I live in in Travis County, in which Austin, Texas is located. Although I’m not a member of the Democratic Party or Republican Party, as I don’t participate in the voting process, I’m well-aware that Austin is generally understood to be a blue (Democratic Party) city.
Regarding this matter, and concerning the 2024 United States presidential election results, one source reports, “Harris won in Travis County with 68.62% of the votes. Still, Trump was able to gain some ground in the Democratic stronghold county picking up three percent more votes compared to his 2020 showing.”
With this information, it’s unsurprising to me that a significant number of my Austin-based clients were Harris supporters. It was this cohort who appears to have self-disturbed the most in regard to the election. To better understand this matter, consider the ABC model.
REBT theory maintains that when an unexpected Activating event occurs and a person uses an irrational Belief about the situation, it’s one’s unhelpful attitude and not the undesirable circumstance that causes unpleasant emotional, bodily sensation, and behavioral Consequences.
Rather than remaining self-disturbed, an individual is invited to try Disputation which may lead to an Effective new belief that is used in place of an unproductive self-narrative. With the ABC model, a person learns to stop needless suffering which is caused by unhelpful assumptions.
In order to effectively practice the ABC model, personal ownership is required so that a person can challenge unhelpful beliefs rather than condemning oneself, others, and life for unpleasant reactions to events. Therefore, REBT teaches people not to blame others for one’s own experiences.
This includes other- or life-condemnation in regard to elections. Thus, when my clients neglect use of the ABC model, unproductively believing that president-elect Trump will somehow bring direct or indirect harm to these individuals, self-disturbance inevitably follows.
For example and highlighting a recent session, a Travis County client of mine stated to me about Trump’s electoral victory, “Just tell me it will be okay.” My disputational response was, “How in the world would I be able to reassure you in such a way? I can’t tell the future!”
Self-disturbance not only stems from failure to use the ABC model, it follows neglect of unconditional acceptance (UA). For some people, unqualified reassurance in place of doing the work necessary to reduce self-upset is preferable.
When contemplating rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) in this regard, I’m reminded of the electronic dance music (EDM) track “It Will Be OK” by Aly & Fila, and featuring vocals from Katherine Crowe. Lyrics include:
Where does this sadness come from
You’re in the dark on your own […]
Why do you let yourself cry
Why does your soul try to hide […]
It will be okay
The EDM track thoughtfully examines the experience of an individual who self-disturbs through use of irrational beliefs. However, rather than productively disputing the unfavorable assumptions which cause unpleasant consequences, the song offers unjustifiable reassurance.
Concerning this matter, I stated in a blogpost entitled All Right, “When practicing [REBT] I remain hesitant to tell clients everything will be all right. While reassurance may help someone feel better, I’m not convinced it contributes to a person getting better.”
The cathartic effect of feeling better stems from a psychotherapist telling clients that everything will presumably be OK. However, therapists aren’t prognosticators. We can’t accurately predict what will or won’t occur tomorrow or thereafter.
Alternatively, from the standpoint of REBT, getting better requires that clients perform the necessary – and sometimes uncomfortable – work of using the ABC model and UA. Each and every one of my clients can expect to do their own work, often in the form of homework.
This includes my Travis County clients who apparently aren’t celebrating the election results as much as other members of my Texas caseload. Besides, an individual doesn’t actually know if things will be okay, though one can take control of one’s own reaction to displeasing events.
Conclusively, I won’t offer my clients unqualified reassurance. Perhaps things won’t be OK under a Trump administration. We’ll find out together. In the meantime, we can all practice REBT either way.
If you’re looking for a provider who works 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 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 helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Aly & Fila. (2015, February 21). It Will Be Ok [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/9Dcorty6tes?si=0v-jWHTXpcWuz5x0
Drobotdean. (n.d.). Close up photo of smiling young brunette woman in checkered shirt showing ok gesture [Image]. Freepik. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/close-up-photo-smiling-young-brunette-woman-checkered-shirt-showing-ok-gesture_7287044.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=4&uuid=0703b5fa-62e5-4d3b-9547-de183ec66d54
FOX 7 Austin Digital Team. (2024, November 7). 2024 presidential election: How Central Texas counties voted compared to past elections. FOX 7. Retrieved from https://www.fox7austin.com/election/central-texas-president-vote-2024
Hollings, D. (2024, October 18). ABC model. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/abc-model
Hollings, D. (2022, December 15). All right. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/all-right
Hollings, D. (2024, June 2). Blame. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/blame
Hollings, D. (2024, November 10). Catharsis. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/catharsis
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Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2024, September 27). My attitude. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/my-attitude
Hollings, D. (2024, April 22). On disputing. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-disputing
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Hollings, D. (2022, November 7). Personal ownership. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-ownership
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Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Sensation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/sensation
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. (2022, November 2). The critical A. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-critical-a
Hollings, D. (2024, September 17). The E-C connection. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-e-c-connection
Hollings, D. (2024, October 20). Unconditional acceptance redux. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-acceptance-redux
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, November 5). You’ll enjoy yourselves. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-ll-enjoy-yourselves
Spotify. (n.d.). Katherine Crowe. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/artist/38ftXWvP6qAoIX0658t30u
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Aly & Fila. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aly_%26_Fila
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Donald Trump. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Kamala Harris. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_harris
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