1. It teaches you concrete skills (like the cold water dip, effective rethinking, paired breathing and muscle relaxation, DEAR MAN, etc) that you can start implementing the day you learn them.
2. It focuses on mindfulness, which is a way to live your life where you are focused on the present moment rather than past pain or future worries.
3. You track emotions, thoughts, target behaviors, and use of coping skills, decreasing behaviors you don't want to see and increasing positive coping responses. The tracking is a skill in and of itself in that when you get triggered you can go track, which prompts the use of a skill. The writing you do about the events allows for analysis of your triggers, emotions, and behaviors later as well as problem-solving for preventing similar future events.
4. It can easily be integrated in with other therapies. If you have trauma, DBT can be combined with EMDR or other effective trauma therapies. Likewise, it can be used with therapies like ACT, CBT, and Somatic Experiencing.
5. You can learn it in person or in a group setting. If you can't afford individual therapy, you can join a group! Living Skillfully is an integrative DBT skills group for adults 18+ that meets for 1.5 hours every Monday 5pm-6:30pm for only $30/group. Email info@mosaicmh.com to enroll!
