People Have the Right to Self-Determination

[DISCLAIMER]

Recently, a client asked about my daily practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). “What do you do?” this individual inquired. I informed my client that I monitor various forms of media, as the social media platform Reddit rarely fails to deliver content on which I can practice.

I advocate perusing such sources for frequent practice to improve one’s own mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). Additionally, I invite you to do the same. As an example, regarding a recent mass shooting in Austin, Texas, one media source states:

The suspect [Ethan Nieneker] in the shooting outside a North Austin Target [8/11/2025] had a history of mental health issues and frequent run-ins with law enforcement since at least 2012, according to a police statement and court records from Travis and Williamson counties.

When examining this story, I think of ways to practice the two main tools of REBT: the ABC model and unconditional acceptance (UA). For instance, I ask myself what Nieneker ostensibly thought before he allegedly “killed three people,” according to one source.

Without necessarily defending, justifying, or rationalizing Nieneker’s purported behavior, I can practice the ABC model and UA regarding varying aspects of this case. Fortunately, one source provides details worthy of practice, regarding Nieneker’s alleged affidavit confession:

“I have a confession to make. I killed a man and a baby girl today. In Target. In the Target parking lot. I shot them both, because I’m Jesus,” Nieneker said after the shooting.

According to the arrest affidavit, he said he did not have a mental health diagnosis. He said he had not used any drugs in the past week, or had any alcohol since August 2024.

“I realized I was Jesus, and I had to grab my gun and shoot a couple of people to save us all. I killed these people out of love, not out of hate… I realized that I had to kill a couple of people to set everyone free, so I did it. It was just random, I guess. It was like I was just trying to get anyone I could,” Nieneker said.

As a matter of principle, I maintain the standard of innocence until or unless an individual is found guilty in a court of law. Shifting from discussion about Nieneker and to imaginary client X, I can briefly demonstrate how I practice REBT involving a similar, though fictional, event.

First, 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.

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

For example, suppose that client X has no significant mental health history and isn’t influenced by use of elicit substances or alcohol. Still, for no apparent reason, this individual ostensibly believes himself to be Yeshua, a common alternative form of the name Yehoshua (Action).

Using a GLAD narrative, client X then unhelpfully Believes, “Wretched people [G] are something I can’t abide [L], because it’s terrible [A] that their sinful ways will result in eternal damnation, so I must shoot them with the cleansing power of my everlasting salvation [D]!”

With this unaccommodating self-narrative, client X then experiences racing thoughts during target selection (cognitive), joyous excitement (emotive), and tingling throughout his body (sensory), as he commits a mass shooting (behavioral)—all Consequences of his Belief.

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.

Suppose that client X wasn’t experiencing a psychotic episode (a period during which an individual exhibits psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech). Without other causes for his reaction, a Belief-Consequence connection is possible.

This is precisely the self-disturbing process for which Disputation is necessary. Still, the method of challenging personal philosophies of life can take longer than I care to demonstrate herein.

Thus, in the interest of time, imagine that after a period of rigorous Disputation client X eventually uses the Effective new belief, “If it’s true that I’m Yeshua, I can remember what I said in Matthew 22: 39, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Is shooting people an act of love?”

The second main tool of REBT is the technique of UA which is developed to relieve suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acceptance (UOA), and unconditional life-acceptance (ULA).

Imagine that client X helpfully concludes, “I’m merely a fallible human being, not Yeshua [USA]. Similarly, other people aren’t wretched; they’re merely flawed individuals [UOA]. Likewise, life itself is imperfect [ULA], which is why Yeshua died for the sins of humanity.”

Predictably, one source states of Nieneker’s case, “Typically, in a situation like this where there is that, the behavior is so bizarre and so extreme that you would expect it to be a mental health defense-type case and a plea of insanity.” Regarding this proposal, psychosis s defined thusly:

[A]n abnormal mental state involving significant problems with reality testing It is characterized by serious impairments or disruptions in the most fundamental higher brain functions—perception, cognition and cognitive processing, and emotions or affect—as manifested in behavioral phenomena, such as delusions, hallucinations, and significantly disorganized speech.

One imagines psychosis will be raised in Nieneker’s defense, as a number of clients on my former caseload for a criminal justice diversion program had attorneys who raised a similar defense. Regarding further practice of REBT, I now turn to Reddit as one Redditor stated:

I posted last week looking for advice for finding mental health care (my friend’s brother suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, ocd, ptsd, and bipolar). The short story is, if someone isn’t willing to cooperate with getting mental health care there’s nothing that can be done. Even if that person seems to be deteriorating, all you can do is wait for them to do something that gets them arrested and then hope it’s nothing that hurts them or anyone else.

And even if they are arrested, they’ll probably be kicked loose after a day or a week.

They managed to get her brother on the waiting list for a bed in a facility, but it’s something like a year-long waiting list. And in the past when they’ve managed to get him in facilities he always just signed himself out.

Our system is woefully underfunded.

The clients on my former caseload encountered similar circumstances. This is a complex systems issue. Yet, I don’t maintain that adequately funding “our system” will resolve this matter, due to perverse incentives (e.g., increasing the cost of care for everyone, due to socialized healthcare).

Unfortunately, there aren’t any simple answers to this well-known issue. Further complicating matters, in response to the Redditor’s statement, another Redditor replied:

This is the truth. People have the right to self determination and they can “self neglect” if they want to. It can make anyone who is trying to assist feel powerless. The situations are very complicated and I don’t want just anyone with mental health issues to be placed in a facility, but he clearly was troubled for a while and had been violent towards others on multiple occasions so you want the system to have done more than they did. So often we see people locked up for much less. So many inequalities, but also so many falling between the cracks.

In a blogpost entitled Self-Determination and Autonomy, I argued, “Self-determination refers to the ability to make choices and decisions for oneself, while autonomy refers to the freedom to act on those choices and decisions.” In the United States, people have a right to self-determination.

Even though it may be tempting for people to conclude that institutionalizing people in incarceration settings, state hospitals, etc. may be appropriate for mental health needs, I disagree. Still, I also acknowledge that some people with mental health issues commit heinous crimes.

As such, I concur with the second Redditor in regard to the situation being “very complicated.” However, I don’t endorse the “many inequalities” aspect, as I recognize that phrase as relating to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility (DEIA)—of which I’m not a fan.

In any event, I practice UA regarding the systemic issues addressed by the cited Redditors. In particular, I acknowledge that I have no control or influence over these issues. Thus, I admit that the only thing I can control in this regard is my reaction to these matters.

Similarly, if I’m in public and an individual unfavorably decides to commit a mass shooting while blocking my ingress to a facility or egress from the event, then it’ll be time to cue The Diplomats’ sample of Marvin Gaye’s song “Let’s Get It On”, because I control my index finger.

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

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, 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, Lorianne Willett/KUT News, fair use

References:

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