Brooke Knowles

“Sadness indicates a kind of loss and helps people slow down in order to heal. Fear indicates some type of danger and helps people fight, flee, or freeze. Anger indicates that some type of boundary has been crossed (for example, someone is taking advantage of you) and helps you protect or advocate for yourself. Guilt, as unpleasant as it is, indicates that we have done something inconsistent with our values and can help us make repairs by apologizing.”
― Carissa Gustafson PsyD, Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks

“I’ll give you a preview of and introduce you to a quick and easy defusion technique, in which you thank your mind. When you notice your mind telling you things about yourself (that you are lazy or stupid, for example), you don’t have to buy into it, you can simply notice it, say “Thank you, mind,” and move on.”
― Carissa Gustafson PsyD, Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks

“paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
― Carissa Gustafson PsyD, Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks

“How is anger experienced? What thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are associated with anger? This is what I mean by experiencing anger. For many people, anger is experienced through strong physical sensations in the body. I might notice, for example, a wave of heat run across my body, or a strong warm sensation in my chest, clenching in my jaw, and tightness in the muscles of my face.”
― Carissa Gustafson PsyD, Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks