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Letting Go of Control
[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. Using a Stoic perspective, I view many events through the proverbial lens of REBT. Thus, I’ll now provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in acco
Deric Hollings
1 day ago16 min read
Obsession
[DISCLAIMER] *Obsession (2025/2026) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit, property of Blumhouse Productions, Focus Features, Universal Pictures, et al., fair use Why on Earth Would I Pay Attention to Reddit? To strengthen my practice of providing care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I often peruse Reddit to obtain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding about social trends affecting the field in which I work. “Why?” you may a
Deric Hollings
Jun 1620 min read
Higher Learning and Class Struggle: If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress
[DISCLAIMER] *Ladies First (2026) and Higher Learning (1995) spoilers contained herein. Ladies First I recently watched Ladies First (2026) while intentionally practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). As I patiently sat through the film, I created mental notes for a psychoeducational lesson on unity (a condition of harmony). Yet, I rejected the feminist piece of propaganda, which the American Psychological Association defines as “a method of social control t
Deric Hollings
May 2418 min read
Listening to Reason Through Argument: Is the Rhetoric of Whataboutism Persuasive?
[DISCLAIMER] *Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) spoilers contained herein. The matriarch of the family that invited me to live with her from the children’s home in which I resided said something along the lines of, “You’ve watch too much TV!” She wasn’t incorrect, because, as a latchkey kid, I was practically raised by the television while my mom worked. One of my favorite shows was Pee-wee’s Playhouse, a children’s comedy television series starring the late Paul Reubens (
Deric Hollings
May 1721 min read
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
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
Moral Panic: The Irrationality of Slogans Such as "Believe Women" and "Believe Victims"
[ DISCLAIMER ] Personal Anecdote The above photo is of me—the left: taken during seventh or eighth grade, and the right: taken during adulthood. When living in the Southwest Cottage of a children’s home in both seventh and eighth grade, I was placed in a residential setting due to financial insupportability. While there, I began intimate partner relationships with two girls who lived in the coed cottage. If memory serves, girl X was in my grade and girl Y was one grade
Deric Hollings
Feb 1619 min read
A Constructivist and Postmodernist Approach to Mental Health
[ DISCLAIMER ] Scenario Imagine that you and I attend the shooting range (also known as a firing range, gun range, or shooting ground, which is a specialized facility, venue, or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or competitions). In this scenario, we’re shooting pistols. When engaging paper targets, we detect light audible sounds which indicate the impact of bullets (rounds, as of various types of metal, to be fired from
Deric Hollings
Dec 27, 202521 min read
You're a Volunteer for That Ride, Not a Victim, Sucka
[ DISCLAIMER ] On the album Ascended Masters (2020), by rappers Checkmait and Mark Deez , is the track “ Sublime ”. In part, lyrics state, “You’re always on my mind . I think about you all the time. Your beauty’s so sublime. I’m yours. You’re mine,” as the song describes someone who’s in love . In my youth and early adulthood, someone with that mindset was known as a “sucka” (or “succa” for people using terminology of the Crips ). One source thusly describes this term,
Deric Hollings
Dec 8, 20259 min read
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