Observe - DBT Mindfulness WHAT Skill

In DBT, there are 3 Mindfulness WHAT skills (or what you do when you practice mindfulness). They are: Observe, Describe, and Participate. When we are using mindfulness, we can only use 1 of these WHAT skills at a time— Observe or Describe or Participate. Not all 3 at once. In this video, we are going to discuss Observe.

Some keys to knowing what is observable are asking yourself, “Could this be recorded on a video?” or “If I went to a judge, could I prove this was observed?” Your thoughts are yours, and therefore a thought can be true while the content of the thought may not be.

The Observe skill allows us to separate what is actually observable. Sometimes we have expectations about how things are, and therefore your mind may have “seen” something as it was “supposed” to be.

The Observe skill is an important foundation for additional DBT skills you will see in our video library.

At The Counseling Center Group® we use a variety of techniques to help improve the quality of life for individuals, couples, groups, and families. We work with children, adolescents, and adults. You can reach out by calling us at 888-604-6776 or by visiting our website at https://counselingcentergroup.com.

Acknowledgements:
Adapted from: Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Narrated by: Marjorie Kreppel
Produced by: Jennifer Hartwell
Intro and Outro Music by: Middle Ground Music