DBT
What DBT stands for
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
A state of nonjudgmental awareness of what's happening in the present moment, including the awareness of one's own thoughts, feelings, and senses. Or, being present in the "here and now" situation, observing, nonjudgmentally and without psychological attachment, avoidance, or reaction.
Mindfulness
Helps you understand judgments and when to let them go.
Nonjudgmental Stance (NJS)
Helps us cope with crisis without making our situation worse.
Distress Tolerance
These exercises bring you back to the here and now. Examples for when to use could be when we struggle with dissociation, feeling unreal, or PTSD symptoms.
Grounding Yourself (GY)
(Extra information not needed for the points: AKA "grounding techniques" or "grounding skills")
Purpose of DBT
To create a life worth living.
To acknowledge the realities of a situation while not fighting "what is." A nonjudgmental view that allows people to move forward on a valued path towards one's self-selected goals. It is not approval. It is acknowledging one's experience.
Acceptance
Direct yourself back to this when your attention is divided.
One-Mindfulness (OM)
ACCEPTS and when it is used.
Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Push Away, Thoughts, Sensations. Helps us mindfully practice distraction when in high distress.
TIPP and when it is used.
Temperature, Intense exercise, Progressive muscle relaxation, Paced breathing. Change your physiology to help you cope with intense emotions.
Dialectical means
Two opposite ideas can be true at the same time.
Taking action in service of one's values and goals, regardless of internal experiences (one's thoughts, feelings, cravings, sensations, etc.).
Commitment
These judgments act like tinted or colored glasses that shade almost everything around us. They weigh us down. If you find your "backpack" is full of these heavy judgments, it may be time to take it off, put it down, and gently start to remove those rocks.
Sticky Judgments
Create relaxation with a mindful connection to the senses. Includes Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch, Multisensory, and Mind sense.
Self-Soothe (SS)
This is adopting an accepting attitude each day (because it can change your life!).
Everyday Acceptance (EA)
The four main areas of DBT
Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Distress Tolerance, and Emotion Regulation.
Balance of reasonable mind and emotion mind
Wise Mind (WM)
Judgments that we have no personal investment in or strong emotional reactions to. They are readily revised when we take in more and different information. Can be useful when we need to make a quick decision and move on.
Teflon Judgments
IMPROVE and when it is used.
Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One thing or step at a time, Vacation, Encouragement. Make the here and now better when in distress.
This is used against willfulness when stuck.
Willingness (W)
Creator of DBT
Dr. Marsha Linehan
Balance of addict and clean/sober minds.
Clear Mind
The people who would benefit from practicing Mindfulness.
Um, hello! Everyone!
P&C and when it is used.
Pros and Cons. The Pros and Cons skill leads us to Wise Mind decisions.
Your four options when you find yourself in emotional pain.
1. Change the situation that is causing you pain.
2. Change how you see the situation or what you think about it.
3. Radically accept (RA) the situation.
4. Stay stuck in suffering until you are ready to accept reality.