53: Walking the Middle Path
When we find ourselves getting caught in extremes, the DBT skill called Walking the Middle Path helps us re-calibrate.
Use this skill when you notice you are caught in binary thinking to find a way to move towards center. This episode explores common opposites:
- Reasonable Mind vs. Emotion Mind
- Doing Mind vs. Being Mind
- Intense Desire of the Moment vs. Radical Acceptance of the Moment
- Self-denial vs. Self-indulgence
Show Highlights
- It’s hard to think creatively when we are in stuck in extremes
- Thinking of a middle path reduces pressure to take action right away
- Balancing your needs and someone else’s needs is an example of Walking the Middle Path
- Balancing strong desire for change with radical acceptance
- Emotion mind creates an urgency to “fix this now”
- Noticing tendencies towards continual productivity and allowing for rest
- Moving away from the opposite poles of austerity or hedonism to find a place of balance
- Allowing for enjoyment of sensory pleasures without regret
- Trying to be easeful in what we are doing, rather than intense
- What way am I doing too much?
- What way am I doing too little?
- Avoiding “good” and “bad” language
- Walking the Middle Path is highly individual
- What the Middle Path looks like for you may be different than what it looks like for others
DBT Skills Discussed
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Please note that questions, and this podcast in general, are not a substitute for individual mental health treatment.