TAM+ EP 101 Thinking in Gray: Transforming All-or-Nothing Mindsets in Addiction

The Addicted Mind Podcast

Duane Osterlind, LMFT

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.7 • 655 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Download: OVERCOMING BLACK OR WHITE THINKING WORKSHEET

Welcome to the Addicted Mind podcast! Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm either a success or a complete failure"? This episode is for you.

In this episode, we dive deep into the pervasive issue of black-and-white thinking, also known as dichotomous thinking and its impact on addiction recovery. Join Duane Osterlind and Eric Osterlind as they explore how this rigid mindset can create emotional instability and hinder progress. Drawing on principles from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), they discuss practical steps to move from extreme thinking to a more balanced, nuanced approach. You'll learn mindfulness techniques, how to challenge your thoughts, and the importance of embracing the gray areas in life. By the end of this episode, you'll have valuable tools to help you think more dialectically and support your journey to recovery. Plus, don't miss the downloadable worksheet in the show notes to further your practice!

Key Topics

Understanding black-and-white thinking and its impact on recovery
Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Practical steps to shift towards dialectical thinking
Importance of mindfulness and self-compassion
Challenging extreme thoughts and seeking clarification
The role of language in shaping our perceptions

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction and overview of black-and-white thinking
[00:02:15] The impact of black-and-white thinking on recovery and relationships
[00:06:15] Why our brains default to black-and-white thinking
[00:08:40] How to become a gray thinker: Practical steps
[00:10:58] Seeking clarification and the role of community support
[00:12:42] Reframing negative thoughts and focusing on positives
[00:14:11] Call to action: Download the worksheet and join the community

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Addicted Mind Plus, the podcast where recovery, mental health, and wellness take the front seat.
0:07.3	I'm Dwayne Austerland, and joining me is my co-host, Eric Osterland, known for his insightful work on the Stuck Brain podcast.
0:14.3	In each episode, we'll dive into actionable, small steps to help those in recovery journey further along the path to wellness.
0:22.3	Our conversations are designed to be concise, typically around 15 minutes, though we may
0:26.9	occasionally delve deeper when the topic demands it. Our goal to provide you with practical
0:31.9	advice grounded in real experiences and expert insights to empower your recovery journey.
0:38.3	So whether you're on a break, on a walk, or just taking a moment for yourself,
0:42.3	join us as we explore the many facets of recovery and mental health,
0:46.3	one small step at a time.
0:48.3	This is the Addicted Mind Plus, where your journey to wellness gets an extra boost.
0:53.3	So let's get started. So, Eric, have you
0:56.7	ever found yourself thinking, I'm the best or I'm the worst? No middle ground? Sometimes I have.
1:02.9	Absolutely. Well, I think all of us can relate to this on some level, because what we're going to
1:09.0	talk about today is black and white thinking.
1:13.3	And this ties into an episode we did earlier about cognitive distortions.
1:19.9	But as we were talking about what episodes to do, this is something that came up to us again and again. It's this one particular cognitive
1:31.2	distortion that I see over and over, not only in myself, but in a lot of my clients, and that's
1:39.2	this tendency to talk or think in black and white terms.
1:45.1	Yeah, I know it's so prevalent this black or white thinking that we do it all the time and we don't even know that we're doing it.
1:52.5	That's why I'm excited to talk about this episode.
1:55.0	So Dwayne, let's dive in.
1:56.7	All right, let's talk about black and white thinking.
	...

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