A LITTLE DBT COMES IN HANDY NOW AND THEN

2013 January 16 DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive and behavioral therapy, incorporating methodologies from various practices including Eastern mindfulness techniques.

Below are some good reminders of skills we can all put to good use on a regular basis. 

Step back from a troublesome situation.  Believe me, it won't go anywhere without you.  Use some of the below tools.  Find your center and your balance and hang on tight because troublesome situations are demanding.

WHAT and HOW will ground us as we are reminded to pay attention to exactly what bothers us and how we are approaching it.  This is Mindfulness.  In other words use your mind.  It’s more powerful than you may think. 

Distress Tolerance keeps anxiety at bay.  ACCEPTS can put a crisis into perspective.  IMPROVE reminds us that things have not always been and will not always be the way they are at this moment.  Using all five of our SENSES can get us into THIS moment, completely within our own selves and blocking disturbances for only just a moment, to give us back the knowledge that we ARE our own selves and NOT the immediate ‘situation’.  A swift PRO/CON will help us evaluate and probably adjust our actions/reactions.  We need to be WILLING to use these things, to be able to TURN our minds from what ‘comes naturally’, and to be ready to ACCEPT that it’s okay.

Regulating EMOTIONS is not impossible.  We can reduce our vulnerability with PLEASE.  We can Build on a foundation of positive experiences and become the masters of our own choices.  We can be aware of our own emotions and act in direct opposition to what they seem to be telling us (i.e. when they tell us we’re angry and to lash out, we can choose to be calm instead).

INTERPERSONAL issues can be effectively dealt with.  DEAR MAN can help us to remain objective.  GIVE is a good way to cope with relationships of all kinds.  FAST has to do with your own self-respect, which is crucial to being able to implement everything else.

The above is a nutshell review of the below. 

Each skill can be practiced individually but they all work together.  Some of us will use some of the skills more than others, but there are plenty for everyone; we can use the ones that work best for us and pick up others as needed.

The bottom line:  To Thy Own Self Be True

Overview of DBT skills   MINDFULNESS The What Skills: ·  Observe ·  Describe ·  Participate The How Skills:   ·  Non-judgmental   ·  One-mindful   ·  Effective   DISTRESS TOLERANCE Crisis Survival: Distraction with Accepts ·  A Activities ·  C Contributing ·  C Comparisons ·  E Emotions - use opposite ·  P Pushing Away ·  T Thoughts ·  S Sensations Self Soothe with five senses: ·  Taste ·  Smell ·  See ·  Hear ·  Touch Improve the moment: ·  I Imagery ·  M Meaning ·  P Prayer ·  R Relaxation ·  O One thing at a time ·  V Vacation ·  E Encouragement Pros and Cons Accepting Reality: Willingness Turning your mind Radical Acceptance   EMOTION REGULATION       Reduce Vulnerability: (Please) ·  P & L Treat Physical Illness ·  E eating ·  A Altering Drugs (no drugs unless it is medication to be taken as prescribed by your doctor) ·  S Sleep ·  E Exercise Build Mastery Build Positive experiences Be mindful of current emotion Opposite to emotion action   INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Objectiveness effectiveness: (Dear Man) ·  D Describe ·  E Express ·  A Assert ·  R Reinforce ·  M Mindful ·  A Appear Confident ·  N Negotiate Relationship Effectiveness: (Give) ·  G Gentle ·  I Interested ·  V Validate ·  E Easy Manner Self-respect effectiveness: (Fast) ·  F Fair ·  A Apologies (no Apologies) ·  S Stick to value ·  T Truthful