DBT Mindfulness Lesson 3 |

Dr. Linehan recognized that people who initially came seeking DBT therapy were often struggling because of the impact of highly emotional states that would often get them into trouble. On the other hand, there were people who didn’t struggle with emotion regulation. They didn’t seem to be impacted by strong emotions and often acted from a place of logic and reason.

Dr. Linehan observed the natural human tendency to operate from a place of logic and reason on the one hand and strong emotions on the other. The problem is that when you’re viewing any situation through either the lens of logic or the lens of strong emotions, you miss out on a lot of nuance and information. It can feel cold and robotic to view events and relationships through nothing but facts, logic, and rational thought. Conversely, life can feel chaotic and disorganized if seen only through the perspective of emotions. Wanting to help her patients, she simplified the concept of states of mind by saying that people were either acting from their emotion mind or their rational mind.

It was, however, the third state of mind that was key. She termed this wise mind and recognized that we all have wise mind whether we realize it or not. When you act from your wise mind, you’re taking a more deliberate and contemplative approach to decision-making; that is, you’re using all of the mind’s experiences – be they emotions, rational thinking, intuition, or goals — to direct you to a course of action. You don’t have to be aware of having wise mind to actually have it. However, once you’re aware, you’ll be capable of experiencing wise mind. Again, awareness isn’t the initial key to wise mind. This is true of many things. For instance, just because you aren’t aware that you have a stomach or a kidney right now does not mean that your stomach and kidney do not exist and are not functioning. And so wise mind is there, and by practicing mindfulness, you can recognize it and use its power to not only reduce suffering but also enhance so many aspects of your life.

The Three States of Mind

Central to DBT’s approach to mindfulness is the concept of Wise Mind. This is a dialectical practice that teaches us to access our innate inner wisdom through the integration of the opposing forces of our emotional and reasonable/rational states of mind. In the following section, we’ll learn about each of those states of mind.

Emotion Mind

Our emotion mind is the part of us where our emotions, interpretations, sensations, judgments, passions, and fears live. Emotions can motivate really important action, such as great bravery or great love. If we are functioning out of our emotion mind, our decisions and actions are determined solely by how we are feeling in the moment, often excluding factual thinking. Acting from emotion mind often has short-term benefits but long-term consequences. It’s important to note that being highly emotional is not necessarily emotion mind. Emotion mind is when the emotions are in control of decisions.

Reasonable Mind

Our reasonable, or rational, mind is clinical and detached, and focused on the facts to the exclusion of emotional concerns as well as our values. In reasonable mind, we can plan and evaluate logically. Reason is necessary but alone can be problematically dismissive of human connection. It doesn’t attend to things like warmth, friendliness, and consideration of others’ feelings and experiences. Functioning primarily in reasonable mind can therefore make it difficult to maintain relationships. Our emotions also don’t get the attention they need when we suppress them in favor of only reason.

Wise Mind

We all have a wise mind. No one is in wise mind all the time, but we each have built-in internal wisdom at the intersection of our emotional and reasonable minds. It’s the part of you that can find truth or might be thought of as your “gut” or intuition. For many of us, it can be difficult to find, and accessing it will take practice. Wise mind is a state of mind but also a practical skill. Practicing the skill will help you learn to access the state of mind. First, let’s look at the practical skill.

Exploring Your Own Mind

For many who have struggled with overwhelming emotions, difficult thoughts, and troubling behaviors, the prospect of exploring one’s own mind may seem daunting or even scary. But the more you practice being aware of your inner world and listening to your wise mind, the more intuitive it will become. Initially, it can be difficult to recognize the difference between wise mind and a strong feeling. You can think of wise mind as the place where your well connects to the groundwater; it takes practice and determination to get past the barriers that you previously thought were the bottom of the well, but with commitment you will find that your well goes far deeper than you ever imagined. Initially, it will take careful consideration and analysis to determine whether you’re in wise mind. Eventually, it will become easier to access and recognize.

Ideas for Practicing Wise Mind

The core mindfulness skills often require a lot of practice, and it takes some of us a lot longer than others to develop the capacity for this type of inner dialogue. As with any new skill, it is important to first practice when you don’t need the skill. If you practice in easier situations, the skill will become
automatic, and you will have the skill when you need it. Practice with your eyes closed and with your eyes open.

1. Stone flake on the lake.

Imagine that you are by a clear blue lake on a beautiful sunny day. Then imagine that you are a small flake of stone, flat and light. Imagine that you have been tossed out onto the lake and are now gently, slowly, floating through the calm, clear blue water to the lake’s smooth, sandy bottom.

Notice what you see, what you feel as you float down, perhaps in slow circles, floating toward the bottom.
As you reach the bottom of the lake, settle your attention there within yourself.
Notice the serenity of the lake; become aware of the calmness and quiet deep within.
As you reach the center of your self, settle your attention there.

2. Walking down the spiral stairs.

Imagine that within you is a spiral staircase, winding down to your very center. Starting at the top walk very slowly down the staircase, going deeper
and deeper within yourself.

Notice the sensations.
Rest by sitting on a step, or turn on lights on the way down if you wish.
Do not force yourself further than you want to go.
Notice the quiet.
As you reach the center of your self, settle your attention there—perhaps in your gut or your abdomen.

3. Breathing in “Wise” inhale, Breathing out “Mind” exhale.

Breathing in, say to yourself, “Wise”; breathing out, say “Mind.”

Focus your entire attention on the word “wise,” then, focus it again entirely on the word “mind.”
Continue until you sense that you have settled into Wise Mind.

4. Asking Wise Mind a question. Breathing in, silently ask Wise Mind a question.

Breathing out, listen for the answer.
Listen, but do not give yourself the answer. Do not tell yourself the answer; listen for it.
Continue asking on each in-breath for some time. If no answer comes, try again another time.

5. Asking is this Wise Mind?

Breathing in, ask yourself, “Is this (action, thought, plan, etc.) Wise Mind?”

Breathing out, listen for the answer.
Listen, but do not give yourself the answer. Do not tell yourself the answer; listen for it.
Continue asking on each in-breath for some time. If no answer comes, try again another time.

6. Attending to your breath coming in and out, let your attention settle into your center.

Breathing in completely, notice and follow the sensations of your breath coming in.
Let your attention settle into your center, at the bottom of your breath, at your solar plexus—or
Let your attention settle in the center of your forehead, your “third eye,” at the top of your breath.
Keeping your attention at your center, exhale, breathing normally, maintaining attention.
Settle into Wise Mind.

7. Expanding awareness. Breathing in, focus your awareness on your center.

Breathing out, stay aware of your center, but expand awareness to the space you are in now.
Continue on in the moment.

8. Dropping into the pauses between inhaling and exhaling.

Breathing in, notice the pause after inhaling (top of breath).
Breathing out, notice the pause after exhaling (bottom of breath).
At each pause, let yourself “fall into” the center space within the pause.

Lesson 2

Mindfulness Module Main Page

Lesson 4