Control Those Negative Thoughts with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

If the stress of everyday life or the holiday craziness bother you, give yourself a mental break with the help of a tried and true tips from mental professionals. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a ground-breaking method of emotion control by psychologist, Marsha Linehan. Initially designed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, a disorder in which people can think in terms of "all good" or "all bad", suffer from anger and stress-related problems in a rather extreme way. Still, DBT is useful for others, too, due to its ability to calm the mind with no-nonsense, useful lessons in mindfulness and self control. Having taken courses in the subject myself for therapy purposes, it has been very useful to me, for depression. Using these calming and mind-centering techniques has taught me to look at things in a more rational, rather than emotional manner. It has helped tremendously. This isn't some new-age, strange or far out kind of treatment but an organized, professional therapy technique used by therapists and psychologists all over the world.

In DBT, we learn how to cope with and handle different upsetting situations in a non-threatening, thoughtful manner. The lessons are meant to teach us not to think in extremes, to see the middle ground of situations that bother us. By not being overly emotional or passively detached, we learn to handle things in an assertive and effective manner. By learning positive ways to handle fluxuating emotions, deal with uncomfortable social situations and cope with problems of different kinds, we gradually become more confident and the momentum grows from there. It is important to stick with the negativity-discouraging exercises and strengthening our DBT skills for full effect. It was so useful for me the first time I took the program, I went back a few years later to refresh my skills and learn new techniques. It strengthened my ability to handle situations that before may have sent me into a panic, but now my mood is calm and in control. Sure, we all have times of relapse but the peaks and valleys of emotion begin to even out in time, and things become more stable and predictable with practice.

If DBT interests you, consult a therapist or psychologist for details on a group near you. In group, you discuss lessons with other members, with help of a therapist moderator. In a carefully controlled, peaceful and non-threatening environment they teach you skills of different kinds. Many skills have the peace inspiring thoughts used in Buddhism, but the program is non-denominational. The idea is to learn from teachings from East and West, using time honored and effective ways to relax and focus the mind. It is based on Cognitive therapy techniques. Give yourself a chance to let the different lessons sink in, and make sure to ask questions. Changing one's lifelong ways of thinking takes time and much practice. It doesn't change you overnight, but the effects began to help me in a month or so. It felt really good to see myself calm down, focus and concentrate better.

The practice of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is fascinating and has become popular due to its ability to help people. Marsha Linehan really helped us all with her techniques, and book, "Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder," even if we don't have BPD. If you suffer from a particularly stubborn case of depression, like I did; or other problems that leave you feeling overly stressed, then try DBT. After years of regular therapy, it was a pleasant surprise to see something that truly did work for me. With daily practice, the thinking becomes habit, and life has improved greatly for me. It can for you too. Just stick with the program, and when it's over, get out there and practice, practice, practice. You can do it.