How to Use This Notebook

This journal is designed to be a soft landing for your therapeutic journey. A bridge between the deep work of your sessions and the rhythm of your daily life.

There is no "right" way to use this book. You might sit with one exercise for a month or move through several in a single afternoon. You have complete autonomy over this process; use it at the pace that feels safest and most supportive for your system.

We value transparency because we know investing in something new can be intimidating. So here's a breakdown of what you're getting with this notebook.

This notebook is organized into four core sections:

1. Tools: For Enhancing Therapy and Reflection 

Many of us struggle to name what we are feeling or describe what is happening in our bodies. In this section, we provide the language for your internal world.

  • What’s Inside: Hand-selected Feelings Wheels, Body Sensation Wheels, Needs Wheels, and a Values List.

  • The Investment: These research-backed tools are designed to help you stay present with your experience. By slowing down to understand your sensations, "uncomfortable" feelings move from being overwhelming to becoming a vital source of connection with yourself and others.

2. Therapy Planning & Reflections

This section is your dedicated companion for the logistical and emotional arc of therapy. It ensures that no "aha" moment is lost so that real change can happen.

  • Therapy Goals: A space to set your intention and prepare for the journey as a whole.

  • Session Reflections: Targeted prompts to help you prep for your session and "land" softly immediately after.

  • Mid-Point Check-In: A curated pause to notice the subtle shifts and progress you’ve made at the halfway point of your notebook.

3. Turning Theory into Practice: Short Exercises to Deepen Self-Understanding

This section features short, powerful exercises rooted in proven therapeutic modalities (DBT, IFS, and Polyvagal Theory) to help you get to know yourself deeper. They're intended to support you through and enhance the therapeutic process.

  • Softening the Transition: Create your own "Post-Therapy Self-Care" menu to navigate the move back to real life.

  • Rewiring the Brain: Use the Glimmers exercise to counter negativity bias and Window of Tolerance and Distress Tolerance exercises to understand your nervous system’s capacity and help you regulate.

  • Alignment & Self-Energy: Explore your values and connect with your "Self-Energy" (IFS) to understand your internal "parts" and live with more peace.

4. Free Flow

This section is entirely yours. Use these pages for additional "brain dumps", drawings, or anything else that needs a place to land. Craving more structure? We have included a collection of Journal Prompts at the end of this section to guide you further if you’re looking for a place to start.