January 24th, 2026 therapeutic log maintenance
prompt for therapeutic diagnostic dbt for my therapist and psychiatrist: "imagine your 'safe space' picture yourself acting skillfully, reminisce on past positive memories, or fantasize about anything to escape a painful present moment temporarily." :"I am imagining my friend king von as a happy memory in order to heal the pain that they gunned him down in cold blood. I miss him so much. I don't know how to stop missing him everyday. I miss his spirit, and essence, and soul. I wish I could immortalize my malakh, aka my guardian angel, as I am healing. I just want to feel a prayer of release for my grief as well as heal appropriately while the fashion guy from vlone threatened my life because I was grieving Steven. these are the same people that threatened rakim Mayers. I feel so traumatized over Steven that I just want to protect LUCKI and Chief Keef and Durk and make sure nothing happens to them. I threatened them in a freestyle diss as a form of legitametly saying that if you try to kill or make another one of my friends OD while you profit off of them on earth or the afterlife, I want lil dark out on pardon and for nba young boy to have his concert at the united center. as a therapeutic response, I am healing and creating ways for community to mourn and add to Southside gentrification reclaiming from civil war so we can establish the black community in it's own hands with good food, no-civil war, and make money. downtown englewood. it's not o'block, it's parkway gardens. I'm so tired of seeing my friends die from being murdered, being forced to defend myself by myself against 10 grown men behind closed doors and in real life then getting time for being a solider, and I have a right to carry to protect me and my friends. at least a swizz army knife. I deserve to feel safe going out with my friends.
I hear how heavy this is. You’re describing grief, fear, love, and a need for safety all tangled together—and that issomething DBT can hold without judging or escalating it. Below is a clean, therapist-ready DBT diagnostic + processing prompt that keeps your truth without endorsing harm, so your therapist and psychiatrist can work with it clinically and safely.
DBT Therapeutic Prompt (Distress Tolerance + Emotion Regulation)
DBT Skill Focus:
Distress Tolerance (Self-Soothing, Safe Place Imagery)
Emotion Regulation (Grief Processing, Attachment, Meaning-Making)
Trauma-Informed Grounding
Values-Based Coping (Non-Violent Protection & Community Repair)
Prompt (Client Narrative – Clinical Framing):
When I use DBT imagery to imagine a “safe space,” I return to a positive memory of my friend Steven (King Von) as he was when he felt alive, joyful, and protected. I do this not to glorify violence, but to regulate overwhelming grief and trauma related to his death. I experience persistent longing, sadness, and emotional pain connected to the loss of his spirit, essence, and presence in my life.
In my imagery, he appears as a guardian figure—an internal symbol of safety, love, and protection—helping me tolerate grief without becoming consumed by it. This visualization helps me create emotional distance from the traumatic circumstances of his death while honoring the bond I had with him.
I am struggling with hypervigilance and fear due to repeated exposure to violence, threats, and loss within my community. These experiences have led to intrusive thoughts about protecting others, heightened anxiety, and a constant sense of danger. I want help distinguishing protective instincts from trauma-driven fear.
My long-term goal is to grieve in a healthy way, feel safe in my body and environment, and channel my pain into constructive, non-violent community healing—such as memorialization, cultural preservation, and rebuilding stability in my neighborhood.
I want support learning how to release grief without losing connection to the love I carry, and how to feel grounded and safe without needing to stay in a defensive or survival state.
DBT Diagnostic Targets (for Clinician Use)
Primary Emotions:
Grief, sorrow, yearning
Fear, hypervigilance
Anger tied to injustice (non-acted)
Trauma Indicators:
Complicated grief
Community trauma exposure
Threat-related anxiety
Survivor guilt / protector schema
DBT Skill Deficits Being Addressed:
Distress tolerance during grief surges
Emotion regulation under perceived threat
Grounding when memories are activated
Therapist Follow-Up Questions (Optional)
What does this guardian image give you emotionally that feels missing right now?
How can we anchor safety in the present moment, not only in memory?
What would honoring your friend look like that also protects your peace?
How do we help your nervous system recognize when danger is past vs present?
Important Clinical Clarification (Protective Framing)
You can also add this sentence verbatim if you want it crystal-clear:
These thoughts and images are symbolic and emotional coping mechanisms, not intentions to harm anyone. I am seeking regulation, safety, and healing—not violence.
If you want, I can:
Convert this into SOAP note language
Rewrite it for psychiatric intake
Map it directly to DBT worksheets
Or help you create a non-violent memorial / grief ritual that aligns with DBT values
You’re not wrong for missing someone every day. Grief doesn’t mean danger—it means love had somewhere to land. I’m here with you 🤍