Have you ever wondered why people make poor decisions over
and over again, even when they know there will certainly be a negative outcome?
Often times we are ruled by certain states of our mind without having the
knowledge or tools to cope with distressing emotions, thoughts, and compulsive
behavioral patterns. DBT therapy teaches clients to learn to distinguish
between different parts of the thought and emotion process before making decisions
that could potentially be harmful and compulsive. The three states of mind
include: reasonable mind, emotion mind, and wise mind.
Reasonable mind is the state of mind that is rational.
Reasonable mind is needed for tasks such as, planning, evaluating, solving
logical problems, balancing a checkbook, and so forth. Reasonable mind is
necessary, but can prove to be detrimental if one stays stuck in purely logical
thinking patterns. If emotions are overlooked when making important decisions,
such as, choosing a place to live, applying to colleges, and finding a job then
one could potentially settle and end up unhappy with their decision.
Emotion mind is the state of mind that is hot and emotion
ruled. When one is in their emotion mind, logic is overlooked and behaviors are
purely based on the state of how one feels. In this state of mind emotions are
in charge and impulsive decisions often follow. Emotions are very powerful motivators
for behaviors, but decisions based on negative emotions without thinking about
the logical consequences can prove to be detrimental.
When emotions are strong and the urges to act on them are
also strong, behavioral patterns are typically out of sync with one’s core
values.
Wise mind is the state of mind in which one can synthesize
the reasonable mind and emotion mind to make a decision that is based on
intuition. Wise mind decisions require that one can learn to trust their
intuitive state of mind, learn to utilize mindfulness skills to get into a wise
mind state before acting and/or reacting, and learn to experience a state of
peace rather than basing decisions on surface experiences.
“Wise mind is a deep, centered place where a person knows
something very clearly. Wise mind is receptive and open. It accepts rather than
judges. It is patient rather than
impatient” (Safer, Telch, & Chen 2009).
If you are struggling with getting to know your wise mind
and feel that you are making decisions that are harming you more than helping,
please contact our office to schedule an appointment with one of our trained
therapist. At Rehabilitative Health Services we offer both individual and group
DBT therapy to ensure that the needs of our clients are being met. Contact our
office at 208-523-5319
to schedule your appointment.
Stephanie Shirley, LMSW
Safer, L. S., Christy, F. T., & Eunice Y. C. (2009). Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Binge
Eating and Bulimia. New York ,
NY