From time to time, I’m surprised when realizing how many electronic dance music (EDM) tracks I’ve forgotten throughout the years. When these songs were first released, it was as though they were unforgettable. Yet, with the passage of time, I’ve failed to recall the once celebrated jams.
Recently, I was reminded of one such track when listening to a DJ set by Lysa Chain which featured Gala’s song “Freed from Desire” that was released the year following my graduation from high school, though Chain’s set contained a remix from TiMO ODV and Aidin Caye.
Lyrics include, “My love has got no money, he’s got his strong beliefs,” “Want more and more, people just want more and more,” and, “Freed from desire, mind and senses purified.” I recall listening to the song years ago, though not perceiving it as I do now.
In specific, I consider the track through the frame of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) while thinking of the ABC model and unconditional acceptance (UA). These are the two primary techniques used with this helpful psychotherapeutic modality.
First, the ABC model illustrates that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe some unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption and not the occurrence itself that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This tool requires use of personal ownership.
Second, UA is a method of relieving self-induced suffering caused by your belief-consequence reaction to undesirable circumstances. Similar to how the ABC model uses personal ownership regarding self-disturbance, UA acknowledges how little control and influence you actually have.
When contemplating lyrics of “Freed from Desire,” I’m reminded of something that I wrote in a blogpost entitled Desire and Disturbance, as I stated:
I think the elements which differentiate the experience of wanting something and suffering associated with desire are—in the most literal sense—all within our minds. The (A)ction of a desire isn’t the problem.
Rather, attachment to a (B)elief is how we disturb ourselves into (C)onsequences of unhelpful emotions, unpleasant bodily sensations, and maladaptive behaviors. It’s as simple as A-B-C.
It isn’t necessarily that “people just want more and more,” as suggested by Gala, that serves as a problem regarding desire. Rather, demandingness is a main driver in self-disturbance. Using myself as an example, I stated of this irrational belief in a blogpost entitled Desire:
If I transitioned from merely desiring to outright demanding that I need to be of use to other people, or that I must be an exceptional therapist, then I’d likely under-serve my own interests and goals as well as perform poorly in regard to the people with whom I practice REBT.
Given this perspective, desire isn’t necessarily something from which you ought to free yourself in order to keep your “mind and senses purified,” as referenced in “Freed from Desire.” Instead, ridding yourself of rigid demands may be of significant use.
With this psychoeducational lesson in mind, consider what Gala said about her intimate partner, “My love has got no money, he’s got his strong beliefs.” Being broke while desiring additional funds isn’t a problem, because “strong beliefs” in the form of demands are the larger issue.
Perhaps you can free yourself of all desire, as some Buddhists may strive to do. Even striving of that sort is a form of desire. Still, there’s nothing unhealthy about this, from my perspective. Only when one inflexibly demands that one must be freed from desire does it become a problem.
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
References:
Do it Yourself. (2013, October 30). Gala - Freed from Desire [Official video] [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/p3l7fgvrEKM?si=WE7Gb1PZ4p7lbKMr
Hollings, D. (2024, November 15). Assumptions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/assumptions
Hollings, D. (2022, May 17). Circle of concern. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/circle-of-concern
Hollings, D. (2024, October 27). Correlation does not imply causation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/correlation-does-not-imply-causation
Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness
Hollings, D. (2024, October 21). Desire. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/desire
Hollings, D. (2022, May 28). Desire and disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/desire-and-disturbance
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
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2024, January 2). Interests and goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/interests-and-goals
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2024, June 2). Nonadaptive behavior. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/nonadaptive-behavior
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2022, November 7). Personal ownership. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-ownership
Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Psychoeducation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychoeducation
Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
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. (2024, March 14). REBT and emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rebt-and-emotions
Hollings, D. (2024, January 4). Rigid vs. rigorous. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rigid-vs-rigorous
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Sensation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/sensation
Hollings, D. (2023, September 6). The absence of suffering. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-absence-of-suffering
Hollings, D. (2022, December 25). The B-C connection. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-b-c-connection
Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal
Hollings, D. (2025, January 9). Traditional ABC model. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/traditional-abc-model
Hollings, D. (2024, October 20). Unconditional acceptance redux. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-acceptance-redux
Lysa Chain. (2024, August 22). Lysa Chain - Melodic techno live set [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/B2JQuG0XnP0?si=5VPVFzD3L1xCI0BC
SoundCloud. (n.d.). Aidin Caye. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/aidincaye
SoundCloud. (n.d.). Lysa Chain. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/lysachain
SoundCloud. (n.d.). TiMO ODV. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/timoodv
TiMO ODV. (2024, May 30). Freed from Desire [Image; video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/jTkt0lcUcFY?si=YuzX8Pbqg2HUOEz9
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Gala (singer). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala_(singer)
Comments