Is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) appropriate for me?

Brief Background:

DBT is a combination of Eastern traditions involving meditation, mindfulness and a balanced mind. With a balanced mind comes balanced emotions, the ability to make wise decisions about relationships, day-to-day life decisions, and how best to get through hard times.

Dialectical is from the concept of a dialectic, which means:

1. the art of inquiring into the truth

2. inquiring into contradictions and their solutions

When we are struggling, there is often a contradiction that includes confusion, feeling out of control, getting stuck, and strong emotions such as fear and anger may arise.

DBT is a map. Each person who develops in the art of DBT is learning how to use their compass to navigate the map of DBT. This map and compass join together to illuminate wisdom. That wisdom is utilized to come out of the contradictions and to reduce suffering.

There are FOUR modules in DBT:

Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness.

These modules are not used in isolation, rather people learn to assess their circumstances and develop a plan. For example, the circumstances may call for a skill in Emotion Regulation, followed by a skill in Interpersonal Effectiveness.

And, DBT teaches the inner workings of THOUGHTS-SENSATIONS-EMOTIONS-URGES

Where have I used DBT in my work and where has it been successful?

Short answer: everywhere. In the last 20 years that I have worked since I learning DBT in 2005.

Here are some people, places and issues where DBT has been very well received and very helpful to my clients:

Seattle, Washington: underground domestic violence shelter

-women, children, families

-complex PTSD, economic hardship, drug use and abuse, women's issues

Austin, Texas: Phoenix Academy, treatment facilities with adjudicated youth

-adolescents, families

-complex PTSD, drug use an abuse, gang violence, family violence, depression, anxiety

Tepito, Mexico City: Private practice

-adults, families, children adolescents

-extreme poverty, complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, family violence

Houston, Texas: domestic violence organization

-Spanish-speaking women and children

-domestic violence, complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, challenges of immigration and economic hardship

Austin, Texas: Lifeworks, Batters Intervention and Prevention Program

-adults with domestic violence charges

-PTSD, history of aggression and violence, economic hardship, immigration challenges, anxiety, depression

Virtual private practice:

-couples, families, adults, youth

-Autism, ADHD, family of origin trauma, anxiety, PTSD, depression, Bi-Polar, major life transitions

For a deeper understanding of DBT as Experiential and Somatic, not only "Behavioral", see another post here: https://www.kristinabravo.org/post/dbt-is-somatic-experiential-not-behavioral

I hope this blog post give you insight into DBT's uses. Please let me know if you have any questions, and if you decide that you'd like to try DBT for yourself, you can email me kristin-bravo@outlook.com or fill out the contact form HERE.