Walking the Middle Path

Walking the middle path is a dialectical behavior therapy skill developed to help people bridge the gap in communicating with others. Walking the middle path replaces the “either-or” thinking with “both-and” thinking. We often make up ours mind and become concrete in our thinking. By only viewing a decision through one lens, we hinder our relationships with other by not being able to validate their experience. It is natural to think that we are right, and they are wrong in arguments.

In a dialectical approach there is appreciation for that there is always more than one way to view something. When we expand our lens, we are able to see each perspective as an opinion rather than an absolute truth. When we walk the middle line, we leave room for compromise. By creating compromise, we validate our own feelings and those of another, which creates a harmonious balance.