53
From DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition  by Marsha M. Linehan. Copyright 2015 by Marsha M. Linehan. Permission 
to photocopy this handout is granted to purchasers of this book for personal use only (see copyright page for details). Mindfulness Handout 4   (Mindfulness Worksheets 2–2c, 4–4b)
Taking h old of y our m ind: “What” Skills
oBS erve
notice your body sensations  (coming through your eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue).
pay attention on purpose, to the present moment.
control your attention, but not what you see. Push away nothing. Cling to nothing.
practice wordless watching:  Watch thoughts come into your mind and let them slip right by 
like clouds in the sky. Notice each feeling, rising and falling, like waves in the ocean.
observe both inside and outside yourself.
DeScri Be
put words on the experience. When a feeling or thought arises, or you do something, 
acknowledge it. For example, say in your mind, “Sadness has just enveloped me,” or “Stomach 
muscles tightening,“ or “A thought ‘I can’t do this’ has come into my mind.”
label what you observe.  Put a name on your feelings. Label a thought as just a thought, a 
feeling as just a feeling, an action as just an action.
unglue your interpretations and opinions from the facts. Describe the “who, what, when, 
and where” that you observe. Just the facts.