MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

MODULE 04 / 24 · Mindfulness · 15–25 MINUTES

Participate: Enter the Experience

Join a chosen activity with your attention instead of watching yourself perform.

Try the worksheet

Understand the skill

Participation means being involved in what you are doing. It can be quiet, active, social, or solitary. You do not need to feel confident or lose awareness of your boundaries.

Practice step by step

  1. Pick an accessible activity you freely choose.
  2. Notice the movements, sounds, or interaction already happening.
  3. When self-evaluation appears, gently return to the activity.
  4. Finish by noticing what helped you stay involved.

TRY IT · SOLO OR WITH A GROUP

A practice activity

Shared rhythm or silent pattern: build a simple tapping pattern together, or arrange objects alone. Return to the pattern whenever performance worries interrupt.

Group option: Work from a fictional example for five minutes, rehearse or compare choices for five minutes, then discuss one useful adaptation. Pass, write, observe, or work alone.

Your practice worksheet

Writing is optional. Responses stay in this open tab and are not submitted or automatically saved. Closing or refreshing clears them. Avoid names or identifying details. Printing or downloading includes your words.

Use paper or discuss the prompts if you prefer.

Recovery connection

Try a substance-free creative or community activity as a participant rather than judging whether you belong before joining.

Facilitator notes

Offer seated, silent, observing, and solo versions. Participation is not compliance or a measure of motivation.

Adaptation and care: Keep consent and situational awareness. Leave any activity or environment that becomes unsafe.

Between-session practice: Choose one manageable situation to try this skill. Notice the context, what you did, and what helped or needs adjusting. An attempt counts as practice even when feelings do not change.

Background and sources

DBT skills concepts originate in Marsha M. Linehan's work. These are original More Than Therapy activities, not reproductions of official worksheets or endorsed materials.

References inform the skill framework; they do not validate these particular exercises. Life-structure modules are DBT-informed applications, not additional standard DBT core modules.