Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy
“DBT looks at emotions as a full-system response that is made of biological action tendencies and urge, hormones, changes in brain chemistry. From there we look at emotion as making people ready for action, they motivate us to do things.   Emotion is seen as having several important functions such as giving you information and communicating with others. Emotions are problematic for persons who have a biological thermostat that is at a higher set point, so they experience their emotions much more strongly and quickly than others.   Without certain skills emotions can take over, rather than serve the person that feels them” by S. Spradlin.  
  * What is DBT?
Dialectical behavior therapy - DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice. DBT may be the first therapy that has been experimentally demonstrated to be generally effective in treating PD. Research indicates that DBT is also effective in treating patients who present varied symptoms and behaviors associated with spectrum mood disorders, including self-injury. Recent work suggests its effectiveness with abuse survivors and chemical dependency.
  * DBT Skills
1. Mindfulness
2. Interpersonal Effectiveness
3. Emotion Regulation
4. Distress Tolerance

  The above are the DBT skills as devised by Marsha Linehan in 1993 at the University of Washington, Seattle. These 4 points look very small in comparison to some of the other listed presented on this site.   However, each of these skills is a tall order, and is only mastered after hours of practice.   This is a small price to pay for something that will improve the quality of your relationships, and possibly save a person with a disorders life.   The challenge of each skill is that they all require the individual to put in place and master brand-new behaviors...