Mind Jar

Over the past year my office has been trained to be certified in DBT therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Treatment differs from Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT). CBT is to train your thoughts and action to be appropriate so you can function normally. DBT acknowledges that some types of behaviors cannot be easily changed so the patient needs to live with the fact that they have to recognize when they are out of control and just try to calm down. To be concise, it is mindfulness training. DBT has a more loving component. Some people just cannot change and need to see their therapist as their ally. It is more nurturing for disorders that are hard to normally treat. In one of the recent DBT groups a doctor brought in a mindfulness jar. It was a visual aid to show emotions. I loved it so much that I made one. It is a jar filled with water and glitter. The water represents a clear mind. The glitter represents emotions. When things are normal the water is clear and the glitter lies peacefully on the bottom. When someone is upset it is like the jar being shaken. The glitter swirls aimlessly and mixes into the water so nothing is clear. If you take a moment to relax and breath the glitter will slowly settle again so you can see clearly. It is not only therapeutic, it also makes sense.