Wise Mind
Also called "Dialectic Statements" or just" "Dialectics" (as in "Dialectal" Behavior Therapy). This is the idea that real truth lies between the turbulent emotive mind and the cold logical mind. Dialectics are two things that seem contradictory but which in reality coexist perfectly. A great way to check if something is a dialectic is if it's still logically valid as an "and" statement (it's easy to just be valid as an "or" statement). Here are some examples from The Mind Remake Project
| I am strong… | yet vulnerable. |
|---|---|
| You can have both fear… | and courage at the same time. |
| You feel like you can’t go on… | and you still go on. |
| You can be intelligent… | and lack self-awareness. |
| I want to change… | and I’m afraid to change. |
| You are happy with yourself… | and want to improve. |
| I’m doing the best I can… | and I need to try harder. |
| I am capable… | and I need support. |
| You enjoy the finer things in life… | and don’t take the small things for granted. |
| I can love someone… | and still hurt them. |
| I love my partner… | and I was unfaithful to them. |
| I hate what someone did to me… | and I still love them. |
| I am angry with you… | and I will treat you with respect. |
| You can care about someone deeply… | and still not want them in your life. |
| You feel happy for someone… | and are envious of them. |
| I am happy for you… | yet sad for myself. |
| You can feel sorry about something… | and not regret it. |
| I acknowledge and accept others’ views… | and have my own beliefs. |
| You can accept someone… | and disagree with them at the same time. |
| I disagree with you… | and I understand your perspective. |
| You want to be sober… | and you want to get drunk/high. |
| You experience strong cravings… | and you don’t want to get drunk/high. |
| I had a bad childhood… | and I can live a good life. |
| What happened wasn’t okay… | and you can learn from it and move forward. |
| I didn’t cause all my problems… | and I need to solve them. |
"Marsha Linehan is a brilliant psychologist who invented the first working therapy for a serious disorder that was thought to be untreatable... -AND- ...she can't write a decent fucking acronym to save her fucking life."
...I feel like I'm supposed to say something poignant here about the duality of man.