The creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT, Marsha Linehan, developed the concept of Wise Mind. I find this tool to be very helpful when preparing for a little deeper self-reflection into how we experience decision-making.
The wise mind concept is best presented visually in a diagram:
Linehan, M. (2015). DBT skills training handouts and worksheets.
As shown in the diagram above, our rational mind and emotional mind collide to make our wise mind, or intuition, operate at it’s best.
Rational mind is our reasoned, calculated and focused approach to making life decisions. When we’re planning, organizing, thinking in steps, using research and our own experience to make decisions, then we are engaging in our rational mind.
However much my “type A” self is dancing with joy about rational mind, there are a few drawbacks. The largest is that we become robotic and feeling-less. We may operate effectively and technically correct, but we miss the journey and beauty in the process.
Conversely, our emotional mind is full of passion and desire. We make life decisions based on how people, situations, conversations, and ideas make us feel. We also act on what we perceive to be our immediate psychological needs.
You may have guessed that this approach also has it’s drawbacks. We can become reactive, impulsive, and flippant. We may end up working in opposition to our best interest and the best interest of those we love by our inconsistency and inability to self-regulate.
Enter wise mind – the healthy balance of thinking and feeling. When we mindfully attempt to combine thought and feeling into one experience, it is both planned and desired. We take on the healthy aspects of both – doing what is effective and following our dreams. This is in no way as easy to put into practice as it was to learn about it! But I think that is part of the wisdom in the concept. We are our best selves when we gracefully interweave the two components into our lives.
One of my favorite quotes on the subject is from C. G. Jung – “Where wisdom reigns, there is no conflict between thinking and feeling.”
Individual Counseling and Hypnotherapy in Bucktown, Chicago
My name is Amber Bouda, and I’m a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and certified hypnotherapist (CHT). I received my masters in social work from the University of Michigan and my training in hypnotherapy from Dr. Brian Weiss at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY and hypnotherapy certification through the Wellness Institute in Issaquah, WA. I provide Individual Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and Supplemental Hypnotherapy in my private practice in Bucktown, Chicago.