Inhibition: You've Got to Give It up Till You Can't Get Enough

[DISCLAIMER]

When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness.

For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how 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. That negative outcome is disturbance.

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

It’s worth noting that the two forms of should, must, and ought-type demands with which people most often self-disturb are associated with use of absolutistic and conditional should beliefs. Generally speaking, these serve as rigid commands used toward oneself, others, and life.

An absolute must narrative is, “You absolutely must do as I say!” A conditional should narrative is, “Either you should do as I say, or you should be punished!” Noteworthy, in REBT literature, demandingness of this sort is said to function as a primary appraisal mechanism of disturbance.

Global evaluations (i.e., self-downing, other-downing, and life-downing), low frustration tolerance (also known as frustration intolerance), and awfulizing (e.g., terrible, horrible, etc.) function as secondary appraisal mechanisms. Together, GLAD will make you sad or mad, etc.

While still serving as prescriptive rather than descriptive, flexible use of recommendatory, preferential, ideal, empirical, moral and ethical, and legal ought beliefs won’t inevitably cause disturbance, as they may align with distress. Rigidity versus flexibility makes a difference.

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.

Noteworthy, natural forms of distress are tolerable (i.e., mild anxiousness, sorrow, frustration, annoyance, disappointment, etc.). Even though unnatural forms of disturbance are also tolerable (e.g., enragement), my approach to REBT seeks the outcome which is more likely to be endured.

Now, I offer a finer point of understanding in regard to the ABC model. There are a number of flexible and inflexible terms related to demandingness which serve as derivatives to “should,” “must,” and “ought” types of self-disturbing philosophies regarding life.

For instance, “In order to understand what I’m saying, you have to pay attention,” “You better not allow your mind to wander,” “You need to listen,” and, “If you want to stop self-disturbing, then you gotta practice REBT.” Perhaps real-world examples may enrich your comprehension.

In 2007, electronic dance music (EDM) group Natural Born Grooves released the song “Candy on the Dancefloor” with a video that was the stuff of nightmares! In what was presumably supposed to look like chocolate confectionary dancing around, the subject looked like poop.

Photo credit, fair use

Imagine being sound asleep. As you dream, an animated poop-like candy figure with a fixed smile on its face dances around. Meanwhile, as is sometimes the case during nonsensical dreams, a soundtrack plays with the following lyrics:

Ooooh, don’t you know you gimme that good feeling? Yeah, yeah (x2)

You’ve got to give it up

Till you can’t get enough

Wanna see your candy on the dance floor, yeah

Come on now, push it up

Girl, you’ve got what I want

Gimme something good, so I can feel more, yeah

Wake up! Or, maybe you’re down with that sort of dream. Sexual innuendos, animated poop that dances, and a smooth track playing all the while is precisely what some people desire. Of course, I’m being a little too hard on the conceptual video.

I appreciate Natural Born Grooves—a collective that released EDM when the rave scene in the late ‘90s was something to behold (unlike the commercialized scene of the moment)! Thus, I’ll set aside my issue with the video and continue with the lesson on a demandingness derivative.

When stating “you’ve got to give it up till you can’t get enough,” it’s as though the vocalist is flexibly saying “you preferably should give it up till you can’t get enough.” In essence, it’s a malleable invitation to a good time on the dancefloor by letting go of inhibitions.

Noteworthy, the American Psychological Association defines inhibition as “the process of restraining one’s impulses or behavior, either consciously or unconsciously, due to factors such as lack of confidence, fear of consequences, or moral qualms” (e.g., an inhibition about dancing).

When further contemplating EDM songs of the energetic ‘90s rave scene, I think of the subgenre of hardcore dance music known as happy hardcore. In particular, I recall DJ Anabolic Frolic’s Happy 2b Hardcore CD series which featured songs with 140+ beats per minute.

I purchased a number of CDs from the DJ’s lineup and though I didn’t dance to happy hardcore at raves, I once enjoyed listening to the music in my personal time. Somehow, the rapidity of the beats matched the pace of my thoughts, which resulted in a calming phenomenon.

Similarly, Vinylgroover released Happy Hardcore Anthems (1998) containing the song “Just for You” with lyrics that stated, “Hide away from the years of wishin’ only for today. Never let your inhibitions get in the way. Don’t you ever let things get in the way. Just take things day by day.”

Using a flexible form of demandingness, the inferred meaning is that one recommendatorily shouldn’t allow inhibitions to prevent attainment of personal interests and goals. I relate this matter to success (a favorable or desired outcome), which inhibition can impede.

Whether it’s how you preferably should give it up till you can’t get enough, or concerning how you recommendatorily shouldn’t allow inhibitions to prevent attainment of personal interests and goals, I invite you to consider what may have you blocked up from achieving success.

(That was a poop joke.) In any event, if you use flexible beliefs which keep you regular, then you’ll likely achieve success. Yet, if you maintain inflexible demandingness, then you’re in for a shitty time! (That was another poop joke.) Thus, you’ve got to give it up! Let go of inhibition!

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

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