What is dialectical behavior therapy?
In 1991, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was introduced to the psychological community in a series of outcome studies by psychologist and researcher Marsha M. Linehan. Originally designed to treat borderline personality disorder, DBT proved to be highly effective as a treatment for this otherwise recalcitrant condition.As it was originally conceived, DBT treatment was a two-step process: Clients met individually with a therapist each week, during which time they examined recent problem events in their lives in some detail. In a separate and longer weekly group session, clients learned how to be more effective in interpersonal relationships; how to tolerate and accept situations in their lives more easily; how to regulate their emotions; and how to use mindfulness-based skills to accomplish any of the preceding tasks.Several New Harbinger books have extended the application of DBT to self-help literature.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a psychological method developed by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington, to treat persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of mindful awareness, distress tolerance, and acceptance largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice. DBT is the first therapy that has been experimentally demonstrated to be effective for treating BPD. Research indicates that DBT is also effective in treating patients who represent varied symptoms and behaviors associated with spectrum mood disorders, including self-injury. The key elements of DBT are conventional behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy, along with its signature concepts of dialectics and mindfulness. Dialectical thinking, similar to its role in philosophy, is introduced as an alternative to intense, polarized emotions. Rather than reacting to e
