Hi there,
I'm Christina.
Thank you for joining me today.
I wanted to share a brief teaching on something called wise mind.
This is a core concept from dialectical behavior therapy,
Or DBT.
It's something that I come back to again and again in my own life and in my work with my clients.
So what is wise mind?
It's the balanced place within us where emotion and reason meet.
In DBT,
We say we all have three states of mind,
Our emotion mind,
Our reason mind,
And our wise mind.
Emotion mind is when we're overwhelmed by our feelings,
Like fear,
Anger,
Sadness,
Or excitement.
It can lead us to act impulsively or shut down completely.
Reason mind,
On the other hand,
Is cool,
Logical and analytical.
It helps us plan,
Solve problems and make decisions.
But it can also be disconnected from how we actually feel.
Think Mr.
Spock.
Wise mind is that inner voice that knows what's true inside of us.
It's calm and quiet.
It honors our feelings and uses our reasoning.
It's that grounded gut sense or knowing a deep intuition that can't be forced.
Everyone has access to wise mind,
Even if it feels hard to find sometimes.
We can also think about wise mind when we're making decisions.
When we have to make an important decision,
We want to pause,
We want to take into account what we are feeling.
And also what is the logic and what are the facts of the situation so that I can make a wise decision from my wise mind.
So in this practice,
We're going to pause,
Breathe,
And gently drop into that inner knowing.
You don't need to do this perfectly.
You don't even need to feel wise mind right now.
All you need is a willingness to listen inward.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seat or lie down if that feels better.
Let your hands rest gently.
Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.
Let's begin by just arriving here.
Take a slow gentle breath in through your nose.
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale and exhale.
Feel the support of the ground beneath you.
Notice the air touching your skin.
Allow yourself to settle into this moment.
Now as you continue to breathe gently,
I invite you to bring awareness to your emotion mind.
Emotion mind can be present in this moment.
If you're noticing any feelings or sensations present right now in your body.
They could be subtle or strong.
You might feel a tension or warmth,
Maybe sadness,
Maybe calm.
And just notice without judging or fixing.
Now shift gently into reason mind.
This is the part of you that's logical,
Practical,
And focused on facts.
Notice what thoughts are coming up now.
Is your mind planning,
Analyzing,
Or problem solving?
Again,
Just notice.
Now imagine these two minds,
Emotion and reason.
Opposites sitting sitting together inside of you.
Both your emotion mind and your reason mind are trying to help you.
Both are offering information.
And between them,
Imagine a quiet still place.
This is your wise mind.
And just go with whatever comes up it might be an image of a peaceful place.
It might just be your breath.
Again,
Just noticing the quiet part of you and take a breath and just drop into that space.
Letting your body soften.
You might ask inwardly,
What is my mind?
Why is mine saying right now?
Or simply,
What do I know to be true?
You don't have to get an answer just stay open.
Noticing if there's a word or a phrase that might describe this feeling or this place of wise mind inside of you.
Maybe it's peace or home.
Just seeing if there's a word that you can come back to for wise mind.
Letting that go.
And now gently bringing your awareness back to the breath.
Feeling the air moving in and moving out.
Feel your body sitting or lying here.
Supported and present.
Wise mind is always available to you.
You do not have to earn it.
You just return.
When you're ready,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Letting your eyes open softly.
Take one last deep breath.
And carry your wise mind with you as you move through your day.
Thank you for practicing with me.
