easy Come and Easy Go: Tolerance and Acceptance
[ DISCLAIMER ] When living in a children’s home during high school, a family with whom I attended Churches of Christ services asked me to live with them. They had a daughter, who was in the same grade as I and to whom I’ll refer as “Antebellum,” who at one point drove a red Chevrolet Corsica . Whether or not Antebellum knew I was in love with her for many years remains unknown, as we fell out of contact a couple decades ago. Nevertheless, she was my first love (the firs
Deric Hollings
Mar 148 min read
Becoming "Must Win Losers": Take the L
[ DISCLAIMER ] When recently listening to the song “ Slick Talk ” by lyricist JID , from his album DiCaprio 2 (2018), I paid close attention as he stated, “Pissed off, I done took my fifth loss this week. Big dog, I can scratch that shit off like fleas.” I then thought of a psychoeducational lesson. Before I proceed, a couple points of context may be useful. First, being “pissed off” means that one is angry , enraged , or irritated . Second, in hip hop, the phrase “take
Deric Hollings
Mar 129 min read
We All Gon' Go One Day
[ DISCLAIMER ] Irrespective of whether or not I’m working with clients on any given day, I practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)—even in my dreams. For instance, I continually remind myself about the importance of tolerance and acceptance regarding most conditions in life. For context, REBT uses unconditional acceptance (UA) to relieve self-induced suffering . This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acce
Deric Hollings
Mar 124 min read
Ghost in the Shell
[ DISCLAIMER ] Earlier, I reminisced about the past (2015) as I used to drive an hour from my home when working with veterans and their caregivers while providing services for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “ mental health ”). I don’t miss that one-hour commute, both ways. Nevertheless, I spent a lot of time listening to new music during my drives. Specifically, I earlier listened to the album Tetsuo & Youth (2015) by lyricist Lupe Fiasco . My fa
Deric Hollings
Mar 97 min read
Unhappiness Isn't Externally Caused: You Can Hoot, Hide, and Talk That Shit
[ DISCLAIMER ] I’ve paid close attention to the 2026 Iran war , which some United States (U.S.) politicians still uncharitably refuse to categorize as a “war,” as there’s an ongoing global discussion about the potential for World War III (WW III). About this matter, one source states: World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that
Deric Hollings
Mar 811 min read
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