How does one adequately describe the sensation of being at a live electronic dance music (EDM) event to a degree whereby the reader can relate to the experience in a meaningful way? Is the description told from the perspective of a DJ?
If so, how does one account in speech what it’s like influencing a crowd to move their bodies in unison with pulsating music? Would the description of this point of view genuinely reflect the sensation of a DJ?
Does the angle to consider instead relate to the dancer at a club, rave, or festival? How does one sufficiently communicate the sensation of dancing for over eight hours with virtually no lull in the action?
Would the description of this experience characterize the authentic sensation of a dancer? Moreover, what about the perspectives of vendors, promoters, technicians, and other personnel associated with the event? How does one authentically depict sensations of these people?
When discussing the ABC model of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I invite people to consider that when Activating events occur and we Believe something about these situations, our assumptions are what create Consequences. In this way, we create outcomes.
Consequential reactions to beliefs can take the form of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and behavior. Herein, I’ll address sensations—mental processes (such as seeing, hearing, or smelling) resulting from the immediate external stimulation of a sense organ often as distinguished from a conscious awareness of the sensory process.
For instance, human ears are organs of hearing and equilibrium. These organs contribute to the physiological sensory process. With detection and analysis of sound by way of transduction, we have the mental interpretative ability that results in the sensation of hearing.
Additionally, a sensation can relate to a state of consciousness due to internal bodily changes. As an example, if a person attends a rave and consumes MDMA (ecstasy), this internal chemical alteration produces an altered state of consciousness.
Thus, a raver on ecstasy may experience various sensations such as heightened tactile (feeling) response, imbalance (floating), euphoria (extreme happiness), and excess energy (jittery). As such, sensation relates to feeling.
When contemplating this matter, 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.
On the album Happy 2b Hardcore Chapter 3, Anabolic Frolic featured DJ Sy & DJ Demo’s song “Sensation.” Lyrics include, “Sensation [x4] I can feel it. Can you feel it forever and ever?”
Listening to the album evokes memories associated with my days of raving and joyous times. I could adequately describe that experience, though my characterization of events is subjective so the reader may not feel the bodily sensation I experienced from that time in my life.
Noteworthy, a sensation technically isn’t an emotion such as joy, fear, anger, sorrow, disgust, surprise, etc. Stating something like, “I sensed joy when raving,” is a mischaracterization of the term. Rather, it would be proper to say, “I felt joy when raving.”
This begs the question about my earlier allusion to the sensation of “euphoria (extreme happiness).” Admittedly, one may be pedantically nitpicky in this regard by appropriately describing euphoria as a feeling or experience versus an actual sensation.
Given this information, to answer posed questions from the beginning of this blog entry, one may be able to describe bodily feelings, though these sensations aren’t the same thing as expression of sense—conscious awareness of rationality (e.g., I sense danger when hearing gunshots).
Likewise, bodily sensations aren’t synonymous with emotions. Thus, one can describe feelings (emotions and bodily sensations), experiences (the act of being in a moment), or interpretations (explanations of something), though one cannot adequately or appropriately describe an accurate depiction of another person’s authentic sensation.
The purpose of the brief exploration is to illustrate the need for clarity when describing the consequences of one’s beliefs. Quite often, I find that people automatically presume I know what they mean when referring to sensation. I assure the reader, I do not.
Therefore, use of words with intention when describing matters may be helpful when communicating with others. If one is able to adequately articulate an experience to other people, one may also be able to do so when asking oneself, “What sensation am I feeling?” when under duress.
This ability may lead to clarity and enrich the process of identifying consequences associated with the ABC model. In closing, I’m able to describe sensations associated with my days of raving, because I know the distinction between feelings, experiences, interpretations, and sensations.
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 original 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:
Discogs. (n.d.). DJ Sy & DJ Demo* – Sensation / Deeper. Retrieved from https://www.discogs.com/release/148622-DJ-Sy-DJ-Demo-Sensation-Deeper
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2022, November 9). The ABC model. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-abc-model
Pau Mas. (2024, March 2). Futuristic festival brimming with numerous drums and speaker […] [Image]. Playground. Retrieved from https://playground.com/post/cltajuu7y001gs6013jidy8di
Rave Nation. (2013, August 6). Anabolic Frolic - Happy 2B Hardcore Chapter 3 [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/uTm518mgAf4?si=smN0z5WIugefGnU-
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Anabolic Frolic. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolic_Frolic
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Happy hardcore. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_hardcore
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Happy 2b Hardcore. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_2b_Hardcore