Module 1. Mindfulness: (Discussion #1) Overview
DBTuesday is a series of posts where we will explore skills and concepts from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). See this post for general info about DBT.
The next several posts will focus on mindfulness, which is the first module of DBT skills training.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is gently noticing what is happening. 😊
There are two parts to this:
- 1) Awareness ("noticing what is happening"): deciding to focus on what is happening in one's experience here and now
- 2) Acceptance ("gently"): doing this in a non-judgmental, nurturing way with the attitude that it is okay to think or feel whatever happens to be there (you're allowed to be whatever you are 💜)
Two types of mindfulness
There are lots of different mindfulness practices. For example, HERE is a 7 Cups page with dozens of mindfulness audio exercises.
Here are a couple general categories for classifying mindfulness practices:
- 1) Opening the mind: watching whatever happens to be in one's awareness and allowing things to come and go freely
- 2) Focusing the mind: trying to keep one's attention on a specific thing (e.g. breathing)
"What" and "How" Skills
The way mindfulness is presented in DBT is in terms of "What" skills and "How" skills.
1) “What” skills
Observe: Notice whatever is there
Describe: Identify what is there (e.g. with words)
Participate: Allow yourself to become absorbed and immersed in just sensitively, patiently watching what is there
2) “How” skills
Non-judgmental: You are allowed to think or feel what you do
One-mindful: Try to repeatedly bring yourself back to noticing what is here if you get distracted
Effective: Do all of this in whatever way feels like it works best for you in actual practice and helps you the most 😊
Trauma-sensitive mindfulness
Psychologists and mindfulness teachers have become aware of the fact that mindfulness can have negative effects on some trauma survivors. If you have a history of trauma, here are some ways to make mindfulness safe:
Notice if you are really struggling while practicing mindfulness
If this happens, try to find a neutral sensation to focus on and use as an anchor
You are allowed to trust yourself and do whatever feels necessary or best for you
Things that are neutral for one person might be triggering for someone else, so it’s okay to pick what works for you. 💜 Here are a few examples of possible neutral sensations:
Sensation in nostrils or abdomen while breathing
Feeling at a certain part of the body (e.g. feet, buttocks, back, hands)
Other senses (e.g. sight, smell, sound)
Touching something soft like a blanket
Feeling of feet on ground while walking
Regarding trusting yourself, here is a beautiful passage I want to quote in full from an article:
Nobody chooses to experience trauma. Whether it’s a natural disaster, a devastating accident, or an act of interpersonal violence, trauma often leaves people feeling violated and a lack of a sense of control. Because of this, it’s vital that survivors feel a sense of choice and autonomy in their mindfulness practice. We want them to know that in every moment of practice, they are in control. Nothing will be forced upon them. They can move at a pace that works for them, and they can always opt out of any practice. By emphasizing self-responsiveness, we help put power back in the hands of survivors.
The body is central to this process. Trauma survivors need to know they won’t be asked to override signals from their body but listen to them.
Questions for Reflection
1) How might mindfulness possibly be helpful?
2) How might mindfulness possibly be difficult?
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201502/what-is-mindfulness-and-how-does-it-work
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
https://dbt.tools/mindfulness/index.php
https://www.mindfulleader.org/blog/26483-what-s-trauma-sensitive-mindfulness
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@QuietMagic
this is a great idea and i love this post, its so detailed and understandable, thank you for this<3
@Tamy4210
Thank you, glad that it feels that way. 😊 That's something I've sort of hoped for, to balance giving some substance but in a way that makes sense.
By the way, I apologize for the formatting. This post looked really beautiful in Google Docs but the forum editor had other plans, lol. I spent close to an hour trying different things to fix it but without any success so I gave up. Will try to see what I can do for future weeks. Last week's post didn't look quite as bad.
Just giving a try at answering my own discussion questions. 😊
1) How might mindfulness possibly be helpful?
I've noticed that sometimes feelings have a way of settling and becoming calmer and quieter if I just watch them.
There's a metaphor I've heard before in the context of meditation. If there's a pool of water that's full of sediment, the water becomes cloudy if it's really active or agitated. But if the water is still, the sediment sinks to the bottom and the water becomes clear.
2) How might mindfulness possibly be difficult?
I'm not sure if this counts as it being "difficult", but sometimes I just don't want to be mindful. Or it doesn't feel like it's something helpful for my current needs.
- Sometimes there are things I need to get done, and being agitated and doing things on autopilot feels really productive and helpful.
- Sometimes mindfulness sensitizes me to things that I'm just not in the right state of mind or social environment to be able to deal with, and immersing myself in a distracting activity feels like it's safer or more stabilizing.
@QuietMagic
Hello :) I am so glad you are continuing DB Tuesdays, I recently came across them and still am going through the previous posts, I love the whole series very informative in a crisp manner.
It’s a great post, easier to read with the bold key points, especially about the part where you talk about mindfulness and for users with trauma, it’s very helpful. Thank you for the suggestions on how to cope with the overwhelming sensations and also sharing some of the DBT snippets about breaking down our situations.
My responses to the end questions :-
1) How might mindfulness possibly be helpful?
Mindfulness, for me, helps to center myself to reality and not let take thoughts take control of how I feel and who I am.
It has helped me to be more aware of the people and environment around me and therefore not react to the situations rather mindfully think them through before.
I am still trying to be more consistent with my mindfulness practice. :D
2) How might mindfulness possibly be difficult?
For me, I struggle a lot with the acceptance part of it. Not wanting to let things be.
I am too sometimes sensitive to being more mindful or sometimes I just don’t want to be more mindful. Because a lot of times I feel it wouldn’t matter either way, but it does. Maybe because being mindful all the time isn’t intuitive to me currently that I sometimes prefer going back to my negative coping methods or to react to situations rather than act on them mindfully.
Hopefully with practice, I won’t have to struggle with the choice of being mindful.
Would like to end my response with a quote that I have been trying to apply more in my life, “Be like the sky, not the weather.”
@ferventflame
Hi--thank you! I'm glad you've liked the series and that it feels like it's striking that balance of being informative but still readable.
That sounds helpful being able to pause and give yourself a chance to slowly look at everything in a relaxed way and patiently find what feels like the right thing to do.
I relate to a lot of the difficulties you mentioned. I've also had the experience of thinking mindfulness won't do much but then 5-10 minutes later being surprised at how different I feel. It definitely increases my trust to have those kinds of lived experiences every now and then.
I also don't necessarily want to be mindful all the time. While I was researching for this post, I found a nice article that I ended up not using, but it made the point that mindfulness is just one of many tools and it might not always be the best tool for everyone at all moments. I personally feel like it's really
healthy to have that discernment of trying to notice the fine details of
when/how something works and understanding what its limits might be.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindfulness-insights/202107/the-potential-dangers-mindfulness
Thanks for sharing that really interesting quote about being like the sky instead of the weather. I feel like there is so much to unpack there involving change and identity. 😊
@QuietMagic
Thank you for these, they are helping me a lot. I've been on the waiting list for a therapist in my town for over 6 months so having SOMETHING to work on in the meantime is saving me.
1. Mindfulness may be helpful because it will allow me to accept what is going on and how my brain is reacting to it. It will guide me to feel what I'm feeling healthily, so I can acknowledge and validate my own emotions. It will prevent me from suppression and catastrophizing.
2. It may be difficult because with the lack of suppression comes triggers. There will be times when I am making myself face triggering and shameful thoughts head-on. Sometimes, it may raise a challenge to stay focused. I can always turn my attention toward neutral sensations in those moments until I feel ready to come back to it.
@QuietMagic
I've struggled with mindfulness because I didn't want to pay attention to my chronic pain but I've found it helpful to have some external object like a smooth stone or a candle to touch/smell to put my mind towards that aren't distracting physical sensations.
@StrawberryShaken
That makes sense, like being able to ground yourself in a different sensation.
***
I vaguely remembered seeing stuff in the past about mindfulness being used for chronic pain. Went looking for it, and it seems interesting:
"Increasing evidence points to regular mindfulness practice as a method to reduce a person's pain experience. In 2015, Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., and his colleagues conducted a study to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in pain management. They found that brain images of participants who received mindfulness as treatment had less activation in the parts of their brains that manage pain messages. Their research also has shown that some participants have been able to reduce, and sometimes eliminate, the use of pain medications through ongoing daily mindfulness practice."
Source: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/use-mindfulness-to-cope-with-chronic-pain
***
"[P]ain is generally recognized to be associated with three major components:
1) Physical sensations
2) Emotional response to the sensations
3) Social effects of the experience
Mindfulness can help you tune into the difference between these three experiences, making it possible to reduce the suffering associated with pain without necessarily reducing the severity of the pain itself."
Source: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/mindfulness-physical-pain
1) How might mindfulness possibly be helpful?
Mindfulness can be helpful with anchoring and observing what it is here and now. It brings to the sense of self-control. Mindfulness can help cultivate compassion and kindness through accepting that what's happening by stating that it's okay.
2) How might mindfulness possibly be difficult?
Mind always fluctuates, thus it is expected that it will distract often and faster than it seems. Getting to accepting it and getting over frustration can be a long way. Mindfulness can bring negative thoughts and pain too, thus it is important to be kind to oneself.
@windSpirit
I like what you said that there's this sense of control if it's possible to find relief.
The connection to compassion also resonates for me. I feel like there's something kind about the idea of "it's okay to feel what you feel without needing to change it".
I relate to what you said about mind always fluctuating. That's probably why I've personally felt drawn to the "open" style of mindfulness. Sort of like slowing/focusing my mind feels like a big ask, so instead I'm allowed to let my mind do whatever it wants. And if my mind's moving quickly then that just becomes something else to notice that's allowed to be there.
There are definitely times though when I just want things to slow down a bit and I'll do something else to ease the pressure (e.g. journaling, yoga, breathing).
