PositivePsychology.

com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Wise Mind Chair Work

Emotions Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; Linehan, 2008), as a type of cognitive-behavioral

therapy (CBT), was adapted to help people overcome intense emotions. It is commonly
Exercise
used to treat problems associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but it has also
15-20 min been used more recently to treat several other different types of mental health problems.
In DBT, clients learn that there are three states of mind from which humans operate: the
Client
reasonable mind, the emotional mind, and the wise mind. In the reasonable mind, one
No
approaches situations intellectually, governed by facts, reasons, logic, and pragmatics. In
this mode, values and feelings are not important. Examples of a reasonable mind include
creating a shopping list, making a recipe from scratch, and figuring out the train route to
a new destination. In the emotional mind, one approaches situations emotionally. This
approach is governed by moods, feelings, urges, and motivations. In this mode, facts,
reason, and logic are not important. Examples of the emotional mind include saying
something hurtful to a loved one in the heat of the moment or acting impulsively without
regard for consequences. In a wise mind, one can recognize and respect one’s feelings
while responding to them rationally. The wise mind represents balance and harmony
between emotion and reason. Examples of the wise mind include taking a timeout in the
middle of an argument to avoid saying something regretful, deciding to skip on walking in
a dark alley at night, and finding time to meditate during a stressful workday.

In DBT, clients will learn skills to use their wise minds and better manage their behavior.
This tool is designed to introduce clients to the idea of the three states of mind. The
exercise includes an overview of the three states of mind, a graphic to depict the concept,
and chair work for the client to experience each state of mind.

Author

This tool was created by Hugo Alberts (Ph.D.) and Lucinda Poole (PsyD).

Goal

The goal of this tool is to introduce clients to the three states of mind depicted in the DBT
wise mind model through education and chair work.

[1]
 PositivePsychology.com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Advice

■ The client may benefit from seeing a visual representation of the wise mind model to
help concretize the concept. The practitioner can do this by drawing the wise mind
model on a whiteboard or a piece of paper. The drawing includes two circles that
intersect, with one circle being labeled as ‘reasonable,’ the other circle as ‘emotional,’
and the intersecting space as ‘wise.’
■ If clients need further clarification on the reasonable mind, advise them to notice the
signs by which they recognize that they are in this mode: pushing aside their feelings
because they are ‘unimportant’; ignoring body complains like headaches, backaches,
and stomach aches; consistently ignoring their intuition; feeling clueless when a loved
one is emotional; difficulty understanding why other people are upset about a given
situation; rarely experiencing strong emotions of any kind, other than frustration;
rarely experiencing joy and love, instead of feeling flat and dry; and, caring for others
at the expense of their own needs.

References

■ Linehan, M. M. (2018). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality

disorder. Guilford Publications.

[2]
 PositivePsychology.com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Wise Mind Chair Work

Instructions

Have you ever noticed how you can be an entirely calm and rational one moment and a complete emotional
mess the next? Perhaps you have experienced having a reasonable conversation with your friend or partner
only to find yourself in a screaming match 20 minutes later, with little clue of how you got there. This shows
how quickly we can move from reasonable to emotional states of mind. We have three different states of
mind: the reasonable mind, the emotional mind, and the wise mind. First, we explain these different modes
of mind, and then we will proceed with an exercise.

Reasonable mind
Keywords: cool, rational, task-focused

In a reasonable mind, you approach situations intellectually, planning and making decisions primarily based
on facts and reason rather than your feelings or values. In this mode, you are governed by facts, reason, and
logic. Examples of a reasonable mind include creating a shopping list, making a recipe from scratch, and
figuring out our train route to a new destination.

A reasonable mind can be greatly beneficial. Without it, we could not build homes, roads, or cities; we could
not follow instructions; we could not solve logical problems, make scientific discoveries, or run meetings.
However, too much focus on the reasonable mind would make your life and choices almost “computer-like,”
where there is little place for your personal needs, intuition (what feels best), and spontaneity. Just imagine
buying a new house in a strictly reasonable mind, without room for considering things like: “Do I feel at home
in this house?” and “Can I picture myself living happily in this house?” Your choice to buy the house would
be based entirely on facts, for example, “Will this house be a good investment?” and “Is this house in good
condition?”

Emotional mind
Keywords: hot, mood-dependent, emotion-focused

In the emotional mind, you approach situations entirely based on how you are feeling. You are in the
emotional mind when your feelings guide and influence how you think and what you do. In this mode, facts,
reason, and logic are not important. Examples of the emotional mind include saying something hurtful to a
loved one in the heat of the moment and spontaneously singing out loud when your favorite song comes
on the radio.

The emotional mind can be beneficial. Intense devotion or strong ambition can help you persist in difficult
tasks, and impulsively complimenting someone when you are in a positive mood can strengthen the
interpersonal connection. However, problems with the emotional mind occur when a behavior that results
from the emotion causes direct or long-term negative consequences. For instance, anger may cause you
to hurt someone, or a positive mood may cause you to engage in risky behavior. In the earlier mentioned
example of buying a new house, operating from an emotional mind could lead to buying a house with many
flaws and surprises.

[3]
 PositivePsychology.com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Wise mind
Keywords: quiet, wisdom, present moment, the middle path

In a wise mind, we can listen to our heads and hearts simultaneously in a given situation. In this mind, we
see the value of both reason and emotion. We can connect to our feelings without becoming overwhelmed
by them. At the same time, we listen to the voice of reason without losing connection to what we feel
and what we believe is most important. In the wise mind, we integrate all ways of knowing: knowing by
observing, knowing by analyzing logically, knowing by what we experience in our bodies (a kinetic and
sensory experience), knowing by what we do, and knowing by intuition. For instance, when you decide to
buy a new house, operating from your wise mind would mean you would consider both the facts and your
feelings about the house.

In this exercise, you will experience the difference between each of these minds. Each chair in front of you
represents one of these states of mind: the first chair represents your reasonable mind, the second chair
represents your emotional mind, and the third chair represents your wise mind. I will ask you a series of
questions, and your job is to adopt each state of mind represented by the respective chairs. Engage fully in
the activity, even if you feel silly or have inner judgments about it. The idea is to become familiar with the
different states of mind you use in everyday life.

Fig. 1. An overview of the three modes of mind

The The The

Rational Mind Wise Mind Emotional Mind

■ facts ■ present moment ■ emotion-focused

■ logic ■ needs ■ mood-dependent
■ reason ■ values ■ impulsive
■ pragmatics ■ intuition ■ guided by feelings
■ integrating reason
and emotion

[4]
 PositivePsychology.com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Part 1: Choose a situation or a memory that causes difficult emotions

Bring to mind a difficult situation, for example, a recent argument with a loved one or being reprimanded at
work. Close your eyes for a moment, allowing the situation to arise in your mind as fully possible.

Part 2: Adopt the reasonable mind

Please take a seat in the reasonable mind chair. I will ask you some questions to help you see what it is like
to use your reasonable mind concerning this difficult situation.

■ What are the “hard” facts about this situation?

■ Based on factual evidence, what would be the most reasonable explanation?
■ What evidence supports my point of view?
■ How can you solve this problem?
■ Regardless of what feels “right,” what is the most logical course of action?

Part 3: Adopt the emotional mind

Please take a seat in the emotional mind chair. I will ask you some questions to help you see what it is like to
use your emotional mind concerning this difficult situation.

■ What emotions do you feel regarding this situation?

■ How unpleasant is the emotion?
■ How intense is the emotion?
■ Regardless of the consequences, what do you feel like doing now?
■ Regardless of the consequences, what do you feel like saying right now?

Part 4: Adopt the wise mind

Please take a seat in the wise mind chair. I will ask you some questions to help you see what it is like to use
your wise mind concerning this difficult situation. First, tune in to this very moment. Focus on your breath
for a minute or so and try to stay connected to your breath while doing so.

■ What do my emotions tell me about what I need most at this moment?

■ How can I consider the facts while not ignoring my needs at this moment?
■ What does the bigger picture look like?
■ What does my intuition tell me about this situation?
■ What skills or strengths of mine could I use in this situation?
■ What can I learn from this situation?
■ How can I respond to the situation in a way that aligns with the type of person I want to be?

[5]
 PositivePsychology.com | Positive Psychology Toolkit

Part 5: Evaluation

■ Are there situations in which you tend to use the reasonable mind when the wise mind may
be more effective?
■ Are there situations in which you tend to use the emotional mind when the wise mind may
be more effective?
■ How would spending more time in the wise mind benefit you?
■ How would spending more time in the wise mind benefit the people around you?

[6]