![]() The task of having to “think” about a word or phrase that begins with a certain letter to describe an emotion keeps the rational mind activated. This activity allows patients to tap into their emotions and really sit with them. It’s in wise mind that we can be true to our emotions AND make clear and sound decisions. In wise mind, people are able to “feel and think” at the same time. ![]() ![]() In the rational mind, the opposite is true. The rational part of the brain is offline and problem solving is not possible. In emotion mind, we either feel “too much” or “too little”. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we have an emotion mind, rational mind, and a wise mind. patients are able to sit with an emotion and not feel overwhelmedĪn example I gave the group was for the feeling weak:.patients are amazed at their creative abilities.the activity allows patients an opportunity to be creative.the activity allows patients who are emotionally numb to connect with an emotion.After they complete their acrostic poem, patients have the opportunity to share it with the group. For each letter in the emotion, the patient writes a word, sentence, or phrase that describes the emotion. Then, they write the emotion horizontally on a piece of paper. When a thought no longer is a fact, people are less likely to be threatened by and and can consciously choose how to respond to it.įor the activity, I ask patients to pick an emotion from the wheel that they want to feel more of, less of, etc. Being able to identify and label a thought is helpful because it then just becomes a thought rather than fact. Many times these thoughts are our core beliefs about ourselves and the world these thoughts may be conscious or subconscious. Using this wheel, I might say that when I feel scared, I then feel anxious, and as a result I feel weak.īeing able to identify the many layers of emotions allows a person to get closer to the thoughts that fuel the emotions. Tertiary emotions go even further and become more specific in explaining the original scared emotion. For example, if my primary emotion is feeling scared, my secondary emotion that follows might be anxious. Secondary emotions are the emotions that come after the primary emotions. Primary emotions are the emotions we feel first, our instinctual response to a situation. If you look in the middle of the wheel, you will see the six basic emotions, which are also called primary emotions. After I explain the activity, I will explain why it’s a helpful and effective way to connect to emotions.įirst, I begin by introducing The Feeling Wheel (below) by Christopher Cobb. To help stimulate creativity, I started using Acrostic poems with patients. With that being true, it is also true that many of us are intimidated by writing or get writer’s block when we have the pen in our hands and the paper in front of us. We hear time and time again how beneficial it is to journal our emotions. One of the psychoeducation therapy groups I facilitate is Writing.
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