Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Los Angeles, CA

A professional rehab center offers a wide range of therapies that help people overcome addiction. Of course, some of these therapies are more commonplace and mainstream than others. One that fewer people understand is dialectical behavior therapy. Before they begin participating in this a dialectical behavior therapy program, they have to understand what exactly it has to offer.

What Is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program?

Before people can understand how a dialectical behavior therapy program helps people with addiction, they need to know what it is. It’s a type of counseling that helps individuals healthily manage painful emotions. Sometimes, people use it in a family therapy program to resolve conflicts in relationships with family members and friends.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) typically focuses on therapeutic relief in four key areas. The first area is mindfulness, which helps people stay present and current at the moment. The second area is distress tolerance, which increases their general tolerance for negative emotions. Having tolerance is important because people with mental disorders such as addiction typically try to escape from their emotions.

The third is emotion regulation. This skill helps people change and manage intense emotions that cause problems in everyday life. Last is interpersonal effectiveness. Improving this area helps people communicate better with others and retain their self-respect.

Psychiatrists use this counseling method for numerous mental illnesses. Borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder are a few examples. With that said, rehab centers have started using it as an addiction therapy in recent years.

With that said, generalizing statements eventually evolve into self-fulfilling prophecies. Using the above example, people might stop trying to interact with others. They believe in their own mind that everyone hates them. Because of that, they don’t see a reason to hang out with anyone.