The History of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Therapists and counselors are constantly searching for new and innovative means of treating their patients who suffer from mental illness, eating disorders, drug addiction and other potentially life-threatening conditions. One of the newest and most exciting forms of treatment being utilized today is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) – a form of therapy that engages the individual and teaches them how to deal more productively with social situations that bring about the unwanted behaviors. This includes being more tolerant of others (who have different opinion or world views) and controlling one's emotions so that the individual can receive more effective treatment.
The Core Teachings of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
At the core of DBT treatment are the following principals:
- Mindfulness. DBT use Zen teachings to help the individual become more mindful of those around them.
- Interpersonal Skills. DBT helps individuals become more assertive in their association with other people – specifically, learning how to say "No" to others and how to effectively cope with those who see the world in a different way.
- Regulating Emotions. DBT creates a keen understanding of how certain situations make the patient feel – and helps retrain them so that they respond in a more positive manner to these potential conflicts.
- Tolerance. Tolerance, as it is discussing in DBT, refers to tolerating the challenges that life presents – and learning to live life "one day at a time" in order to overcome mental illness or addiction.
A Brief History of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
During the 1970's and 1980's therapists struggled to a find an effective treatment method for individuals who repeatedly attempted suicide. The central problem was the patient's almost complete lack of self-confidence or positive thinking during therapy. Simply put, the patients were constantly trying to commit suicide, and therefore so much time was spent working to treat that aspect of the individual's situation, it left little time to focus on the core issues that could enact real change in the patient's life.
Also, many suicidal patients were unwilling to focus on anything positive, and when the therapist would do so, the individual would often be unresponsive or withdraw from treatment.
In the early 1990's, Dr. Marsha Linehan developed an alternative to the standard cognitive therapy that to this point was being used to treat her borderline personality disorder patients. By introducing an element of "talk therapy" to the treatment, Linehan set the old modality on its ear. Now, rather than talking AT the patient, the therapist was actually engaging them and using real world examples from their own life to elicit the desired responses. One by one, Linehan was able to teach her patients how to react differently in a variety of situations, thus removing the impediments to treatment that had confounded counselors and therapists (such as those treating suicidal patient in the 70's and 80's) to this point.
Current Applications for Dialectical Behavior Therapy
In the past several years, the use dialectical behavior therapy has expanded to include self-harm (cutting) as well as alcohol addiction and drug addiction. DBT is producing positive results in both of these groups, and as such is becoming a fixture at treatment centers around the country.
Michael's House is one of the leading residential rehab facilities in California and is also one of the few treatment programs that offers dialectical behavior therapy. For more information, contact Michael's House today at .
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