Introduction to DBT
DBTuesday
Based on feedback from our recent forum activities survey, we are restarting DBTuesday. This will be a series of posts where we will explore skills and concepts from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).This is not a substitute for professional therapy, but there is some research showing that standalone DBT skills training can be helpful for a variety of mental health issues, including disordered eating, mood disorders, anxiety, ADHD, and BPD.
Benefits of DBT
DBT is an empirically supported therapy that is often used in treating BPD, eating disorders, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. These are a few examples of experiences that DBT can help with:
Intense emotions or mood swings
Volatile relationships
Feelings of hopelessness or emptiness
Use of risky outlets for managing stress
Origins of DBT
Marsha Linehan developed DBT in the 1980s while working with clients experiencing suicidal thoughts, many of whom had BPD.
The most respected treatment for many mental health conditions is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT emphasizes identifying and changing problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
However, Linehan noticed that many clients with BPD grew up in deeply invalidating environments. As a result, the change emphasis of CBT sometimes felt to them like a repetition of all of the invalidating messages they received while growing up: "There is something wrong with you".
DBT tries to resolve this by putting a greater emphasis on acceptance and mindfulness. The reason it is called "dialectical" is because it tries to bring together two opposite things: acceptance and change. Before a person is able to make certain changes that are helpful, they might need to feel as though they have been understood, validated, and accepted as they currently are.
The Four Modules of DBT
DBT skills are organized into four modules.
1) Mindfulness: learning to experience the present moment with non-judgmental awareness
2) Distress tolerance: learning constructive ways of coping with difficult situations and feelings outside one's control
3) Emotion regulation: learning to understand emotions and to find ways of changing one's emotional reactions to be less negative and more positive
4) Interpersonal effectiveness: learning skills for creating healthy relationships where it’s possible to have one’s needs met and manage conflicts
1) Describe a situation where someone tried to change you but it ended up feeling invalidating. Did it make you more or less likely to change in the way that they wanted?
2) Of the four DBT modules (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness), which one feels like it appeals to you the most and why?
Sources:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/an-overview-of-dialectical-behavior-therapy/
https://eddinscounseling.com/bringing-acceptance-and-change-together-dbt-therapy/
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