Mind, Body, and Soul

[DISCLAIMER]

When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Livvy, I heard her spin the track “Mind Body Soul” (2025) by Veerus. Not an uncommon theme in EDM, the lyrics state, “Music for your mind. Music for your body. Music for your soul.”

When discussing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), these three elements of human life often emerge within the content of my blog. Therefore, it may be beneficial to define these terms. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the mind is thusly defined:

1. broadly, 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. See mind–body problem; philosophy of mind.

2. the substantive content of such mental and psychic processes.

3. consciousness or awareness, particularly as specific to an individual.

4. a set of emergent properties automatically derived from a brain that has achieved sufficient biological sophistication. In this sense, the mind is considered more the province of humans and of human consciousness than of organisms in general.

5. human consciousness regarded as an immaterial entity distinct from the brain. See Cartesian dualism; ghost in the machine.

6. the brain itself and its activities. In this view, the mind essentially is both the anatomical organ and what it does.

7. intention or volition.

8. opinion or point of view.

9. the characteristic mode of thinking of a group, such as the criminal mind or the military mind.

In a blogpost entitled Mind Tricks, I crudely stated of my perspective regarding the mind (i.e., abstract) versus the brain (i.e., physical):

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 that I conceptualize the brain as a physical component that serves as part of the overall human body, as the mind is the process of the brain, it may be of some use to briefly describe what the body is. According to the APA, the body is thusly defined:

1. the entire physical structure of an organism, such as the human body.

2. the physical body as opposed to the mental processes of a human being.

3. the trunk or torso of a human or nonhuman animal.

4. the main part of a structure or organ, such as the body of the penis.

5. a discrete anatomical or cytological structure, such as the Barr body (see sex chromatin).

The concept of what constitutes a human body is fairly straightforward. Of course, things become a bit trickier when discussing whether or not you are still yourself if your hand is removed from your body. This brings into view the soul, which the APA thusly defines:

[T]he nonphysical aspect of a human being, considered responsible for the functions of mind and individual personality and often thought to live on after the death of the physical body. The English word corresponds to the Greek psyche, often also translated as “mind,” and the Latin anima, usually translated as “spirit.”

The concept of the soul was present in early Greek thinking and has been an important feature of many philosophical systems and most religions. Some traditional areas of debate have included whether the soul is material or immaterial, whether nonhuman animals, plants, or seemingly inert natural objects have souls (see panpsychism), and whether the soul is individual, allowing the personality to persist after death, or whether it is a reflection of a universal “cosmic” soul.

Because the existence of the soul has resisted empirical verification, science has generally ignored the concept, and those who adhere to materialism, positivism, or reductionism reject it absolutely.

Despite this, the term survives in the general language to mean the deepest center of a person’s identity and the seat of their most important moral, emotional, and aesthetic experiences.

Much to the chagrin of others, I categorize the mind and soul as essentially one in the same. Both are abstract concepts, and neither meets the standards of reliability and validity concerning scientific rigor (e.g., deconstructing elements with readily identifiable material features).

Nevertheless, I behave as though each fallible human being maintains some process of the mind (i.e., function of the soul). In simple terms, the mind, body, and soul represent distinct aspects of human existence. As well, some of these elements are verifiable while others aren’t.

The physical vessel (i.e., body), the seat of intellect and consciousness (i.e., mind), and the conceptually immortal and inner essence (i.e., soul) are considered to be what separates humans from other animals and beings within the world. This is a matter of abstraction and materialism.

From this perspective, the body is material and mortal (i.e., a hand). However, the mind that processes thoughts and emotions, as well as the soul that is said to connect to higher purpose or spirituality, aren’t material and are arguably immortal—if you believe in that sort of concept.

I believe my opinion regarding the soul doesn’t impede my ability to practice REBT with others who believe in such a notion, because my view is that of an agnostic (a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality, such as a supreme being, is unknown and probably unknowable).

Thus, my non-dogmatic approach to working with the mind, body, and soul favors the outcome of what one does, not what one is. If you believe that you have an ethereal essence within you while I don’t know if I do, we can still collaborate to address the problems you bring to session.

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:

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

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Cartesian dualism. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/cartesian-dualism

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Apple Music. (n.d.). Veerus. Apple Inc. Retrieved from https://music.apple.com/us/artist/veerus/258271946

Cobb, M. (2020, February 27). Why your brain is not a computer. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/27/why-your-brain-is-not-a-computer-neuroscience-neural-networks-consciousness

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

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

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Hollings, D. (2024, April 13). Motivated reasoning. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/motivated-reasoning

Hollings, D. (2024, July 7). Non-dogmatic preferences. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/non-dogmatic-preferences

Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth

Hollings, D. (2024, November 18). Opinions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/opinions

Hollings, D. (2025, December 29). Paradoxical intention: Doing the opposite. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/paradoxical-intention-doing-the-opposite

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Hollings, D. (2023, November 23). Problems. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/problems

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Hollings, D. (2024, January 20). Reliability vs. validity. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/reliability-vs-validity

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Le Club Records | Veerus | Maxie Devine. (2025, June 12). Veerus - Mind Body Soul (Original Mix) [Image; video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/A7BN6du7yIU?si=PbZ8Nlnc9-RXHSjj

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