DBT Distress Tolerance & Integration

Wise Mind Practice Guide

Happy Bee Therapy

In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Wise Mind represents the synthesis between Emotion Mind (raw feelings, urgency, impulses) and Reasonable Mind (logic, facts, analysis). Wise Mind is your internal intuitive knowing where calm truth resides.

Emotion Mind

Driven by intense feelings, urge to react, panic, or overwhelm.

Wise Mind

The middle path. Intuitive wisdom, calm clarity, and bodily truth.

Reasonable Mind

Pure facts, logic, and cold analysis devoid of emotion.

Step 1: Check Your Internal State

Pause, place a hand over your heart or stomach, and take a slow breath. Identify where your mind is currently leaning.

Describe the current situation or trigger causing distress:

What is my Emotion Mind telling me to do right now? (e.g., flee, attack, shut down)

What are the cold, objective FACTS of the situation? (Reasonable Mind)

Step 2: Accessing Wise Mind

Ask yourself internally: "In the quiet space beneath this emotion, what is the most grounded, effective step forward?"

What does my Wise Mind say? (My intuitive, values-aligned truth):

CPTSD & Somatic Boundary Repair

Fawn Response De-Escalation Guide

Happy Bee Therapy

The Fawn response is an automatic biological defense mechanism where safety is sought through instant compliance, over-explaining, and pleasing others at the expense of your own boundaries. Use this guide when you feel the automatic urge to appease.

1. Somatic Signal Recognition

Check the physiological signals your body uses to alert you to fawning:

Sympathetic "buzz" or tightness in chest / throat
Automatic smile or head-nodding despite feeling internal discomfort
Instant urge to say "Yes" or apologize before considering your availability
Feeling hollow, ghost-like, or disconnected from your physical weight

2. The 5-Second De-Escalation Protocol

1. Pause & Ground: Feel your feet firmly on the floor. Take 5 seconds before responding. 2. Identify the Fawn Part: Say mentally, "I see my Fawn Part trying to keep me safe right now." 3. Buy Time Script: "Let me check my capacity/calendar and get back to you shortly."

3. Boundary Alignment Reflection

What request or interaction triggered my impulse to appease?

If I wasn't afraid of the other person's reaction, what would my true answer be?

One small step I can take to honor my real boundary today: