DBT Workbook

So I ordered this Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) workbook on Wednesday and I got it today, Friday! (SPEEDY)

It was suggested to, or a book along these lines, by strugglingwithbipolar! I’m hoping I don’t hate it! When I “Looked Inside” on Amazon I saw that one of their suggestions for non destructive stress releases was poking a pin into a voodoo doll! I was sold!

I’ve never “formally” done DBT although I’ve probably been taught bits of it at one point in my therapy adventures.

Since I don’t really know what DBT is lets learn this first bit together!

DBT was first created to treat borderline personality disorder but has proven to be equally effective for individuals experiencing overwhelming emotions (mental disorder or not). The goal of this therapy is too give a person the skills to strengthen their ability to handle stress positively.

DBT teaches 4 critical skills: distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills help reduce the size of emotional waves and help you stay balanced when you start feeling overwhelmed.

Already, in the intro, the authors are talking about hope. They have already normalized the “emotional waves” by acknowledging that it happens, that life is hard, that emotions get overwhelming but that change can happen.

So far so good!

(The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay, PH.D, Jeffrey C. Wood, PSY.D, Jeffrey Brantley, MD, 2007)