Quietmind Portraits by Eric Weinhardt
Okay, so we've established that I can help you manage your anxiety, have a better relationship with food, and start loving your life rather than just living it, but how do I go about doing that? Here is my favorite part where I get to talk about the concepts that I live and teach!
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)- What a long, complicated name for a really profound concept and set of skills! Let me break it down for you in a way that makes better sense. DBT falls right in line with my commitment to the mind and body connection. DBT has a very structured and concrete set of skills that helps individuals tackle their concerns from both the mental and physical levels. It is constructed of four modules, each with a set of skills to help you become more effective in these areas:
Distress Tolerance- In this module, we work through ways to tolerate the stress around you. Life happens, crises happen, but it does not have to overcome us. We will learn how to change the narrative in a way that one bad thing does not rock our world and be ready to face challenges. We will also learn ways to handle the high amounts of stress in a physically relaxing way when we can't escape the crisis.
Emotion Regulation- Ever feel like you are on a roller coaster of emotions and you've lost control of the ride? Here is where we learn ways that we can accept our emotions for just that, emotions, and learn how to listen and respond better to them. You will learn how to move with your emotions rather than having them control you.
Interpersonal Effectiveness- Don't know how to ask for a raise? Fights with the partner getting out of hand? Family not quite understanding you? This module is for you. While we cannot control the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of those around us, we CAN be more effective in getting our wants and needs met. Here we will learn some scripts, and even role play all those difficult conversations so that you feel more confident and effective in your daily interactions.
Mindfulness- This is at the heart of DBT and what I believe, and you will hear me preach it often. Mindfulness allows us to embrace the here and now. We often get stuck in the past focusing on things we cannot change or stuck in the future worrying about things that haven't happened yet. Mindfulness is an active practice that frees us from the past and future and allows us to fully enjoy the present. We will learn how to practice mindfulness through meditation exercises, activities, conversations, and mindsets. This is where we get to move away from suffering and into enjoying our life.
DBT is a very structured and involved mode of treatment. Full model DBT involves individual and group treatment. I currently run only individual DBT treatment. I can link people to DBT skills groups for full-model treatment. I also incorporate skills coaching into my individual sessions to compensate for this aspect.
If you've done your homework, you may also have seen that DBT works with individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. Yes it started this way, but as you can see from the explanation above, these skills are useful to everyone. And therefore I apply these skills across the board in my treatment, no matter the individual.
If you would like to learn more about how DBT can be helpful to you, schedule your free consultation today!