Thursday, 14 August 2025

The Word is Not The Person - General Semantics, REBT, reality and Have a...

How we perceive the world, others and ourselves is our own

constructed version of the reality we experience. Reality then is our

version of how we perceive it to be. It’s a persistent illusion

according to Albert Einstein and Douglas Adams says everything in

the universe we perceive is specific to us. Dr Seuss says there is ‘no

one alive who is youer than you,’ we are unique it is said, but what

kind of ‘you’ are we constructing, what is our virtual take on the

reality we experience and are we constructing a healthy view of the

unique ‘self’ possessed by each of us.

Have a Go Spaghettio! ‘s goal is to help children understand that as

constructivists they are building an internal, virtual representation of

reality and it can be either a rational, Brain Friend, Success Helper

version of reality or otherwise.

This video explores the idea that we can ‘be’ any word ascribed us by

others or ourselves, as General Semantics theory says if we do we

will experience emotional and behavioural upset as we may be

abstracting an undesirable characteristic and applying it to our

global selves, i.e., we do something bad/good, therefore we are

totally bad/good!

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy acquaints us with idea of

unconditional self-acceptance, that we are not good or bad, just

worthwhile. In Have a Go Spaghettio! speak this is ‘I’m worthwhile

crocodile’ thinking. 

Have a Go Spaghettio! Helps young people cultivate habits of

thinking that are reasonable, evidence based, and helpful. It is

underpinned by General Semantics and Rational Emotive Behaviour

Therapy theories and can be applied easily in early childhood

teaching and learning contexts. Give it a try banana pie!

Thursday, 7 August 2025

Have a Go Spaghettio! Teaching children about Brain Bully Thinking and w...



This Have a Go Spaghettio! video is a review,

reminder that irrational BB thinking is unhelpful

thinking and this can be taught explicitly in the

teaching and learning context. Albert Ellis, creator

of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, says the

future of psychotherapy is in the school system.

With the Have a Go approach, it has arrived in early

childhood learning.

Irrational thinking is that which stops us getting the

results we desire or prefer. It dismisses or is

ignorant of the reality that sometimes we may not

get what we strongly desire to have; people to like

us, to do well at tasks, reach our goals. This needn’t

be catastrophic unless we believe it to be. The BB

belief we are not OK if others think otherwise is an

irrational perspective on the worth we apportion to

our ‘self,’ i.e., we are worthwhile because we exist

not because someone else says we are!

Some children will be constructing BB beliefs that

undermine their confidence and sense of agency

impacting their psychological resilience against

harmful and intrusive irrational thoughts.

The six Success Helper habits of thinking are

introduced to the children via the Have a Go

Spaghettio! approach to building psychological

resilience and wellbeing. REBT’s ABC Theory of

Emotional Disturbance is its foundation theory,

which helps children understand that their belief

constructions can be helpful or unhelpful.

BB believing is Success Stopper thinking which is

irrational and unhelpful thinking causing BB

feelings and actions. Using the Have a Go

Spaghettio! approach will empower our children to

act in confidence, because they will learn to accept

themselves unconditionally which is ‘I’m

worthwhile crocodile’ thinking.


Have a Go Spaghettio!  Give it a Try Banana Pie!

Dr. Albert Ellis



Monday, 4 August 2025

The Have a Go Spaghettio! Approach to Teaching Success Helper, Brain Fr...



This Have a Go Spaghettio! video is a review,

reminder that rational BF thinking can be taught

explicitly in the teaching and learning context.

Albert Ellis, creator of Rational Emotive Behaviour

Therapy, says the future of psychotherapy is in the

school system. With the Have a Go approach, it has

arrived in early childhood learning.

Rational thinking is that which helps us get the

results we desire or prefer. It accommodates the

reality that sometimes we may not get what we

strongly desire to have; people to like us, to do well

at tasks, reach our goals. This needn’t be

catastrophic unless we believe it to be. The BF

belief we are OK even if others think otherwise is a

rational perspective on the worth we apportion to

our ‘self,’ i.e., we are worthwhile because we exist

not because someone else says we are!

We can help children develop this habit of thinking

so it becomes intuitive, automatic, and deeply held.

Some children will be constructing such a belief

others may not be but psychological resilience

against harmful and intrusive irrational thoughts

depend on this type of belief construction.

So give it a try banana pie!


The Word is Not The Person - General Semantics, REBT, reality and Have a...

How we perceive the world, others and ourselves is our own constructed version of the reality we experience. Reality then is our version of ...