When conflict happens in interpersonal relationships–particularly in long-term intimate relationships–emotions such as shame, anger, and sadness rise in intensity, making it more difficult to think clearly. With less cognitive bandwidth to analyze the complexity of a situation and greater activation of subcortical limbic regions of the brain, individuals tend to use cognitive heuristics in conflict, … Read more
Being non-judgmental is a cornerstone of DBT therapy. In a previous blog, I wrote about how being nonjudgmental can help people actually work towards change. You can read more about that here. In this post, I want to explore with you the damage that being judgmental can have on a relationship, and how taking a … Read more
So you are about to start DBT and your therapist just told you that you’re entering pre-treatment. You may be thinking, “What do you mean I’m in pre-treatment? I just started seeing you!” You are absolutely correct; you may have just started to see your therapist and are thinking about doing comprehensive DBT. So take … Read more
It’s normal for many of us to feel a little “blah” so to speak, during the winter months. Lack of sunlight, sundown coming earlier, limited outdoor activities, holidays, increase in sicknesses, and bot liking the cold temperatures are all perfect ingredients for us to get a touch of the winter blues. For those suffering from … Read more
If you’re familiar with DBT at all, you’ve probably heard of WiseMind. This skill is all about harnessing your inner wisdom and acting effectively from that wisdom. WiseMind is bringing the left and right brain together to find the “middle path.” To understand WiseMind, it’s best to consider the 3 states of mind it proposes: … Read more
Which trauma treatment is best for you? There are so many different therapy treatment modalities out there nowadays and it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. Plus, they all start to look like alphabet soup given the number of acronyms- DBT PE, CPT, EMDR, TF-CBT, etc.- it can all … Read more
There are multiple different types of depression, such as major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). They’re different disorders, but they do have some similarities. Some common symptoms are feeling depressed most of the day, feelings of worthlessness, recurrent suicidal ideation, and loss of interest in activities. For MDD … Read more
The first step, breathe. DBT is an intensive therapy program for people struggling with emotion dysregulation, life-threatening behaviors, substance use, etc. So, while I know I don’t know your *exact* struggles, I can only imagine the stress you’re under in trying to help keep your teen safe while also managing other areas of life like … Read more
Were you aware that self-blame, poor self-esteem, and shame are frequently common symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? It’s not a very known fact that these emotions are often common symptoms of ADHD, and it’s essential to understand how they can sometimes lead to the condition being overlooked or misdiagnosed. ADHD is often associated with … Read more
Exposure therapy is an evidence-based intervention whereby a person chooses to expose themselves to a feared emotion, situation, or mental imagery to create new associations and decrease reactivity and distress. Exposure therapy is effective for reducing suffering that is generated through repeatedly avoiding situations that are perceived to be dangerous, but do not result in … Read more