Dynamic Behavioral Therapy, or DBT for short, is a method aimed at managing and reducing negative emotions and behaviors. It's particularly effective in addressing difficulties stemming from trauma.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a unique type of therapy that combines acceptance and change to help individuals heal emotionally and build a fulfilling life. This approach, particularly effective for trauma survivors, aims to find a balance between extremes and restore equilibrium to areas of life that trauma has disrupted.
DBT is structured around four core modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. The process of DBT typically includes individual therapy sessions, skills training groups, phone coaching, and consultation team meetings.
In individual therapy sessions, clients focus on addressing life-threatening behaviors first, reducing therapy-interfering behaviors, improving life quality, and learning new skills to replace negative patterns. Skills training groups are like classes where clients learn and practice DBT coping skills in a supportive group setting. Phone coaching provides on-demand support to use skills in real-life crises or challenging moments. Consultation team meetings happen behind the scenes to ensure therapists adhere to DBT principles and optimize treatment.
The specific DBT skills taught are:
- Mindfulness: Developing present-moment awareness without judgment, reducing impulsive reactions.
- Distress Tolerance: Building the ability to tolerate and survive crises or emotional pain without worsening the situation.
- Emotion Regulation: Identifying, understanding, and managing intense emotions effectively.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: Communicating needs assertively, maintaining relationships, and resolving conflicts.
DBT's core dialectical principle is its simultaneous emphasis on acceptance and change. It validates clients’ current experiences and emotions (acceptance) while encouraging active work toward healthier behaviors and improved emotional regulation (change). This balance helps individuals accept themselves "as they are" without giving up hope or effort to grow and heal.
DBT benefits people facing overwhelming feelings or seeking healthier ways to cope with challenges. It effectively addresses multiple issues that may arise from trauma, including insomnia, anxiety, ADHD, depression, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder. Combining DBT with other models offers clients broader and more adaptable support.
Seray Soyma, a Clinical Psychosexologist, provides psychosexual education and sexual support sessions, as well as delivering training and workshops. Her research interests are sexual communication, sex-positive behaviour, LGBTQIA+ studies, and sexual health.
Learning DBT skills takes time, effort, patience, and self-forgiveness. Mistakes are expected and part of the process. In DBT, every slip is just "Skills-Learning in Progress" (SLIP), and the only way to truly fail is to give up on using the skills.
DBT encourages survivors to not just survive, but to thrive by learning to laugh, love, and live fully again. It aims to achieve three primary goals: escaping emotional pain, staying out of it, and building a life worth living. Regular independent practice strengthens emotional regulation and resilience, promoting lasting positive change beyond the therapeutic environment.
[1] Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press. [2] Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual for practitioners. Guilford Press. [3] Koons, M. R., & Linehan, M. M. (2008). Dialectical behavior therapy: A practical guide for clinicians. Guilford Press. [4] Safer, D. L., & Joiner, T. E. (2005). Dialectical behavior therapy: A comprehensive treatment for borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press. [5] Neacsiu, A. D., Bohus, M., & Linehan, M. M. (2014). The dialectical behavior therapy skills training manual for therapists. Guilford Press.
- Mindfulness, a key skill taught in DBT, helps individuals develop present-moment awareness, reducing impulsive reactions, and is essential for emotional healing through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
- Sexual health is an important aspect of overall well-being, and Seray Soyma, a Clinical Psychosexologist, focuses on providing psychosexual education, support, and training to enhance this critical aspect of life.
- In addition to DBT, scientific research and therapies and treatments in the field of mental health continue to evolve, offering a broader range of options for individuals seeking help, as shown in the works of authors such as Linehan, Koons, Safer, Joiner, and Neacsiu.
- Mental health and emotional well-being can be significantly improved with regular practice of DBT skills, aiming not only to escape emotional pain but to stay out of it and build a life worth living, promoting lasting positive change in the process.
