"The Mindfulness Solution for Intense Emotions" by Cedar R. Koons, MSW, LCSW, is a highly practical and authoritative guide for anyone who struggles with overwhelming feelings and emotional instability. With a foreword by DBT founder Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, the book translates the core principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) into accessible, powerful mindfulness techniques. While the book focuses on Borderline Personality Disorder, its primary subject—emotional dysregulation—is a key issue that often fuels addictive behavior and hinders recovery.

The core of the book lies in teaching the four essential modules of DBT:

1. Mindfulness: Learning to observe the present moment without judgment.
2. Distress Tolerance: Developing skills to cope with crises and intense emotions without making the situation worse.
3. Emotion Regulation: Learning to understand, reduce, and change painful emotional responses.
4. Interpersonal Effectiveness: Building skills to maintain relationships while getting one's needs met.

Koons emphasizes that mindfulness is the essential starting point for all other skills. By providing clear guidance and actionable exercises, the book empowers readers to move away from impulsive, destructive reactions and toward a state of balanced emotional control and inner peace, transforming intense emotions into manageable experiences.

Study Guide for Recovery

This study guide is designed to help you explore the concepts in "The Mindfulness Solution for Intense Emotions" and apply them to your own journey of emotional sobriety.

Key Themes & Concepts

• Emotional Dysregulation: Recognizing the pattern of intense, rapidly shifting emotions that often leads to substance use or compulsive behavior.
• Mindfulness as the Foundation: Using mindfulness to pause between an intense feeling and a destructive reaction, creating the space for a skillful response.
• The Skill of Distress Tolerance: Learning to "ride out" intense cravings or emotional crises without resorting to addictive coping mechanisms.
• Finding the Wise Mind: The DBT concept of balancing the emotional mind (impulse) and the rational mind (logic) to find a centered, insightful place for making recovery-supporting decisions.

Discussion Questions

1. Identify a time when a specific emotion (anger, sadness, fear) felt so intense it led to an impulsive choice in the past. What Distress Tolerance skill (e.g., grounding, self-soothing) could you have applied in that moment?
2. The book stresses Mindfulness as a starting point. What is one way you can bring non-judgmental awareness to a difficult feeling before it spirals out of control?
3. Think about an emotional conflict in a relationship. How could applying a Mindfulness or Interpersonal Effectiveness skill have helped you communicate your needs without damaging the relationship?
4. What is one specific, intense emotion you are still struggling to regulate in recovery? What small, Emotion Regulation step (e.g., checking the facts, opposite action) are you willing to try today?
5. How can the concept of the Wise Mind help you find the balance between your need for support (emotional mind) and the logical necessity of protecting your sobriety (rational mind)?

Additional Resources

• Video: "Marsha Linehan on Emotional Regulation" (Creator of DBT):
  • Watch a short video or lecture from Dr. Linehan where she explains the core concepts of emotional regulation and the development of DBT. (Search "Marsha Linehan emotional regulation talk" on YouTube.)
• Resource: Behavioral Tech (DBT Resources):
  • Explore the official platform for resources and information related to Marsha Linehan's work and training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. https://behavioraltech.org/
• Article: "DBT Skills for Emotional Regulation in Recovery":
  • This article explains how the core DBT modules are used by individuals in recovery to manage intense feelings and prevent relapse. (Search "DBT skills for addiction recovery".)
• Resource: Guided Distress Tolerance Meditation:
  • Access a free, guided audio meditation designed to help you sit with and tolerate intense, difficult emotions without acting impulsively. (Search "DBT distress tolerance guided meditation".)