Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT (for an explanation of the word ‘dialectic’ see here) is a skills based approach to helping people who feel that they are unable to make life work for them. In the 20 years since I was trained in DBT, I’ve witnessed how this approach transforms lives, lives that might otherwise get worse and worse. Developed by social psychologist Marsha Linehan, DBT was originally intended for people who were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. In the years since it has been expanded to help people with all sorts of life limiting difficulties.
These difficulties include:
People who suffer from addictions or every kind.
People who have been traumatized.
People who have executive function deficits.
People who suffer from disabling depressions and anxieties.
People who suffer from schizophrenia.
People who suffer from eating disorders.
People who suffer from disabling obsessive compulsive disorder.
People who feel that their lives are limited by anxiety, worries, and stress.
And of course, people who suffer from borderline personality disorder.
There are four types of DBT skills:
Emotional Regulation Skills
These are the skills that we need to help us express our emotions in a way that makes our life better.
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
These are the skills to that we need to live in peacefully and enjoyably the company of others.
Mindfulness Skills
These are the skills that we need to experience inner peace and mental focus.
Distress Tolerance Skills
These are the skills that we need to surf the ups and downs of life without drowning in circumstances.
There is good news: joy in life, meaning, and loving relationships are all within the reach of anyone no matter how traumatic, hard, invalidating and chaotic his or her life has been. A life of joy is out there for the taking. The skills of dialectical behavioral therapy are a system of strategies that will help you figure out a way to a life that is not only worth living but also worth celebrating.
Emotional Regulation Skills
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills