By: Katrin Steinert
One of the skills presented in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is called the states of mind. The states of mind are broken up into a Venn diagram which include the rational mind, the emotional mind and the wise mind. As people, we are always vacillating between the three different states.
Rational Mind: When we are thinking in our rational mind we are thinking logically, unemotionally, and trying to reach our objectives. If we were to think of rational mind as a color it would be blue. It is cool, calm and collected. The benefits of being in rational mind are it is our "doing" mind. Without rational mind, we would not be able build roads, solve problems or complete tasks. The downsides to rational mind are it is harder to connect with others and unable to feel emotions including joy.
Emotional Mind: Emotional mind is our instinct. Emotion mind helps us think instinctually and follow our gut. You feel your emotion mind taking over when our emotions are ruling our actions. If emotion mind were a color it would red. It is hot, fiery and impulsive. The benefits to emotion mind are intense devotion, which keeps motivation for hard tasks. The downsides to emotion mind are it can lead to emotional outbursts, prolonged suffering of intense emotions and impulsivity that results in wrong decisions.
Wise Mind: Wise mind is the synthesis between the rational mind and the emotional mind. You cannot overcome rational mind with emotional mind and vice versa. The goal with wise mind is to recognize the facts with the rational mind and validate the emotional experience with emotion mind to come up with the best solution.
Rational Mind: When we are thinking in our rational mind we are thinking logically, unemotionally, and trying to reach our objectives. If we were to think of rational mind as a color it would be blue. It is cool, calm and collected. The benefits of being in rational mind are it is our "doing" mind. Without rational mind, we would not be able build roads, solve problems or complete tasks. The downsides to rational mind are it is harder to connect with others and unable to feel emotions including joy.
Emotional Mind: Emotional mind is our instinct. Emotion mind helps us think instinctually and follow our gut. You feel your emotion mind taking over when our emotions are ruling our actions. If emotion mind were a color it would red. It is hot, fiery and impulsive. The benefits to emotion mind are intense devotion, which keeps motivation for hard tasks. The downsides to emotion mind are it can lead to emotional outbursts, prolonged suffering of intense emotions and impulsivity that results in wrong decisions.
Wise Mind: Wise mind is the synthesis between the rational mind and the emotional mind. You cannot overcome rational mind with emotional mind and vice versa. The goal with wise mind is to recognize the facts with the rational mind and validate the emotional experience with emotion mind to come up with the best solution.