In this guided experiment, we turn on the light in the attic of the mind.

If you've ever struggled with worry, rumination, perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, obsessive loops, or getting pulled out of the present moment, this practice may be one of the most important skills you ever learn.

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Observe the process of thinking

• Notice the content of thoughts as they arise and pass away

• Differentiate thoughts from facts

• Change your relationship to thoughts rather than trying to control them

• Reduce the influence of "Judge E."

• Experience your mind as an open sky or ocean, where thoughts are simply clouds or waves drifting by

• Build the skill of mindfulness that supports DBT, ACT, and non-dual awareness work

You'll be guided through three structured mindfulness-of-thought exercises, each designed to help you see thoughts clearly, gently, and with far less struggle:

1. Prompted thoughts (noticing what appears when you hear certain words)

2. Intentional thinking (reviewing your day and observing the flow of thought)

3. Open awareness (observing thoughts arising and falling in spacious awareness)

Throughout the experiment, you'll use your lab notebook to write down what you notice and to track how your relationship to thoughts begins to shift.

This is not about clearing your mind or stopping thoughts.
It's about discovering, through direct experience, that:

You are not your thoughts.
You are the awareness in which thoughts come and go.

And from this perspective, the freedom to live more consciously, intentionally, and compassionately becomes possible.

Listen now, and let's explore this together.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HonestMentalHealthTherapy
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honest-mental-health-with-brian-curtis-phd/id1638878549

In this guided experiment, you'll begin learning and practicing the foundational skills of mindfulness: the ability to wake up from autopilot and connect more fully with your life, moment by moment.

While aligning your behavior with your core values is essential to building a meaningful life, mindfulness helps you see clearly where you are and how you're moving through each moment, like turning on a light inside the lighthouse of awareness.

Through this practice, you will:

• Strengthen your ability to observe the present moment without judgment

• Learn to focus and redirect attention (the "spotlight" of awareness)

• Explore your five senses, touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste, with openness and curiosity

• Increase emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, and self-awareness

• Deepen connection with yourself and others

This experiment introduces the "Observe" skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and sets the foundation for more advanced mindfulness practices in upcoming episodes.

As you practice illuminating your experience with awareness, you'll begin to notice what truly matters, and how to live more intentionally in alignment with your values, one moment at a time.

Welcome to the experiment.

Learn more at https://www.honestmentalhealth.com/

In this guided experiment, you'll learn a surprisingly powerful method that's been shown to help people reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance use, insomnia, and more, by focusing on one simple idea:

Pleasure through measurement.

You'll discover how to use daily monitoring (sometimes called a daily diary or tracking log) to increase awareness, motivation, and accountability for your values-based S.M.A.R.T. goals, the ones that truly matter to you.

Through this experiment, you'll:

Create your own daily tracking sheet ("lab notebook" style)

Learn how to monitor meaningful behavior change

Identify patterns that move you toward or away from your values

Strengthen consistency, satisfaction, and long-term well-being

This practice is at the heart of what helps many people move from insight into real, measurable change. By tracking what matters, we begin to see, and feel, our progress.

Welcome to the experiment.

Learn more at https://www.honestmentalhealth.com/

#Psychology #MentalHealth #Mindfulness #BehaviorChange #Values #ACT #DBT #CBT