[DISCLAIMER] When providing professional care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), regarding two clients I see for individual sessions, I heard each of these people—who don’t know one another—use the term “c-word” for cancer, as one source states: Cancer is a group of diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth typically resulting in tumors with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These malignant tumors con

[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, “Everything lasts for a day, the one who remembers and the remembered” (page 390). Regarding this matter,

[DISCLAIMER] When recently providing professional services for care of mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I recently stated to client X, “Have you considered that I’m not going to be around forever, or perhaps for much longer, and that I’m going to die one day?” Client X responded, “It didn’t even occur to me that you could die, because I’ve been so focused on the possibility of me dying.” This verbal exchange afforded us an opportuni

[DISCLAIMER] As neighborhood children played outside our residence on Sunday mornings during my fifth grade year, my dad sat with me in the living room of our home to teach tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, using a Bible textbook entitled The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. I was particularly interested in learning about an ancient Israel king, Solomon, as 1 Kings, chapter 3 addressed how he received knowledge, wisdom, and understanding directly from Jehovah. My

[DISCLAIMER] Despite his many foibles (minor flaws or shortcomings in character or behavior), as he was little more than a fallible human being—as am I, my dad taught me many meaningful lessons about life. Paramount among them, from a very young age, my dad taught me about death. His teaching opened my impressionable mind to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding about the inescapability of what the American Psychological Association (APA) defines as “the permanent cessatio

[DISCLAIMER] Not long after having graduated from Amarillo High School, Atlanta, Georgia hip hop group the Goodie Mob (comprised of lyricists Big Gipp, Khujo, CeeLo Green, and T-Mo)—members of the Atlanta music collective Dungeon Family—released their debut album Soul Food (1995). The anthology was released not long after Dungeon Family duo Outkast (comprised of lyricists Big Boi and André 3000) won an award for New Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards. For those w

[DISCLAIMER] Because of his religious beliefs, my dad saw fit to teach me about death before I ever attended school. Then, as my late mom maintained physical custody of me, subjecting me to frequent traumatic events, it was in second grade that I first wanted to die. At that time, she taught me how to effectively commit suicide. Having studied nursing for a period of time, my mom apparently learned which way to cut one’s wrists, how deep to go, in what environment, and un

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use The Story of Indra Because I’m religiously agnostic, I don’t subscribe to the tenets of Hinduism. Nevertheless, I enjoy hearing and sharing tales associated with Hindu mythology. As an example, I shared with client X a video link from the documentary Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (1988). It was originally broadcast as six one-hour conversations between the late mythologist Joseph Campbell and the late journalist Bill Moyers. A

[DISCLAIMER] I’ve just heard about the reported death of singer Oliver Tree. His song “Life Goes On”, from the album Ugly Is Beautiful (2020), has served as content for many electronic dance music (EDM) remixes. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed both the original track and its modifications. According to one source, “Tree stated in an interview that ‘Life Goes On’ is about ‘a problematic relationship where one person treats the other person badly […] shouldn’t waste time on to

[ 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 . Lately, how much time have you devoted to contemplation of your inevitable death? How much time have you squandered when thinking about the lives of others who are also inescapably heading

[ DISCLAIMER ] When in elementary school, I visited a Chinese food restaurant in Bomb City with my assigned big brother from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (a non-profit organization that creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships with children). Also, his friends were in attendance. One of my big brother’s friends, a woman I now believe to have been in her 20s, expressed appreciation for her late granddad. “That man,” she stated, “worked all his life