Tag Archive for: mindfulness

This All-Inclusive Moment (Mindfulness, DBT)

When you are emotionally sensitive or have Borderline Personality Disorder, sitting with uncomfortable emotions or situations can be very difficult — excruciating, even.  But, there is a way to reduce our suffering and better cope.  Stick with me here… A concept in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and in Mindfulness practices that are thousands of years old, […]

Emotionally Sensitive in an “Always On” World

Emotionally sensitive people can find it especially difficult to cope with society’s “always on,” always doing something, always multitasking expectations. Even droves of averagely sensitive people have found themselves burned out and turning to self medicating or prescription drugs to literally take the edge off of life and numb the overwhelm.  This can’t be the […]

This is Your Brain on DBT – Strengthening the PFC and Amygdala in People with BPD

In their book Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder, doctors Blaise Aguirre, MD and Gillian Galen, PsyD discuss how certain mindfulness exercises affect and strengthen two key areas of the brain that are affected in a person who suffers from BPD: the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Over time, such exercises can help to retrain the […]

Does Suffering Destroy You or Make You Grow? (Borderline Personality Disorder)

Those who have been following my blog for some time know who Dr. Marsha Linehan is, but for those of you who are new (welcome!), Dr. Linehan founded DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), the treatment of choice for people diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder).She conducted a search out of curiosity as to why some people seemed to […]

Turning The Mind and Accepting a Painful Past (DBT Mindfulness Skill)

Yesterday during DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) group, we did one of the mindfulness exercises on Dr. Marsha Linehan’s CD, “From Suffering to Freedom Through Acceptance.”  At the beginning of each class, we practice one of the 5 minute exercises, and this time it was “Turning the Mind.”During this exercise, Dr. Linehan reminded us that: “Trying […]

DBT Golden Nugget: The DBT Mindful Minute

Last night on Facebook, I came across something interesting that a friend posted. Intrigued, I gave it a look.  It’s a short animated video during which you are lead to practice one moment of meditation.It may not sound like much, but I honestly felt so much better even after just one minute of practicing, so […]

One Thing at a Time… (DBT: One-Mindfully)

It’s actually been over two years now since I started DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) to treat my diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.DBT skills have become wonderfully integrated into my daily life. I practice them so naturally now that they have truly become a part of me. Well…but not all of them.  There are some skills […]

Mindfulness for Dissociation and Racing Thoughts

Like many of my readers, I suffer from time to time with dissociation, depersonalization, and racing thoughts. All three of these experiences can be quite frightening, but I’ve found that the more I have had them, the less frightened I am because at least I understand what is going on and have some coping strategies.  Dissociation and depersonalization, from what […]

Come to Your Senses! (And Stop Freaking Out By Using DBT)

This past week has been quite challenging for me. A number of stressful events built up to where I was having anxiety and panic attacks. As someone who is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, my experience of emotions tends to be much more intense than the average person’s.  Without intervention, in the form of DBT […]

Sensory Overload: Reigning In Emotions Using DBT

I went on a beautiful walk with my boyfriend today. It wasn’t very warm out, but we were dressed for it.  I enjoyed the feeling of moving, since I’m trying to be less sedentary and more active. I enjoyed the sights and sounds.  At one point though, I began to notice that I felt disconnected […]