Feels Like a Dream

[DISCLAIMER]

When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Solour, I heard her spin the track “Kidz (CamelPhat Remix)” (2025) by Arodes. I then thought of a psychoeducational lesson relevant to my practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (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.

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.

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.

Regarding “Kidz (CamelPhat Remix)”, lyrics state, “We run wild. We run free. I can tell from your eyes, to you, it feels like a dream (Ooh). Side by side, we go deep (Side by side, we go deep). Can you tell from my eyes, it kinda feels like a dream?”

For context, the American Psychological Association defines as dream as “a physiologically and psychologically conscious state that occurs during sleep and is often characterized by a rich array of endogenous sensory, motor, emotional, and other experiences.”

Regarding my approach to care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I invite people to consider scripts which are rational (in accordance with both logic and reason) – especially regarding events which correlate with strong feelings.

On the topic of feelings, I often find it valuable to clarify what this element represents in regard to the construct of beliefs. This is because people generally misuse this term, as I maintain that the words we use matter.

A “feeling” relates to either: 1. emotion (i.e., joy, fear, anger, sorrow, disgust, surprise, etc.) or 2. sensation (e.g., tightened or stiffened jaw). If the word “feel” (or any derivative thereof) can be replaced with “hunch,” “thought,” or “belief” (or any derivative thereof), it’s not a feeling.

Thus, it’s improper to say something along the lines of “It kinda feels like a dream,” because what one typically intends on communicating is “It seems [gives the impression of being] as though this is a dream.” Noteworthy, there’s a foundation for quibbling with this sort of misuse.

In REBT, unfavorable Beliefs which cause unpleasant Consequences are rigorously Disputed. However, feelings (i.e., emotions and sensations) aren’t challenged. Thus, proper use of feelings-based language affords a person the opportunity to examine the logic and reason one uses.

Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. For instance, a modus ponens syllogism uses the following logical form: If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

As an example, if we run wild and free (p), then I can tell from your eyes, to you, it feels like a dream (q). We run wild and free (p). Therefore, I can tell from your eyes, to you, it feels like a dream (q).

This proposition follows logical form. However, because of misuse regarding the term “feels”—when an emotion or bodily sensation isn’t evident, though one’s experience regards what something instead seems like – the proposal isn’t reasonable. Thus, the suggestion isn’t rational.

“Why does this matter, Deric?” you may ask. Imagine that when I provide mental health care services for client X, this individual irrationally proposes, “I feel like you’re nitpicking what I say, and I don’t like it at all!” (Would it surprise you to discover that I’ve heard this before?)

Since feelings aren’t confronted when practicing the ABC model, I couldn’t effectively challenge the irrational proposition used by client X. Tautologically, what a person feels is what a person feels, and that’s that! There’s no point in confronting an individual’s feelings.

Yet, when properly sorting feelings into categories of either (1) emotions or (2) sensations, then all other misuse of feelings-based cognitive content is open for interrogation, as I’ll readily Dispute irrational Beliefs which cause unpleasant Consequences (i.e., emotions and sensations).

Presuming you comprehend this psychoeducational lesson associated with “Kidz (CamelPhat Remix)”, I now encourage you to also maintain that the words we use matter. Saying that something “feels like a dream” is nonsense, as the experience instead may seem like a dream.

With this distinction, you can challenge unhelpful hunches, thoughts, beliefs, proposals, suppositions, and so on, though in REBT you wouldn’t confront actual feelings (i.e., either emotions, or sensations). Also, if you’d like to know more about REBT, then I’m here to help.

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

As the world’s foremost EDM-influenced REBT psychotherapist—promoting content related to EDM, 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

References:

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