MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

MODULE 01 / 24 · Mindfulness · 15–25 MINUTES

Wise Mind

Bring emotion, available facts, and personal values into one workable next step.

Try the worksheet

Understand the skill

Emotion mind highlights what matters and reasonable mind organizes facts. Wise Mind makes room for both rather than silencing either. A settled answer may take time; certainty is not required.

Practice step by step

  1. Choose a manageable decision, then pause with feet supported or eyes open.
  2. Name the emotional pull and what it is trying to protect.
  3. List what you know, what is unknown, and the value you want to express.
  4. Choose one small step that respects both your feelings and the situation; review it later.

TRY IT · SOLO OR WITH A GROUP

A practice activity

Three-perspective circle: write an emotional response, a facts-based response, and an integrated response to a fictional difficult invitation. Compare which response supports the person's longer-term goal.

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

An invitation involves people you previously used with. Notice longing for connection, acknowledge risk, and choose another way to meet that need.

Facilitator notes

Invite multiple possible wise responses. Do not equate quietness with wisdom or make the facilitator the authority on someone's inner experience.

Adaptation and care: If focusing inward feels overwhelming, orient to the room and use an external anchor. Postpone high-stakes decisions until appropriate support is available.

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.