DBT – Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Developing skills for emotional regulation, coping with distress and creating change
Some people experience emotions intensely, find it difficult to calm down after an unsettling event or find themselves responding in ways that do not reflect their wishes.
Sometimes the difficulty lies not in understanding the situation, but in the ability to cope with the emotion that arises in that moment.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic approach developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan to help people experiencing significant difficulties with emotional regulation and behavior.
The approach combines two central principles: acceptance of the current experience alongside a commitment to changing patterns that are not beneficial to the person.
Situations in Which DBT Can Help:
Emotional Regulation Difficulties:
Intense emotions, sharp changes in mood and difficulty regaining balance after feeling overwhelmed.
Impulsive Responses:
Difficulty pausing before acting, anger outbursts and behaviors that lead to impairment in functioning or relationships.
Interpersonal Difficulties:
Recurring conflicts, sensitivity to rejection, difficulty setting boundaries and fear of abandonment.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD):
Coping with emotional instability, difficulties with identity and relationships, and risky patterns of behavior.
Self-Harm and Suicidal Behaviors:
Within comprehensive, tailored DBT treatment that includes risk assessment and appropriate professional care.
Trauma and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress:
Developing skills for emotional stabilization and coping with distress, according to the stage of treatment and the need for trauma-focused interventions.
Difficulties Coping with Stress and Crises:
Feeling overwhelmed, helplessness and difficulty making decisions in emotionally charged situations.
This list presents some areas of treatment and does not encompass all the difficulties and situations in which help can be provided.
How Does Treatment Work?
The process begins with a clinical assessment of the difficulties, coping patterns, risk factors and therapeutic goals.
According to individual needs, the work includes identifying situations that cause distress, examining the sequence of events that leads to certain responses, learning skills and practicing them in everyday life.
One commonly used tool in this approach is behavior chain analysis, which helps understand what preceded a problematic behavior, which factors influenced it and what can be done differently next time.
Acceptance and Change: Two Parts of the Same Process
One of the central principles of DBT is the understanding that meaningful change does not require rejecting or criticizing one's personal experience.
A person can learn to accept the fact that they experience pain, fear or anger while also developing responsibility for the way they respond to those emotions.
The dialectical approach makes it possible to hold both truths together: to acknowledge the difficulty as it is and to act to change what can be changed.
The aim of the work is to expand the person's ability to choose even in moments of distress, so that emotion is not the only factor dictating their behavior.
Related articles
- Why Do I Feel Everything So Intensely? Emotional Overwhelm, High Sensitivity and Regulation Mechanisms
- Emotional Validation: Understanding the Emotion Without Agreeing with the Behavior
- What Is Wise Mind?
- DBT and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD); The Connection Between the Therapeutic Approach and Borderline Personality Disorder
- Self-Harm: When Emotional Pain Becomes Physical Pain; Understanding What Lies Behind the Behavior
- How Do You Validate an Adolescent's Emotions Without Giving Up on Boundaries? DBT Treatment for Adolescents and in Parent Guidance