A Helpful Confluence
An essential concept in DBT is wise mind, a balance between the emotional mind and the rational mind. If you recall the Star Trek character Spock, he epitomized rational mind. He often said things like, “That’s illogical.” Captain Kirk, however, was emotional.
In DBT, the objective is to guide the client toward wise mind, the state between, prompting them to identify which mind they’re presently in. Michael, like most clients, was usually in emotion mind.
Emotion mind is highly reactive, usually characterized by negative thinking, and is labile: fluctuating, unsteady. In contrast, rational or logic mind is rigid and intellectual, disregarding feelings, as with Jack Friday’s Dragnet catchphrase, ”Just the facts, ma’am.”