Day 25...wise mind

I mentioned in a previous post that I went to my first DBT group last week. You know, I should probably just mention briefly what DBT is in case someone reading is like, wtf? So DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy. It's a therapeutic approach that uses four main "modules" to expand one's coping skills. The modules include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It was initially used for people with Borderline Personality Disorder but over the past 10 years or so the approach has expanded to help many dealing with a wide variety of other issues/mental illness. Honestly, I think the skills taught could be helpful to anyone. I'm a huge proponent of DBT and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Regardless of what is going on, we only have control over the current moment. The same logic applies to our past. It happened. Now what am I going to do about it?? So anyhow, DBT has a variety of "jargon". One piece of jargon I picked up at the first meeting was "wise mind". The following is a brief description from M. Linehan (developer of DBT):

"Wise mind refers to that place where reasonable mind and emotion mind overlap. Wise mind is that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is almost always quiet, It has a certain peace. It is where the person knows something in a centered way."

Basically, you can think of it as your "gut feeling" or intuition. NOW I can tell you why I mention wise mind (thank you for your patience). My homework for the week between groups was to practice/notice wise mind a couple times. During yoga class tonight I gave it a try.

I had what I considered a decent class. I rested, but I put forth a solid effort in all the poses. And I was feeling it. By 7:15 I felt exhausted. I got a bit of that panicky feeling in my chest. The heat seemed to be pushing me into the ground and I considered leaving the room. Here's a couple of the thoughts I had as I was laying there: "I'm going to die. The heat is going to smother me. I can't breathe." Silly, right?? That's the seduction of our emotional mind though. It absolutely feels real. We even have the bodily sensations that add to this deception. Racing heart, dizziness, etc. This isn't the first time I've had this experience during hot yoga. Each time it happens I remind myself to breathe. As I begin to calm down a little it becomes clear that the heat is not going to strangle the life out of me and I move on in the class. Tonight I acknowledged this entire process from beginning to end. The balance between reasonable mind and emotional mind is a large part of Bikram yoga for me right now. Lots of time to practice wise mind...

Instead of a 30 Rock quote I wanted to tell you an idea I have for a reality TV show. Celebrities doing Bikram yoga. I thought of it during class when for some reason I imagined the cast of LOST doing a class. I know, I'm weird.