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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Dialectic Behavior Therapy

For the last year or so, I have been in Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT).  It's done wonders in giving me skills to deal with anxiety in all forms.  DBT offers four groups or modules in interrelated    skills.  First off, there is mindfulness which is being aware of everything around you and all aspects of a situation.  This is so important to solving problems and just getting along with others. Then there is interpersonal skills which are vital, seeing as we are social creatures and these skills will help you relate to others.  Interpersonal skills are broken down by which of three areas are pertinent to the current situation: goal-orientated, how others will view us and how we view ourselves.  Once we know which of these three are most important in a situation, that will determine which of the three skills corresponding to those three areas to use.  The next set of skills are emotional regulation which is understanding what emotion we're feeling,  why we're feeling it, and how best to communicate that emotion.   Finally there are distress tolerance skills which when things are at their worst (a temporary condition), how to tolerate and survive through this momentary crisis.  I've learned how to use all these skills and have handouts when I'm not sure plus worksheets with questions on them to answer if I ever have doubts.  These skills have pretty much saved my relationship with my beloved fiancee'.   I highly recommend them.  A good place to start in order to see what is involved is at this website: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/.  After you view this site, if you feel this can work for you, look for a DBT counselor in your area and also consider group therapy.   

1 comment:

Leanne Edwards said...

Honey! A blog is the perfect and I mean perfect place for storytelling. So tell your story with DBT. Give examples and experiences in your own life, in your own unique style, about the 4 modules with a new one in the works: validation. A blog is utter perfection for storytelling!!!