Existentialism: Meaning Versus Meaninglessness

[DISCLAIMER]

When serving as military police (MP) while in the United States Marine Corps, assigned to Camp Kinser (1997-1999), I befriended a fellow Texan to whom I’ll refer as “Jugador.” He and I were fairly close when stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

However, so went the familiar phrase when I served in the military, Jugador was an “out of sight, out of mind” type of friend. This expression is used to mean that a person stops thinking about something or someone if he or she does not see that thing or person for a period of time.

Then, when I was stationed in Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (2001-2003), I was pleased to discover that fellow MP Jugador was assigned to the same military command as I. Once again, we were in sight of one another, as this meant that I was within mind for a second time.

Of course, consistent with the familiar axiom I learned in the Corps, Jugador and I again lost touch with one another around the time I left Miramar. Admittedly, Jugador is merely an avatar of most MPs with whom I established relationships. Once I was out of sight, I was out of mind.

For years, I experienced waxing and waning forms of distress and disturbance about the loss of Marine friendships. Perhaps a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a psychotherapeutic modality that’s partially existentialist in nature, is in order.

Before providing an example, it may be useful to clarify what is meant by “existentialist.” Bear with me, because this may take some time. The term relates to an adherent of existentialism. For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines existentialism:

[A] philosophical and literary movement that emerged in Europe in the period between the two World Wars and became the dominant trend in Continental thought during the 1940s and 1950s.

Existentialism is notoriously difficult to sum up in a single definition—partly because many who might be identified with the movement reject the label, and partly because the movement is itself often a rejection of systematization and classification.

The origins of existentialism have been traced to a range of thinkers, including French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881).

However, the first fully developed philosophy of existentialism is usually taken to be the existential phenomenology elaborated by German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) in the 1910s and 1920s. Heidegger’s concept of Dasein was a key influence on the work of the French philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980), who is usually seen as the existentialist thinker par excellence. In the immediate postwar years, Sartre popularized both the term existentialism and most of the ideas now associated with it.

Existentialism represents a turning away from systematic philosophy, with its emphasis on metaphysical absolutes and principles of rational certainty, and toward an emphasis on the concrete existence of a human being “thrown” into a world that is merely “given” and contingent.

Such a being encounters the world as a subjective consciousness, “condemned” to create its own meanings and values in an “absurd” and purposeless universe. The human being must perform this task without benefit of a fixed essence or inherent nature, and in the absence of any possibility of rational certainty. However, by accepting the burden of this responsibility, and refusing the “bad faith” of religion and other spurious rationalizations, they can achieve authenticity.

Various forms of existential psychology have taken up the task of providing explanations, understandings of human behavior, and therapies based on existentialist assumptions about human existence. They have emphasized such constructs as alienation, authenticity, and freedom, as well as the difficulties associated with finding meaning and overcoming anxiety.

In that APA definition was a reference to meaning. The APA defines this term as “the cognitive or emotional significance of a word or sequence of words, or of a concept, sign, or symbolic act.” For example, I’m defining words herein so that you’ll develop meaning of concepts.

Suppose that on a broader scale, you questioned whether or not there was any significant meaning to the concept of your finite existence. After much deliberation, you concluded that your life was meaningless. About meaninglessness, the APA thusly states:

[A] pervasive sense of the absence of significance, direction, or purpose. A sense of meaninglessness regarding one’s life or life in general is sometimes a focal issue in psychotherapy [i.e., “therapy”].

The perception of meaninglessness poses the central problem that the existential approach attempts to solve or accommodate. See also existential psychotherapy; logotherapy; will to meaning.

If you endured issues of meaninglessness, you would be experiencing an existential crisis which the APA defines as “a crucial stage or turning point at which an individual is faced with finding meaning and purpose in life and taking responsibility for their choices.”

On a smaller scale than questioning the meaning or meaninglessness of existence, I self-distressed and self-disturbed with beliefs about the loss of military relationships when out of sight and out of mind. Now, I’ll use Jugador for example, as I demonstrate a lesson on REBT.

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.

Noteworthy, with virtually any undesirable Action that occurs, it’s your unfavorable Beliefs which cause unpleasant distress or disturbance (Consequence). Given this framing of self-distress and self-disturbance, it’s worth noting that one REBT source states (page 71):

REBT conceptualizes [distress] as healthy even though it is intense. Other approaches to therapy have as their goal the reduction of the intensity of negative emotions. They take this position because they do not keenly differentiate between healthy negative emotions (distress) and unhealthy negative emotions (disturbance).

Now, REBT keenly distinguishes between healthy distress and unhealthy disturbance. Healthy distress stems from your rational beliefs about a negative activating event [Action], whilst disturbance stems from your irrational beliefs about the same event.

Complete elimination of distress is highly unlikely in an impermanent and uncertain world wherein people conceptually suffer, struggle, and battle with, or merely experience hardship. Still, individuals often make matters worse for themselves by disturbing about such instances.

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

Jugador and I twice fell out of contact—the second being the final time (Action) and I ultimately Believed, “It’s pointless to establish friendships [G], because I can’t abide when they aren’t maintained [L], as it’s abysmal to lose friends [A], so I mustn’t engage in such frivolity [D].”

With that pessimistic perspective, I concluded that friendships were altogether meaningless and I then experienced sadness with this view (Consequence). Through the proverbial lens of REBT, my self-upset caused an existential crisis—one of my own making!

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.

I now invite you to reflect upon how earlier I highlighted that REBT distinguishes between healthy distress and unhealthy disturbance. Both of these outcomes are negative. Therefore, when providing therapy to clients, I encourage people to establish their own interests and goals.

For instance, I wanted (i.e., had an interest in) friendship regarding my post-military experience. Thus, I formed a goal (the end toward which effort is directed) to keep these relationships, as I learned a lesson after conducting a behavioral experiment, about which I stated in Ghosting:

Rather than continuing unproductive ghosting behavior as I used to, I now productively conduct behavioral experiments when I find that I’m the main contributor to relationships of various sorts (e.g., friendships) or when I’m the main person initiating contact. Here’s how it works.

Almost every Marine with whom I once served apparently contacted me only in response to my attempts to initiate contact with them (Action). This realization was the first step of observation in the scientific method.

I then gathered evidence in order further explore this matter. For instance, I looked at past emails, texts, and other sources to determine who it was that usually initiated contact. This was the second step in the method.

Rather than using an irrational Belief, I Effectively considered, “What would happen if I stopped initiating contact for three months? I suspect that I won’t hear from my friends.” This curious approach to life served as a hypothesis which was the third step in the scientific method.

For the fourth step, testing with experiment, I simply stopped initiating contact with my Marine friends. At the end of three months, I analyzed the data. This fifth step of the method was fairly straight forward, as I hadn’t received contact from any of the Marines that I was assessing.

The final step of the scientific method is reporting conclusions. This is done so that experiments may be replicated and analyzed accordingly. However, I chose not to report to my Marine friends what I discovered. Instead, I extended the experiment.

Typically, on Veteran’s Day—the only holiday that I recognize—I’m the individual who initiates contact with former military personnel with whom I maintain association. Rather than doing so on the holiday following my initial experiment, I forewent initiating contact.

My new working hypothesis was that I wouldn’t hear from my friends unless I first contacted them. As suspected, there was radio silence—absence of communication from a person or group from whom communication might have been expected.

Regarding this matter, I wasn’t self-disturbed. Instead, I productively concluded that I’d been ghosted only until I initiated contact. Usually, brief contact was allowed with the people who I thought were my friends—Marines for whom I once pledged to die or kill for.

Jugador and I no longer maintain contact, as I used REBT to transition from self-disturbance (i.e., meaninglessness with sadness) to self-distress (e.g., frustration) regarding the matter. However, I’ve since used another REBT technique to attain indifference concerning this issue.

Specifically, REBT uses unconditional acceptance (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).

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.

Regarding my circle of control and USA, I acknowledged that I control only my reaction to Jugador’s apparent decision not to maintain contact with me. Concerning my circle of influence and UOA, I knew that Jugador is free to make decisions which align with his interests and goals.

Relating to my circle of concern and ULA, I simply stopped assessing the existential meaning or meaninglessness of failed relationships. As for the area of no concern, that’s where imagination is concerned, and I had better things to do with my time than create problems for myself.

Using the ABC model, I achieved negative, though healthy distress about the matter pertaining to Jugador. Using UA, I then attained desirable indifference. Now, I invite you to consider one final lesson on existentialism that I recently came across on Reddit, of all places. One Redditor stated:

I feel like so many people come to the existential conclusion that life has no inherent meaning, and just decide that means there’s no point going on. Whereas I take the opposite view.

If life has no inherent meaning for why I’m here beyond chaotic matter forming into structures due to mathematical chance and evolution, then why not just have fun and enjoy it? Why not go out and do the fun things?

You can’t really “waste time” in an external way – the only way it can be “wasted” really is if it’s wasted from your personal perspective, since you’re the only one who experiences your life from your viewpoint.

Not quite hedonism, but more like Existentialism, in which we can just forge our own paths to do whatever we want. We are in charge of our fates, even in small ways.

I concur. If there’s no greater meaning to life, as I remain agnostic concerning whether or not this is or isn’t the case, then why not create our own meaning with what relatively little time we have remaining in this finite existence? In this way, life doesn’t have to be meaningless.

Having recently discussed the prospect of existentialism with client X, who outright rejected this concept due to spiritual and religious reasons, this person’s beliefs weren’t so dogmatic that my client refused to at least consider the possibility of both deity- and self-assigned meaning.

Now, I encourage you to contemplate doing as client X did. Even if you completely disagree with an existentialist framework, as I also take issue with many of Sartre’s suppositions, can you at least consider self-assigned meaning rather than unhelpfully succumbing to meaninglessness?

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 a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging 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

References:

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Alienation. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/alienation

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Authenticity. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/authenticity

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Essence. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/essence

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Existential crisis. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/existential-crisis

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Existential phenomenology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/existential-phenomenology

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Existential psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/existential-psychology

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Existential psychotherapy. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/existential-psychotherapy

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Existentialism. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/existentialism

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Logotherapy. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/logotherapy

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Meaning. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/meaning

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Meaninglessness. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/meaninglessness

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Purpose. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/purpose

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Sadness. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/sadness

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Will to meaning. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/will-to-meaning

Dryden, W. and Neenan, M. (2004). Counselling Individuals: A Rational Emotive Behavioural Handbook (Fourth Edition). London ; Philadelphia: Whurr Publishers. Retrieved from https://welib.st/md5/a1c979c48ef3edf260a2286954999f15

Dryden, W. and Neenan, M. (2006). Rational emotive behaviour therapy: 100 key points and techniques. Routledge. Retrieved from https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/4b0e2552-2a18-4998-b44f-3a993148f7ac/downloads/REBT%202.pdf?ver=1627365797554

Hollings, D. (2025, December 1). A diagnosis is a form of hypothesis. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-diagnosis-is-a-form-of-hypothesis

Hollings, D. (2026, April 19). A special burden. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-special-burden

Hollings, D. (2023, September 13). Acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/acceptance

Hollings, D. (2026, February 8). Adaptive and maladaptive emotions and behavior. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/adaptive-and-maladaptive-emotions-and-behavior

Hollings, D. (2025, October 19). Adhering to invisible scripts. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/adhering-to-invisible-scripts

Hollings, D. (2026, February 14). Anxiety: Stress don’t affect us, that’s just a part of what living is. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/anxiety-stress-don-t-affect-us-that-s-just-a-part-of-what-living-is

Hollings, D. (2025, September 18). Are you working against your interests and goals? Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/are-you-working-against-your-interests-and-goals

Hollings, D. (2024, November 15). Assumptions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/assumptions

Hollings, D. (2024, August 7). Awfulizing. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/awfulizing

Hollings, D. (2026, March 3). Blowback and knock-on effects: Subjectivity of beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/blowback-and-knock-on-effects-subjectivity-of-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2022, May 17). Circle of concern. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/circle-of-concern

Hollings, D. (2023, May 15). Cognitive reframing. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/cognitive-reframing

Hollings, D. (2024, July 11). Concern and no concern. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/concern-and-no-concern

Hollings, D. (2026, April 24). Confounding variables in behavioral experiments. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/confounding-variables-in-behavioral-experiments

Hollings, D. (2026, February 12). Consciousness: Reach your soul. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/consciousness-reach-your-soul

Hollings, D. (2023, April 22). Control. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/control

Hollings, D. (2025, October 3). Control and influence: A soft center and coated in a candy shell. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/control-and-influence-a-soft-center-and-coated-in-a-candy-shell

Hollings, D. (2024, October 27). Correlation does not imply causation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/correlation-does-not-imply-causation

Hollings, D. (2024, January 10). Desire much, but need very little. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/desire-much-but-need-very-little

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2025, March 12). Distress vs. disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/distress-vs-disturbance

Hollings, D. (2025, July 19). Enjoy this brief time we have on Earth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/enjoy-this-brief-time-we-have-on-earth

Hollings, D. (2025, October 21). Epicureanism and hedonism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/epicureanism-and-hedonism

Hollings, D. (2025, December 13). Explanation and justification. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/explanation-and-justification

Hollings, D. (2025, May 15). External things can’t fix internal issues. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/external-things-can-t-fix-internal-issues

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2026, February 13). Five, four, three… beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/five-four-three-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (2025, January 21). Ghosting. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ghosting

Hollings, D. (2023, September 13). Global evaluations. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/global-evaluations

Hollings, D. (2024, April 13). Goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/goals

Hollings, D. (2025, September 7). Have to. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/have-to

Hollings, D. (2024, August 9). Healthy concern. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/healthy-concern

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2026, May 16). I’m finding it hard to believe we’re in Heaven or Hell: Agnostic. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/i-m-finding-it-hard-to-believe-we-re-in-heaven-or-hell-agnostic

Hollings, D. (2024, October 21). Impermanence and uncertainty. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/impermanence-and-uncertainty

Hollings, D. (2026, April 8). Impermanence and uncertainty: I don’t know where tomorrow will take me. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/impermanence-and-uncertainty-i-don-t-know-where-tomorrow-will-take-me

Hollings, D. (2025, July 23). Indifference: How much more relaxed would you be? Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/indifference-how-much-more-relaxed-would-you-be

Hollings, D. (2024, February 14). Insufferable vs. undesirable. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/insufferable-vs-undesirable

Hollings, D. (2025, October 13). Knowledge, wisdom, understanding. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/knowledge-wisdom-understanding

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason

Hollings, D. (2025, November 25). Logos and natural order. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logos-and-natural-order

Hollings, D. (2022, December 2). Low frustration tolerance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/low-frustration-tolerance

Hollings, D. (2022, June 23). Meaningful purpose. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/meaningful-purpose

Hollings, D. (2026, March 7). Mind, body, and soul. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mind-body-soul

Hollings, D. (2024, September 27). My attitude. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/my-attitude

Hollings, D. (2025, August 2). My philosophy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/my-philosophy

Hollings, D. (2026, March 18). Objective morality and moral absolutism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/objective-morality-and-moral-absolutism

Hollings, D. (2026, April 2). Objective rationality: What is rational to you may not be rational to others. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/objective-rationality-what-is-rational-to-you-may-not-be-rational-to-others

Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings

Hollings, D. (2026, April 19). Outcome: Victim mentality and playing the victim. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/outcome-victim-mentality-and-playing-the-victim

Hollings, D. (2025, April 9). Perception, action, and will. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/perception-action-and-will

Hollings, D. (2022, November 7). Personal ownership. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-ownership

Hollings, D. (2025, September 9). Personal responsibility and accountability. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-responsibility-and-accountability

Hollings, D. (2023, January 5). Pessimistic perspective. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/pessimistic-perspective

Hollings, D. (2026, May 9). Political violence: Freedom’s got a shotgun. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/political-violence-freedom-s-got-a-shotgun

Hollings, D. (2024, July 10). Preferential should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/preferential-should-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2024, May 26). Principles. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/principles

Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Psychoeducation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychoeducation

Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2025, August 13). Rational versus irrational thoughts and beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-versus-irrational-thoughts-and-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Rational vs. irrational. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-vs-irrational

Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Rationalization. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rationalization

Hollings, D. (2024, March 14). REBT and emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rebt-and-emotions

Hollings, D. (2024, July 18). REBT flexibility. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rebt-flexibility

Hollings, D. (2023, February 17). Revisiting the circle of control. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/revisiting-the-circle-of-control

Hollings, D. (2024, January 4). Rigid vs. rigorous. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rigid-vs-rigorous

Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance

Hollings, D. (2026, April 21). Self-upset. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-upset

Hollings, D. (2026, March 31). Shortsighted fundamentalism and dogmatic attitudes. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/shortsighted-fundamentalism-and-dogmatic-attitudes

Hollings, D. (2024, February 27). Suffering, struggling, and battling vs. experiencing. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/suffering-struggling-and-battling-vs-experiencing

Hollings, D. (2025, October 22). The construct. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-construct

Hollings, D. (2022, November 2). The critical A. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-critical-a

Hollings, D. (2026, April 6). The problem-solution dialectic: A wicked problem. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-problem-solution-dialectic-a-wicked-problem

Hollings, D. (2023, August 6). The science. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-science

Hollings, D. (2025, April 15). This cake smells unpleasant. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/this-cake-smells-unpleasant

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Hollings, D. (2025, April 18). Tolerable FAD. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/tolerable-fad

Hollings, D. (2025, January 9). Traditional ABC model. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/traditional-abc-model

Hollings, D. (2026, March 14). Trolley problem: Distress or disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/trolley-problem-distress-or-disturbance

Hollings, D. (2024, October 20). Unconditional acceptance redux. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-acceptance-redux

Hollings, D. (2023, March 11). Unconditional life-acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-life-acceptance

Hollings, D. (2023, February 25). Unconditional other-acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-other-acceptance

Hollings, D. (2023, March 1). Unconditional self-acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-self-acceptance

Hollings, D. (2024, March 18). Unhealthy vs. healthy negative emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unhealthy-vs-healthy-negative-emotions

Hollings, D. (2024, October 26). Unhelpful expectations. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unhelpful-expectations

Hollings, D. (2024, November 24). Values. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/values

Hollings, D. (2023, May 3). Want vs. need. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/want-vs-need

Hollings, D. (2024, August 20). We all make our choices. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/we-all-make-our-choices

Hollings, D. (2026, March 8). You are not your beliefs or ideas. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-are-not-your-beliefs-or-ideas

Hollings, D. (2026, March 26). You’ll have suffered twice. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-ll-have-suffered-twice

Thegimboid. (2026, May 17). “Why do I exist?” Reddit. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1tfxfok/why_do_i_exist/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bad faith. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_faith

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blaise Pascal. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Camp Kinser. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Kinser

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Dasein. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasein

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Friedrich Nietzsche. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Fyodor Dostoevsky. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Ghosting (behavior). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosting_(behavior)

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Jean-Paul Sartre. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Miramar

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Martin Heidegger. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Heidegger

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Metaphysics. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Military police. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_police

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Purpose. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purpose

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Søren Kierkegaard. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Stephen Covey. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey

Wikipedia. (n.d.). United States Marine Corps. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps