Voices in My Mind

[DISCLAIMER]

There are many aspects from the 90s which I miss. For instance, a lot of the electronic dance music (EDM) released at that time had a different impact on me than much of the commercialized tracks within the past 20 years or so.

As an example, in 1994, EDM collective known as Voices (comprised of Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez and Louie Vega) released the song “Voices in My Mind”. This gritty house music track wasn’t overly engineered, as much of today’s EDM arguably is, and the lyrics stated:

I hear the voice of freedom

Oh, yes I do

And it’s tellin’ me we need to be free

From all the pain that we’ve been

That we’ve been through

Freedom! Freedom, that’s what we need

We don’t need to cry

I hear the voice, I hear the voice

The voice of freedom

I hear the voice inside of me

Voices in my mind [x3] all the time

I can feel it [x3]

In keeping with the simplified though personally powerful message, allow me to elegantly illustrate these lyrics using the ABC model of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). This helpful tool demonstrates how one’s beliefs cause healthy distress or unhealthy disturbance.

In specific, the ABC model is used to illustrate how 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 which can be healthy or unhealthy.

As an example of healthy distress, imagine that someone makes fun of you (Action) and you Believe, “People preferably shouldn’t tease me, though I can tolerate it when they do.” This narrative then causes frustration, annoyance, or disappointment (Consequence).

Alternatively, considering unhealthy disturbance, suppose that someone makes fun of you (Action) and you Believe, “People absolutely mustn’t tease me, because it’s awful when they do, and I can’t stand it!” This narrative then causes rage and assaultive behavior (Consequence).

What separates healthy distress from healthy disturbance is (1) whether or not your self-narrative is malleable and (2) the result you experience cognitively (e.g., ruminating thoughts), emotively (e.g., rage), sensationally (e.g., tightness in your chest), and behaviorally (e.g., assaultive action).

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.

Presuming you understand the somewhat simplified manner in which I presented the ABC model, allow me to share another aspect from the 90s that I miss. I suspect those people who were fans of EDM from the mid-90s to the mid-00s may appreciate the following reference.

I used to frequently listen to Judge Jules, a British EDM DJ, record producer, and entertainment lawyer who was voted DJ Mag’s number one DJ in the world back in 1995. Reminiscently, I often looked forward to the latest releases by the DJ when posted overseas while in the military.

In 1997, under the label of multimedia entertainment business Ministry of Sound, Judge Jules released Classics which I found on YouTube as CD1 and CD2 for your listening pleasure. The EDM DJ favorably closed out CD2 with “Voices in My Mind” by Voices.

Keeping with my appreciation for the 90s, with “Voices in My Mind” at the forefront of my attention, I’m reminded of a scene in the 1998 film The Waterboy. The cinematic act unfolds as follows, with Coach Klein attempting to motivate burgeoning football player Bobby Boucher:

Coach Klein: Bobby, where was the intensity that I saw yesterday?

Bobby Boucher: That wasn’t no intensity. You said it was all right to fight back, and I ju… I just started thinkin’ about all the people who… who been mean to me over the years.

Coach Klein: That’s it. That’s it! I want you to think about all those mean people. They’re gonna be your tackling fuel.

Bobby Boucher: Tacklin’ fuel.

Coach Klein: We’re gonna use them to play football.

Bobby Boucher: Tacklin’ fuel.

Coach Klein: I want you to pretend that Casey [motioning toward another football player] is insulting you.

Bobby Boucher: Pretend?

Coach Klein: I want you to visualize all those people that have been mean to you, and then I want you to attack! I want you to visualize, and then attack! Can you handle that?

Bobby Boucher: I’ll try.

Coach Klein: He’s gonna try.

Bobby Boucher: [Bobby envisions people teasing him] No!!

Casey: [unable to hear the voices in Bobby’s mind] “No,” what?

Bobby Boucher: [Bobby yells while aggressively tackling Casey]

Photo credit, fair use

This scene from The Waterboy humorously illustrates the difference between a self-distressed and self-disturbed state of mind. Rather than allowing an unhelpful Belief-Consequence connection to result in useless rage, Bobby directed the voices in his mind toward useful anger.

After all, the ability to readily use healthy distress in the form of anger on a football field may be required for effective participation from a football player. Noteworthy, unlike some clinicians in the field of mental, emotional, and behavioral health, I don’t view all anger as unhealthy.

Perhaps the voices in one’s own mind disagree with my view. Good. One can then use those voices as tacklin’ fuel toward a preferred outcome. As for me, I miss many aspects from the 90s, while also remaining grateful for the lessons I’ve learned along the way. Tacklin’ fuel!

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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