Working with a trained DBT therapist can help you learn new coping skills and effective strategies for achieving positive change. Equipped with the tools DBT offers, you can build the healthy, happy, and purposeful life you want and deserve. DBT was born out of Marsha Linehan’s efforts to find a treatment for women struggling with multiple mental health concerns and suicidal tendencies. When Linehan began looking at the current treatments used for anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, she found that much of the focus was on changing your thinking and behaviors. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a powerful, evidence-based treatment designed to help you manage emotions, improve relationships, and foster long-term healing.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Moreover, maintaining a mindfulness practice can increase self-acceptance. When individuals learn to appreciate their emotions and thoughts without attaching labels or judgments, they can foster a greater sense of worth and purpose in recovery. This can contribute to long-term sobriety as individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms.

What conditions does DBT help with?

The dialectical behavioral therapy premise of mindfulness is to teach the individual to be focused on the present moment and feel grounded. This technique is useful for those struggling with an unstable sense of self and/or those with difficulties focusing on the present. Dialectical strategies in DBT help the individual and their therapist to get unstuck from extreme positions, balance out viewpoints, and view situations from multiple perspectives to reach a logical viewpoint. Learning to pay attention to certain things that trigger the urge to self harm is part of the process. You’ll also learn to distract yourself from that harmful urge and redirect the urge into other positive behaviors. It refers to the idea that two opposite things can be true at the same time.

Powerful Substance Use Disorder Resources

Radical acceptance is challenging to practice because your mind wants to be in charge and call the shots. The somewhat harsh reality is… sometimes unwanted things happen, you come up against specific limitations, and you experience pain. For instance, when anxiety strikes in the middle of the night, you might start to feel worried about having anxiety, which only makes you feel the anxiety more intensely.

Can we count on your support?

Additionally, offering DBT services across levels of care also supports patients in maintaining their treatment gains and meeting individualized goals. In fact, the cornerstone of DBT — the skills training — can help anyone navigate emotionally charged situations with more ease. During individual and group sessions, therapists encourage a nonjudgmental attitude and emphasize acceptance, compassion, and other aspects of mindfulness. Research has found that beyond BPD, dialectical behavior therapy has been shown to help reduce suicidal behavior in adults.

Many, like CBT and exposure therapy, are considered “evidence-based,” meaning their safety and effectiveness have been proven through large-scale research. Discover secular recovery groups, their effectiveness, and how their unique approach supports lasting sobriety. Discover how to stop caffeine addiction with effective strategies, withdrawal tips, and healthy alternatives. Additionally, by viewing crises as opportunities for learning rather than failures, individuals can maintain a healthier mindset. This fosters resilience and provides a pathway to rebuild after setbacks.

What is the outlook for people treated with DBT?

When practicing radical acceptance, you recognize what is within your control and what is out of your control. You focus your energy on what you can change instead of what is unchangeable, which ultimately creates space and opens us up to new possibilities and growth. You are taking a moment to notice yourself struggling with the thoughts and emotions, choosing to sit with them, and then you get to decide how you want to direct your energy. It is also important to note that this approach will not Drug rehabilitation make your thoughts and emotions disappear; however, it will prevent them from sticking around longer than necessary.

• Interpersonal effectiveness is a crucial pillar of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that directly impacts recovery from addiction.
• For instance, when anxiety strikes in the middle of the night, you might start to feel worried about having anxiety, which only makes you feel the anxiety more intensely.
• If you have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, your treatment may last longer than that.
• When they become triggered or emotionally overwhelmed, they may become highly reactive and self-destructive.
• While DBT can benefit just about anyone, it’s particularly helpful when treating depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.

Dialectical behavior therapy

DBT is present-oriented and skills-based, and patients are asked to practice their skills between sessions. Patients can expect homework assignments, which might, for example, focus on taking specific, concrete steps to master relationship challenges. DBT has grown over the decades, gaining recognition for its effectiveness in treating various psychiatric disorders, including SUDs. It prioritizes behavioral change while nurturing self-acceptance, creating a balanced therapeutic environment that is responsive to patient needs. For those recovering from addiction, mastering emotion regulation can reduce both impulsivity and cravings. It equips individuals to handle life’s pressures and setbacks more gracefully, viewing lapses not as failures but as learning opportunities.

If you think DBT could be a good fit for you, ask your doctor if they can suggest a therapist. For instance, Behavioral Tech Institute is a group that trains therapists in DBT and offers a list of providers. In a complete DBT program, your therapist will also meet regularly with other therapists.

• By concentrating on the here and now, individuals can better manage their thoughts and emotions, reducing the chances of acting impulsively, which often leads to substance use.
• However, DBT puts a little more emphasis on managing emotions and interpersonal relationships.
• There are many schools of thought about why people behave in certain ways.
• Studies show that it’s a good way to learn to manage your intense emotions.

The dialectical philosophy is that all things are connected, and change is constant and inevitable. Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Our directory has a comprehensive list of therapists offering DBT across the United States. If and when this does happen, it can often feel like a failure, but DBT focuses on it as a problem to solve and not as an inadequacy of the patient. Substance use disorder is another condition that has been shown to respond positively to DBT.