Dialectical Behavior Therapy Techniques
Emotion Regulation
Presented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes Executive Director, AllCEUs
Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox & Happiness isn’t Brain Surgery
Author: Journey to Recovery (2015) & Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery (2017)
Objectives
~ Review the basic premises of DBT
~ Learn about the HPA-Axis
~ Define emotion regulation
~ Identify why emotion regulation is important and how it can help you reduce your distress
~ Explore emotion regulation techniques
Basic DBT Premises
~ Dialectical Theory
~ Everything is interconnected
~ Reality is not static
~ Constantly evolving truth can be found by synthesizing differing points of view
Activity
~ Interconnectedness
~ How do your relationships impact your mood and how does your mood impact your relationships?
~ How does your environment impact your mood, and how does your mood impact your environment?
~ How does your health/energy impact your mood, and how does your mood impact your health/energy?
~ How do your thoughts impact your feelings, and how do your feelings impact your thoughts?
Activity
~ Interconnectedness
~ How do your thoughts impact your feelings
~ Think about a time you dreaded doing something.
~ What was your mood like?
~ How patient and tolerant were you toward others?
~ How did others seem to react to you?
~ How did their reaction to you affect you?
~ What was your environment like?
~ How is this scenario different when you are looking forward to something?
Activity
~ Reality is ever-changing
~ What is real and accurate in this very moment may not be accurate in the next moment.
~ Have you ever started exercising and gotten stronger?
~ Have you ever gained or lost weight and changed clothing size?
~ Have you ever known someone who was attentive and kind who started being neglectful and irritable?
~ How have your needs changed over the past 5 years?
~ How have your needs changed over the past 5 hours?
Activity
~ Truth can be found by synthesizing differing points of view
~ Think of a disagreement you had with someone.
~ What was your perception of what was going on?
~ What was their perception?
~ Was reality somewhere in the middle?
~ Think about a time you had to make a decision about something you were totally torn on. Play Devil’s advocate.
~ Think about a time when you had to make a decision and your heart told you one thing, but your head told you something else?
Section Summary
~ Everything is interconnected
~ Your feelings, thoughts and physical health all impact each other
~ Your mood and behavior impact your environment and your relationships which, in turn, impact you.
~ You have the ability to control
~ Thoughts
~ Physical vulnerabilities (health)
~ Environment
~ Relationships
Section Summary
~ Reality is not static
~ However, it is what it is.
~ Needs, wants and situations can change dramatically over time
~ Reality is based on finding the truth
~ Truth can be found by synthesizing differing points of view at that exact moment
~ In situations involving other people, put yourself in their shoes (or ask them) and explore their point of view
~ In situations involving only yourself, examine situations from a logical perspective of how it will help you achieve your long term goals, and from an emotional perspective of what will ultimately make you happier.