Table of Contents
What is the wise mind method?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) uses the concept of a reasonable, emotional, and wise mind to describe a person’s thoughts and behaviors. The reasonable mind is driven by logic, the emotional mind is driven by feelings, and wise mind is a middle-ground between the two. The four modules of psychological and emotional function that DBT focuses on include: Mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance and emotion regulation. One of the main mindfulness skills that I want to talk about is wise mind. And wise mind involves teaching the three states of mind. It’s one of the three states of mind, the three states of mind being emotion mind, reasonable mind and wise mind, and wise mind being the ultimate aim in DBT. Marsha Linehan, the founder of DBT, states that everyone has a Wise Mind, because everyone has the capacity for wisdom. “Wise Mind is getting to the heart of the matter. It is seeing and knowing something directly and clearly. It is grasping the whole picture when before only parts were understood. DBT founder Marsha Linehan describes wise mind as “that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is almost always quiet. It has a certain peace. It is where the person knows something in a centered way.” This technique is useful for when you have overwhelming feelings or anxiety and you need to calm down. Wise mind involves two steps, the first one is to observe your surroundings, the second is to describe what you see. You do this while accepting your feelings and not judging yourself.
How do you cultivate a wise mind?
Wise mind requires first being able to know that we are having an emotional reaction. It also requires us to be able to experience our feelings without having to act on them — to pause and take a breath, giving ourselves some time and space to let our reasonable mind catch up. Individuals living in Wise Mind are able to utilize both reason and emotion, taking the middle path to cultivate emotional sensitivity and a calm, cool collectedness. A Wise Mind lives intuitively, taking the time to observe and practice mindfulness. Finding this balance is one of the primary goals of DBT practice. The Wise Mind sits in the middle of two extreme ends, the emotional mind on one end and the rational mind on the other. Most people find themselves on either end of the spectrum, being either overly emotional or overly rational in their decisions and behaviors. The middle, however, often gets skipped over. These three key terms (the three mind states of DBT) are central to DBT—they are Emotion Mind, Reasonable Mind and Wise Mind. Our minds are the most powerful tool that we can harness for all levels of success in life. Our thoughts shape who we are and who we will become, as well as influencing our physical well-being and our emotional state. The power of the mind is a tool we are still discovering and just beginning to unleash.
What is the wise mind example?
Some examples of Wise Mind could include taking a timeout in the middle of a fight to avoid saying something you don’t mean, following your gut and not walking in a dark alley at night, or finding time to meditate during a stressful workday and taking care of yourself. When we access our inner wisdom, we say we are in Wise Mind. It creates a feeling of “knowing” what’s right, a felt sense or a shift in the body—bringing with it a sense of greater presence, openness, peace, and clarity. With some practice, mindfulness skills can help you access your wise mind. Your mind is a very powerful thing, and most of us take it for granted. We believe we aren’t in control of what we think because our thoughts seem to fly in and out all day long. But you are in control of your thoughts, and you become what you think about. When you combine the types of focus (internal and external) with the ways we focus (helpful and harmful) you get four distinct states of mind: autopilot, critical, thinking, and engaged. Turning the mind has three key steps: (A) Noticing or observing that you’re not accepting something, (B) committing to yourself to accept reality as it is, and (C) repeating Steps A and B over and over. Research has highlighted three distinct components or pillars at the core of meditative practices and mind training. They are, focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention.
What is the best method of mind control?
Practice mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises. Include positive affirmations in your self-talk rather than put-downs. Take a pause during your day to slow your mind down. Avoid things that trigger negative thoughts, like scrolling through social media. Some tips for becoming more mindful of your thoughts include taking note of the negative thoughts or feelings you are experiencing and noticing the negative things you are saying to yourself. When we notice negative thoughts, we can get into the habit of stopping and changing them. Physical exercise, fresh air, and sleeping are fantastic ways to get things off your mind and improve memory. Taking more breaks helps to increase your effectiveness. Meditation can help you practice mindfulness and overcome negative feelings. Using apps makes it easy to practice the techniques. Negative thinking has many different causes. Intrusive negative thoughts can be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or another mental health condition. Negative thinking is also symptomatic of depression (Negative Thinking and Depression: How One Fuels the Other). Some examples of Wise Mind could include taking a timeout in the middle of a fight to avoid saying something you don’t mean, following your gut and not walking in a dark alley at night, or finding time to meditate during a stressful workday and taking care of yourself. The key to embodying mindfulness is to actually turn into a keen observer. Using the five senses — sight, sound, smell, taste and touch — can help you take in the world around you. They can be of great help in slowing down and living in the moment.
What is wise mind explained to kids?
Use the concept of WISE MIND Your Wise Mind is a combination of your Reasonable Mind (what you think to be true), and your Emotion Mind (what you feel to be true). Your Wise Mind is what you know to be true based on both thoughts and feelings. The concept of wise mind assumes that we each have innate wisdom that can guide us in our actions and pursuits. It is a balanced, aware perspective that helps us move toward our goals, using knowledge and experience. Wise mind is a synthesis of reasonable mind and emotion mind. Mind power is one of the strongest and most useful powers you possess. This power consists of your thoughts. The thoughts that pass through your mind are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Your predominant thoughts influence your behavior and attitude and control your actions and reactions. Wise mind is a DBT term first introduced by the founder of dialectical behavior therapy Marsha M. Linehan.