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What is DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)? What is a dialectic? DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (we realize it’s a mouthful)….so let’s try to put words to help explain as it’s not something only for clinicians and therapists to “get.”   DBT is really about a way of life, a way of looking at and experiencing…

What is DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)? What is a dialectic? DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (we realize it’s a mouthful)….so let’s try to put words to help explain as it’s not something only for clinicians and therapists to “get.”   DBT is really about a way of life, a way of looking at and experiencing…

It’s not uncommon for someone new to DBT therapy, DBT skills class, or both to comment on how those of us who teach skills and work as DBT therapists talk about using skills in our own lives. To many people, perhaps used to less disclosure in therapy, this is perplexing. “If you, as a therapist,…

Using imagery to IMPROVE the moment Acting and public speaking teachers notoriously teach fledgling orators and performers a useful skill when confronting stage fright on opening night—picture the audience in their underwear. The underlying message here is, they are normal people, like you, and so you can be yourself up there on the stage and…

It’s Autumn, a time when many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are settling back into school, work, and a quieter, more introspective time of year than summer. With this shift to shorter days can come a sense of melancholy, and getting back to schedules that speak more to demands than priorities. In essence, we…

Imagine and create the future that you want Life is so busy with demands and expectations that it is easy to get caught up in just running from one thing to another, sleeping then repeating the next day.  While this might leave us feeling productive, or that we are “keeping up” with things, this style…

When DBT Skills Don’t Come Easy We’ve all had this day. You wake up, and just know that it’s going to be a struggle. Maybe you knocked a glass of water onto the floor while reaching for your alarm. Or, you overslept. Or, you couldn’t sleep at all or woke up early. Or, the phone…

Nurturing self as a caretaker Taking care of others, whether you are a mother (especially of young children), or a caretaker to someone who is sick, or elderly can be demanding emotionally and physically. Nobody likes being stressed, but mothers, in particular, can have a hard time doing anything about it. They can feel overwhelmed,…

 Making a Mindful Movie of the Current Moment A favorite distress tolerance skill for many of us is listening to music. When all else fails, disappearing into our headphones can provide great help in surviving a challenging moment. What we listen to and how loud we listen is a matter of taste, but the act…

It’s easy to think of our bodies as our enemies when we are dealing with intense emotions. After all, it’s sometimes our bodies that tell us first that something is off. Maybe we feel tightness in our chests, or our skin blushes or tingles indicating that an important signal has been sent to our brains.…