DBT & Mindfulness
Notice what is happening. Bring your attention back. Choose a useful next step.
You can practise for a few moments, in a way that fits your capacity.
What is mindfulness in DBT?
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with less judgment. In Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), it is a foundation for learning and using other skills.
You practise noticing your experience, returning when attention wanders, and responding deliberately.
Thoughts and emotions can still be present. Noticing that your attention has wandered is part of the practice.
Where does Wise Mind fit?
DBT describes Wise Mind as bringing together emotional experience and reasonable thinking. Mindfulness can help you pause and consider both.
“What am I feeling? What are the facts? What would be a useful next step?”
The “What” skills
These describe what you do. Practise one at a time.
Observe +
Notice what is happening without immediately putting it into words or trying to change it.
You might notice a colour, a sound, an emotion or a thought.
Notice the colour and shape of one flower.
Describe +
Put what you notice into words. Separate observations from assumptions.
“I notice sadness.”
“I am having the thought that I will fail.”
“The room is noisy.”
You do not need to know exactly why something is happening.
Participate +
Enter into the activity of the moment. Let yourself engage rather than continually evaluating your performance.
Attend to the conversation, draw a line, or fold one towel.
Participation can be small and adapted to your capacity.
The “How” skills
These describe how you practise. You can combine them.
Nonjudgmentally +
Describe facts and experiences without adding labels such as “bad,” “weak” or “useless.”
Instead of “I am useless,” try “I am having difficulty starting this task.”
You can still recognise harm, assess safety and set boundaries.
One-mindfully +
Give your attention to one thing at this moment. When your mind wanders, gently return.
For a few seconds, attend to placing one cup on the table.
Returning repeatedly is practice, not failure.
Effectively +
Focus on what works for your goal in the situation you actually have.
“My goal is to communicate clearly. I will write one sentence and pause.”
An effective response may include rest, asking for help or leaving an overwhelming environment.
Try one small practice
- Choose one manageable anchor. A neutral object, a sound you tolerate, or a simple activity.
- Notice for a few moments. If useful, describe one fact about it.
- Return gently. When attention wanders, come back once. Then decide whether to continue or stop.
You can keep your eyes open, sit or lie down, and let your breathing remain natural.
If the practice makes things harder +
Pause if you become more distressed, dizzy, overwhelmed or disconnected. Look around, orient to where you are, and choose a familiar support.
You do not need to push through. If this happens repeatedly, ask an appropriately trained clinician to help adapt the practice.
Make the practice fit your experience
These are ALPIMS suggestions, separate from the standard DBT skill descriptions. They are not claims that mindfulness treats every condition in a domain.
A — Anxiety & Autonomic +
If attention to breathing or heartbeat increases alarm, choose an external anchor instead. Let breathing stay natural and use a comfortable, supported position.
Notice a symptom without assuming it is anxiety. Physical symptoms may need medical assessment.
Explore Autonomic Regulation →L — Laxity & Connective Tissue +
Support your joints and change position when needed. Mindfulness does not require sitting upright, staying still or holding a painful posture.
Notice discomfort as information that may call for an adjustment.
P — Pain & Bodily Sensitivity +
You can choose a neutral focus outside the body if attending to pain increases distress. Shorten the practice or stop during migraine or symptom escalation.
Mindfulness may support coping; it does not mean pain is imagined or replace pain treatment.
Explore Rest →I — Immune & Inflammatory +
Keep practice within available energy. If you have ME/CFS or post-exertional worsening, include mental effort in your pacing decisions.
Avoid scented candles or other personally triggering materials. Mindfulness does not require exposure to allergens or irritants.
Explore Pace →M — Mood & Mental Health +
If inward attention brings up traumatic memories or disconnection, try eyes-open attention to your surroundings, shorten the practice, or stop.
Acceptance of a feeling does not mean accepting mistreatment. You can notice distress and still seek safety, support or change.
Explore Emotional Regulation →S — Sensory & Neurodevelopmental +
Choose input that is comfortable for you. Predictable movement, a familiar object or a simple activity may be easier than silent stillness.
You do not need to suppress stimming, make eye contact or name every body sensation. Concrete instructions and one step at a time are valid adaptations.
Explore Sensory Support →What might mindfulness help with?
It can be a way to practise noticing thoughts, emotions and impulses before choosing a response.
Research on mindfulness approaches suggests possible benefits for some difficulties, but findings vary. Evidence about a full treatment programme does not establish the same benefit from a brief exercise on a webpage.
Environmental changes, practical support, rest and appropriate healthcare may be more useful at a particular moment.
Professional care
This page introduces skills; it is not a full DBT programme. A DBT-trained clinician can help with skill selection and adaptations, especially when distress or dissociation makes practice difficult.
Explore Professional Care →Sources & further reading
Original plain-language summaries; not reproduced DBT worksheets.
- Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual, second edition. Guilford Press.
- Kaiser Permanente — DBT mindfulness teaching resource (PDF)
- NCCIH — Mindfulness: effectiveness and safety
- Veterans Affairs — Evidence-based treatments, including DBT
Educational information only. Skills should complement appropriate care, not delay assessment or treatment of physical or mental health symptoms.