During my second year in Okinawa, Japan, a crime comedy film by the name of Go was released. I appreciated its representation of electronic dance music (EDM) culture, as it depicted the private venue rave scene that was popular at the time.
The soundtrack for the film included a track from EDM artist BT entitled “Believer.” The only lyrics of the song state, “I’m a believer.” When hearing this tune in the movie, I was excited, because popular EDM artists were starting to be featured more in modern film at the time.
When thinking of the title of the track, I contemplate Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and a former client whose education in philosophy essentially rendered him a radical skeptic. According to one source:
Skepticism, also spelled scepticism in British English, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the person doubts that these claims are accurate. In such cases, skeptics normally recommend not disbelief but suspension of belief, i.e. maintaining a neutral attitude that neither affirms nor denies the claim. This attitude is often motivated by the impression that the available evidence is insufficient to support the claim.
In its radical form, skepticism essentially rejects the claim that anything is knowable. Thus, a skeptic who subscribes to this extreme worldview doesn’t believe in anything. How can a psychotherapist effectively use REBT with such an individual?
As is reflected in BT’s song, “I’m a believer” in a number of topics (e.g., I believe that I exist). Still, I’m skeptical regarding a number of subjects (e.g., I’m uncertain that most matters reported by the Mockingbird media are factual).
While I understand the basic premises of radical skeptics and even postmodernists, I don’t believe that nothing is to be believed, that everything is unknowable, or that nothing actually exists. For context, consider how one source describes skeptics:
The one who believes has suppressed skepticism and therefore always suspects skepticism outside even where it doesn’t exist. The one who is a skeptic has suppressed belief and therefore suspects belief outside even where it doesn’t exist. Skeptics threaten the believers, believers threaten the skeptics. This threat plays out in a very subtle way, so one tries to hold on stronger to belief or skepticism by attacking the opposing viewpoint.
Although I wasn’t threatened by the aforementioned client, I did attempt to use disputation of his suppressed belief system. In REBT, the ABC model is used to illustrate how when Actions occur and one Believes something about the events, one’s assumptions create emotional and behavioral Consequences.
The process of upsetting oneself with irrational beliefs is referred to as self-disturbance. Addressing the belief-consequence disturbance, Disputation of unproductive assumptions is used in order to adopt more Effective new beliefs.
However, if an individual doesn’t believe that unfavorable assumptions exist, supposedly because nothing is truly knowable – yet the person self-disturbs nonetheless, presumably through use of some sort of belief system – REBT practice can become unnecessarily complicated.
Demonstrating how complex this matter actually is, one source on skepticism states:
Belief and disbelief are two of the so-called doxastic attitudes that we can adopt towards a proposition. We can also, of course, not even consider a proposition, and thus not adopt any doxastic attitude towards it. But most philosophers would hold that in addition to belief and disbelief there is a third possible doxastic attitude that we can adopt towards a proposition: we can suspend judgment (or withhold assent) with respect to it. Suspension of judgment is thus a bona fide doxastic attitude alongside belief and disbelief, and is not to be equated with the failure to adopt any doxastic attitude. Because it is a genuine doxastic attitude, suspension of judgment (just like belief and disbelief, and unlike the failure to form any doxastic attitude) can itself be justified or unjustified.
Thus, a skeptic can believe, disbelieve, or suspend judgment regarding any given matter. As an example, suspension of judgement isn’t justified in respect to my assertion that Austin is the state capital of Texas.
Yet, suspension of judgment is justified in regard to the number of federal agents and informants at the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021, because that information hasn’t been released and is thus unknowable to the general public. To me, these two examples are understandable.
Nevertheless, one who maintains a radical skeptic point of view is somewhat confusing to me, even though I comprehend that a person can maintain that nothing is knowable or believable. To better understand how radical skepticism may impair the psychotherapeutic process, consider the following syllogism:
Form (hypothetical) –
If p, then q; if q, then r; therefore, if p, then r.
Example –
If nothing is truly knowable, then nothing is believable.
If nothing is believable, then REBT theory isn’t to be believed.
Therefore, if nothing is truly knowable, then REBT theory isn’t to be believed.
In a blogpost entitled Understanding, Belief, and Practice I plainly stated, “I suspect that a lack of understanding, failure to believe, and neglect of practice have played a key role in why some people have neglected or abandoned REBT altogether.” This is true of a radical skeptic, as well.
While I can appreciate that some people choose the absurdity of living as though nothing is knowable, I’m a believer in some things. If people rigidly refuse to at least consider that beliefs are what cause self-disturbance, then I have no problem with referring these individuals out to other options for behavioral health care. In such cases, these people may Go.
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:
Comesaña, J. (2019, December 5). Skepticism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/skepticism/
Hollings, D. (2024, May 30). Behavioral health care. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/behavioral-health-care
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. (2024, April 2). Four major irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/four-major-irrational-beliefs
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
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