DBT House / DBH-A16-1
The Garden of Pleasant Moments — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind the garden of pleasant moments and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Riley considers a favorite song, a drawing, or a brief conversation.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A garden can represent chosen experiences that may add meaning or pleasure.
The idea
A garden can represent chosen experiences that may add meaning or pleasure.
An ordinary example
Riley considers a favorite song, a drawing, or a brief conversation.
What this can look like
Plant several small, accessible activity ideas and choose one to try without promising enjoyment.
Check the fit
What would make this experiment gentle enough to try? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A house metaphor is an organizing option, not a diagnostic test, safety determination, or required way to represent experience.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What would make this experiment gentle enough to try?
Conceptual background
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training: Fundamentals — Behavioral Tech Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.