Dr. Marsha Linehan developed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as a therapy for individuals struggling to regulate their emotions. She coined the term wise mind which sits between your emotional mind and your rational mind.
Your emotional mind is driven by the part of your brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for your "fight or flight" response. Your rational mind is driven by your prefrontal cortex which is responsible for thinking and reasoning. The amygdala is easily stimulated and the prefrontal cortex helps to downregulate the amygdala.
Using DBT will help to develop self-awareness and self-management. In times of stress and when an individual is compelled to immediately react to something, that person is in his/her emotional mind. By taking a pause and recognizing and labeling emotions, individuals provide themselves and his/her brain time to move from their emotional amygdala into their rational prefrontal cortex. By moving between our rational mind and our emotional mind the goal is to settle into your wise mind. It is in your wise mind that you will be able to more appropriately respond to a situation.
