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 alter the past.

Mourning the loss of a loved one, lamenting a failed romantic relationship, or bemoaning childhood trauma, some people mistakenly believe they can undo history through psychotherapy. Unequivocally, this is an irrational belief.

Given the examples of psychotherapists depicted in television, film, streaming content, and other mediums, I comprehend why people unhelpfully believe that the role of therapists is to speak or listen at length about a client’s past. Yet, I stated of this misconception in The Past Is Passed:

[W]hen using the ABC model and unconditional acceptance [UA], REBT practitioners tend not to focus too much on the past. Why? The past is passed. Expanding upon this matter, one REBT source states (page 22):

[REBT] de-emphasizes the value of understanding acquisition variables in helping clients change. Rather, it stresses the importance of understanding how people perpetuate their psychological problems.

This is because the theory hypothesizes that while past events may well have contributed to clients’ psychological disturbance, these did not make them disturbed, since people bring their tendency to make themselves disturbed to these events and experiences.

Thus, clients who come to therapy in order to trace their psychological problems back to their roots tend not to benefit greatly from the present-centered and future-orientated focus of [REBT].

Clients who are prepared to look for and challenge their currently held irrational beliefs do much better in [REBT] than clients who are preoccupied with discovering how they came to hold such beliefs in the first place.

Thus, I said in Elements of the Past that “if you recognize the past as an unchangeable reflection within your mind that doesn’t cause you to self-disturb in the present, and you want to take personal ownership of your unhelpful beliefs in regard to elements of the past, REBT could possibly be what you’re looking for.” Here, some context may be useful.

REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as distress or disturbance.

In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use to upset themselves: global evaluations, low frustration tolerance, awfulizing, and demandingness. When contemplating these unproductive beliefs, think of the acronym GLAD.

Additionally, from a psychological standpoint, people distress or disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

In order to provide a relevant example regarding the A-C/B-C distinction, I invite you to consider a song by lyricist Akrobatik of The Perceptionists. On his debut studio album Balance (2003), Akrobatik featured the track “Here and Now”, produced by D-Tension, as lyrics state:

I was born son of Cameron, brother of Brendon

Been through so much shit, I don’t know how I’m still standin’

I come from a place that’s cold and dark

Where brothers gotta dodge bullets just to make their mark

Yo, I grew up in the eighties, around domestic violence

But my family was proud, so we kept it silent

The ladies in my fam held it all together

And I was introduced to rap despite the stormy weather

The track proceeds to inform the audience that irrespective of a troubled upbringing, Akrobatik found solace in hip hop. For the sake of discussion, let’s imagine that the lyricist sought care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) from me.

I’d inform him that from a B-C perspective, brothers with whom he grew up preferably should’ve (i.e., “gotta”) dodged bullets (Belief), or else these individuals may’ve been seriously injured (Consequence). However, it wasn’t their perception that caused physical injury.

Rather, from an A-C assessment, bullets striking a person’s body (Action) may cause serious injury (Consequence). Furthermore, if Akrobatik were to maintain an inflexible absolutistic perspective, rather than a flexible preference view, then he may self-disturb about the past.

For instance, Akrobatik dwells on his troubled upbringing (Action) and Believes, “Life is meaningless, if filled with problems [G], and I can’t stand it [L]! In fact, it’s horrible that I grew up in violent circumstances [A], because no one should grow up in those conditions [D]!”

When hypothetically using this inflexible script, the lyricist endures psychological injury in the form of depression (Consequence). Thus, from an A-C view, bullets may cause physical injury. Yet, from a B-C perspective, Beliefs are what cause psychological injury.

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

Additionally, REBT uses UA to relieve self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acceptance (UOA), and unconditional life-acceptance (ULA).

Whereas the ABC model is a scientific approach to wellness, UA serves as a philosophical method for un-disturbing yourself. I view the former as an abortive approach to disturbance and the latter as a preventative method. Of course, not all REBT practitioners use the same style as I.

With my approach to REBT, I incorporate author Stephen Covey’s concepts regarding the circles of control, influence, and concern, as well as an area of no concern. UA maps onto the circle of control (USA), circle of influence (UOA), and circle of concern and area of no concern (ULA).

The circle of control encompasses only oneself, the circle of influence encapsulates elements which may be subject to one’s sway, the circle of concern engrosses most matters one can imagine, and the area of no concern relates to all content which isn’t yet imagined.

One aspect I appreciate about Akrobatik’s song “Here and Now” is that the title regards a phrase that refers to one’s experience of the present moment. This, too, is the REBT approach to rational living. For instance, I invite you to consider that one REBT source states (page 120):

Ellis clearly emphasizes that neither past events nor early childhood experiences are the causes of the individual’s difficulties. Rather, it is the individual’s evaluation of and dwelling on these experiences that produce the discordant feelings of anxiety and hostility.

As a consequence, the focus is on the present situation and what the patient is currently doing that tends to prolong the discomfort. The concern with the here and now is, of course, not limited solely to [REBT], but is an emphasis in many other forms of psychotherapy.

Given this helpful perspective, I also appreciate the title of Akrobatik’s album: Balance. While we may experience difficult upbringing in the past, we can nonetheless balance our perspectives of the past in such a way that creates tolerance and acceptance in this moment.

This view is aligned with Covey’s concepts regarding the circles of control, influence, and concern, as well as an area of no concern. Where concern is most rationally applied is in the here and now. After all, life may be lived only in the present. The past is but a memory, an illusion.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

Photo credit, fair use

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