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Reactivated

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • 5 days ago
  • 6 min read

 

When recently listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Lysa Chain, I heard the track “Reactivated” (2025) from Popof and Sarah de Warren. Immediately, I thought of a psychoeducational lesson regarding Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

 

Specifically, 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. This is known as self-disturbance.

 

Unhelpfully, people sometimes refer to the unpleasant experience of self-upset as having their “buttons” pushed or being “triggered.” Characterizing the ABC model in this way removes one’s personal agency, as well as personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”).

 

I’ve even heard of people using the term “activated” to describe cognitive, emotive, sensational, and behavioral reactions—all unpleasant Consequences of Beliefs. For further context relating to this term, one source states:

 

Though we usually use the word ‘triggered’ to describe these kinds of [unpleasant] feelings, I’ve been experimenting with using the term ‘activated’ instead. According to the Polyvagal Equine Institute: “to be activated implies the ability to deactivate.”

 

This reframe has helped me to see sticky emotions in a neutral way, to stop myself from jumping to conclusions about my emotional experience or labelling it as bad or wrong.

 

When we are feeling activated our first impulse can be to run and hide, act out or to use coping methods that ultimately aren’t good for us in the long run, and bringing ourselves back into embodiment can feel hard or impossible.

 

Though this characterization isn’t representative of proper use, the term “activation” has utility within the field of psychology. For instance, the American Psychological Association states that activation relates to:

 

[T]he process of alerting an organ or body system for action, particularly arousal of one organ or system by another. An example is the pituitary gland’s release of hormones that activate the ovaries and testes for puberty.

 

Regarding REBT, from a psychological standpoint, people disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

 

From an A-C outlook, the pituitary gland’s release of hormones (Action) causes activation of the ovaries and testes for puberty (Consequence). However, from a B-C perspective, events simply don’t activate a person into an unhelpful cognitive, emotive, sensational, or behavioral reaction.

 

For example, you learn about your misuse of the terms “buttons,” “triggered,” and “activated” (Action) and Believe, “Deric shouldn’t criticize the way I talk, because I don’t actually have personal agency or ownership regarding how I feel,” as you then become angry (Consequence).

 

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.

 

Still, I imagine that people who deny themselves agency and ownership for their own self-disturbed outcomes will further lie to themselves about how “activated” they supposedly are by what I’m advocating herein. They may then allegedly become “reactivated” by B-C narratives.

 

If this description applies to you, then so be it. Your unfavorable outcome is known as self-disturbance in REBT theory. Yet, you can irrationally claim that I’ve somehow “reactivated” your unpleasant reaction. Meanwhile, I’m not bothered in the slightest. Enjoy your victimhood.

 

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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References:

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

Bailey, R. (2022, March 21). Activation vs triggered. Polyvagal Equine Institute. Retrieved from https://polyvagalequineinstitute.com/learn/activation-vs-triggering/

Goodwin, E. and Starkey, J. (2023, August 14). What do you do when you’re feeling activated? Jenna Starkey Coaching LLC. Retrieved from https://jennastarkey.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-are-feeling-activatedtriggered

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Lysa Chain. (2025, July 13). Lysa Chain - LUAU dj set [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ajIHgdaHm-o?si=vYzf8mkpYQQM4bwM

O’Sullivan, K. and Tonks, P. (2025, March 26). Donald Trump says he was ‘activated’ last week in disturbing slip amid Kremlin spy fears. Express Newspapers. Retrieved from https://www.express.co.uk/news/us/2032494/donald-trump-activated-last-week-disturbing-kremlin-spy-fears

Reinier Zonneveld / Filth on Acid. (2025, March 13). Popof x Sarah de Warren - Reactivated [FOA192] [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1OLevaxIPfQ?si=bCvLWgpSM5WtRubS

Spotify. (n.d.). Lysa Chain. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/artist/1JLu26U8M1xnWyskJtxVIc

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