What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)?

How to gain emotional regulation with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Do you feel overwhelmed by your emotions?

Do you desperately want your emotions to stop taking over your life?

Do you find yourself wishing that you could control the way you feel and act?

If any of these resonate with you, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy may be a good fit for you.

So, what is a therapist that uses Dialectical Behavioral Therapy like?

A dialectical Behavioral therapist helps you focus on your emotions and helps you regulate and learn from them. They are fascinated by your inner world. They will help you uncover truths within your emotions that will allow you to grow. 

Possibly, you are concerned that a therapist will judge you once they know you. Maybe, you think they will turn on you when they know about something you did or said. A therapist that uses Dialectical Behavioral therapy in session will not judge you. 

A DBT therapist is quite the opposite of that! They practice radical acceptance. They will have a nonjudgmental attitude and accept you as you are.

 A Dialectical Behavioral therapist gives you tools to become calm and regulate your body and mind. They want to see you succeed and be happy more than anything! They meet you with unconditional positive regard and strive to work with you human to human. 

The main goal of DBT is to create a life worth living while balancing the dialectic of change and acceptance. DBT teaches you both change and acceptance skills to include: mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and distress tolerance.

How can I practice acceptance while walking towards change at the same time?

If you have ever been to AA, I am sure that you have heard the Serenity Prayer. At growgood psych, we subscribe to the belief that we should strive to accept the things we cannot change, develop courage to change the things we can, and foster wisdom to know the difference. 

You can hold both at once. You have the power to accept that this is where you are right now and make steps towards positive changes! A Dialectical Behavioral therapist can provide you with the tools to make those changes while you learn to accept and love yourself. 

Mindfulness in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

To add, mindfulness is a main component of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment and meeting it with a nonjudgmental attitude. We can embrace life and situations with an air of acceptance. Most importantly, we can embrace ourselves with acceptance and curiosity. 

Furthermore, mindfulness teaches us how to welcome and endure all emotions. When we face an emotion with the absence of judgement, we can see it clearly and grow from the experience. We learn to ditch the labels and throw out categories like good and bad. 

In essence, a mindful person just is. They don’t see themselves as bad, but as a human with emotions, thoughts, and dreams. 

Honing a beginner’s mind is key to achieving mindfulness. When we live with a beginner’s mind, we don’t allow our past experiences to cloud the here and now. And, we embark on our journey with a fresh perspective and invite what is to come. 

How can practicing distress tolerance and emotional regulation skills help me?

Often, emotions can be overwhelming and downright scary. Sometimes, it feels like fear or anger has a firm grip on you and the way you live your life. Thankfully, practicing emotional regulation skills with a DBT trauma therapist will help you loosen that grip.

 Learning how to regulate our emotions and body allows us to not be worn down by our emotions. Emotional regulation tools give us more room to feel more positive emotions. 

When we aren’t fixated and bombarded by upsetting emotions, we have more time to devote to our life and our happiness. Yes, you can become resilient towards intense emotions and step out of reactionary behaviors that don’t serve you! Emotional regulation techniques empower us to experience more positive emotions and liberates us from a barrage of painful ones. 

Next, distress tolerance skills support us in managing our emotional distress. Planning activities that you enjoy can be a form of distress tolerance. Doing something that you love empowers you to feel positive emotions and climb out of a rut. 

You have the power to choose actions that lift your mood. Maybe you love to laugh. Watching a comedy or talking with a funny friend can shift your mood.

growgood psychology has a team of therapists that are dedicated to support you along your journey to wellbeing

To add, at growgood psychology we will create a safe holding space for you to explore your emotions. We will help you acquire the skills that will support you in creating a fulfilling life. At growgood psychology you can learn to accept your emotions, regulate yourself, and achieve inner peace. 

Finally, connect with us now to begin the healing process and embrace growth with our DBT therapists!