Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a type of psychotherapy that teaches group skills to help people learn, and utilize the skills and strategies that they need to create a life that they will be able to experience and live with. It was developed by Marsha Lineman, who used it initially for those who had BPD, and it now can be used for a majority of the population for other disorders. Essentially, the therapy gives the person new skills that the person can use to help with managing emotions that are painful, and decrease relationship conflicts in a person.

Four key elements are focused on in DBT, and they are as follows:

• Mindfulness, which focuses on improving the ability to accept and be present within the moment
• Distress tolerance: this is geared towards increasing the tolerance for negative emotion, rather than trying to escape this
• Emotional regulation: a means and strategy used to manage and change the emotions that are super intense and creating a problem in a person's life
• Interpersonal effectiveness: techniques that allow someone to communicate with others in a way that's assertive, allows for self-respect to be maintained, and strengthen the relationship of a person

It's a way to help with managing painful emotions and conditions that can be there, and it's important to know that while it was originally used for BPD, it's actually expanding into other fronts.