RAIN is a mindfulness skill sometimes used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that stands for Recognizing what’s happening, Allowing the experience to be there, Investigating with interest and care, and Nurturing with self-compassion. Practicing self-compassion strengthens mindfulness in DBT training, allowing us to have a deeper understanding of our suffering and imperfections, and helps us in extending compassion and empathy toward others.
The RAIN Mindfulness Technique PDF handout briefly introduces the skill and offers tips for practicing mindfulness and self-compassion. Each component of RAIN has relevant explanations that make it easy for clients to implement the skill.
Using the DBT RAIN technique promotes mindfulness and emotion regulation, which prevents kids and teens from becoming overwhelmed by strong feelings. Caring adults can support them by encouraging them to utilize self-compassion coping statements, such as “I forgive myself for acting this way, and I'll do better next time” and “I can handle difficult feelings with patience and courage.”
This handout pairs well with our RAIN Skill Worksheet to support application of this skill.
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References:
- Biehler, K. M., & Naragon‐Gainey, K. (2022). Clarifying the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Mindfulness: an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. Mindfulness, 13(4), 843–854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01865-z
- Scheibner, H., Daniels, A., Guendelman, S., Utz, F., & Bermpohl, F. (2018). Self-Compassion mediates the relationship between mindfulness and borderline personality disorder symptoms. Journal of Personality Disorders, 32(6), 838–856. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi_2017_31_331
- Wu, Q., Chi, P., Zeng, X., Lin, X., & Du, H. (2018b). Roles of anger and rumination in the relationship between Self-Compassion and Forgiveness. Mindfulness, 10(2), 272–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0971-7
