Module 1. Mindfulness: (Discussion #3) Mental Body Scan

DBTuesday is a series of posts where we will explore skills and concepts from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

This is one of several posts that will focus on mindfulness, which is the first module of DBT skills training. See this post for general info about DBT and this post for more info about mindfulness.

What is a mental body scan?

Last week we discussed observing, which is paying attention to experiences that are happening here and now.

A mental body scan is applying this to observing any sensations in your body.

Benefits of doing a mental body scan

It's very easy to get caught up in what we're doing in everyday life and not notice how stressed we are. 😊 Just pausing and noticing how your body feels can help with relaxing and reducing stress.

It can also stop us from overexerting ourselves to the point of exhaustion or burnout if we're able to notice how we're feeling and take care of it before things reach that point.

One description I find really poignant is that sometimes our bodies are whispering to us telling us what we need. Doing a body scan is like saying to my body, "I care about how you're feeling and what you're telling me. I'm here to listen to everything you have to say." 💜

Exercise

Listen to the following 4-minute body scan exercise:
https://www.7cups.com/exercises/mindfulness518/

Question for reflection

What sensations did you feel while doing the exercise?

Sources:
https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/mindfulness/mental-body-scan/
https://www.verywellmind.com/body-scan-meditation-why-and-how-3144782