Hey You! You're Losing Your Mind!

[DISCLAIMER]

When recently listening to electronic dance music (EDM) from the 2025 Arc Music Festival, I enjoyed the collaborative DJ set of Adam Beyer and Layton Giordani. In particular, I liked hearing a track by Adam Beyer and Bart Skils entitled “Your Mind (Drumcode)”.

In melodic repetition, the lyrics state, “Hey you! You’re losing, you’re losing, you’re losing, you’re losing your mind!” According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the mind is defined as:

[B]roadly, all intellectual and psychological phenomena of an organism, encompassing motivational, affective, behavioral, perceptual, and cognitive systems; that is, the organized totality of an organism’s mental and psychic processes and the structural and functional cognitive components on which they depend.

The term, however, is also used more narrowly to denote only cognitive activities and functions, such as perceiving, attending, thinking, problem solving, language, learning, and memory. The nature of the relationship between the mind and the body, including the brain and its mechanisms or activities, has been, and continues to be, the subject of much debate.

Understandably, for those people unfamiliar with professional care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health), this APA definition may be confusing. Regarding the mind, I attempted to clarify this topic in a blogpost entitled Mind Tricks, as I stated:

Not to oversimplify matters, I think it’s important to note that the mind is not the same thing as the brain. Whereas the brain is the hardware, the mind relates to software—with understanding that some people oppose this comparison.

Think of smartphone components (i.e., circuits, chips, cellular modem, etc.) representing the brain. As well, the physical structure—or phone casing—is akin to the body.

Imagine the function of an operating system (e.g., iOS) with various applications (apps) as how the mind works. One may have an iPhone with iOS and various apps running (mind)—all encased in a smartphone shell (body)—which are dependent on components (brain).

Given this description, colloquially speaking, the idiomatic expression related to losing one’s mind mistakenly connotes experiencing a mental disorder: going insane. Concerning this phrase, I stated in a blogpost entitled Insane in the Membrane:

[B]oth “insane” and “crazy” are used synonymously in common parlance. Still, that which is colloquially considered to be insane doesn’t indicate insanity which the [APA] defines as “in law, a condition of the mind that renders a person incapable of being responsible for their criminal acts.”

Also, different regions within the United States (U.S.) maintain contrasting legal definitions and statutes regarding legal insanity. Interestingly, there’s no APA definition for “insane” or “crazy,” though the term “mental disorder” is thusly defined by the Association as:

[A]ny condition characterized by cognitive and emotional disturbances, abnormal behaviors, impaired functioning, or any combination of these. Such disorders cannot be accounted for solely by environmental circumstances and may involve physiological, genetic, chemical, social, and other factors.

The important takeaway point thus far is that “insanity” is a legal term, “mental disorder” is a medical term, and “insane” is merely a term commonly used to indicate irrationality—that which isn’t in accordance with both logic and reason.” This distinction is relevant.

Provided this framework, to lose one’s mind merely indicates that an individual has become irrational. When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I find it useful to use syllogisms to illustrate points concerning irrationality, as follows:

Form (modus ponens) –

If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

Example –

If the First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, then Senator (Sen.) Rand Paul (Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee) preferably shouldn’t say that people “don’t necessarily have a right to say things.”

The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.

Therefore, Sen. Rand Paul preferably shouldn’t say that people “don’t necessarily have a right to say things.”

Although Sen. Paul’s statement doesn’t constitute the making of a congressional law, and given the fact that his assertion is covered under the clause of free speech, I maintain that the senator’s statement violates his own libertarian principles. Hey you! You’re losing your mind!

Favorably, I use the REBT tool of unconditional acceptance to keep from self-disturbing with irrational beliefs when one of the only U.S. politicians I respect has apparently lost his mind. Alas, why must I lose my mind when Sen. Paul ostensibly has? That does no one any good!

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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