Description

Building upon our previous episode on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, we are going to discover how DBT can be applied to trauma recovery. For those who chose this type of therapeutic intervention, you can expect to see both a skills-based approach to trauma recovery through the use of DBT framework theory as well as use of prolonged exposure to the traumatic event. DBT also incorporates mindfulness principles when handling trauma in order to raise our awareness of emotional burdens and disassociation. Whether it's to reach long term goals or dealing with acceptance and change, DBT can be a useful tool for many. However, I do disclose the reasons why I personally choose not to offer this specific intervention method to my clients, and what you may want to know before pursuing it yourself.

Topics/Triggers:

• DBT's skillful approach to building a life worth living
• Mindfulness principles and skills for trauma recovery, why it isn't meditation, and how it increases our ability to ground ourselves
• Vulnerabilities in the DBT language
• Recognizing emotions/thought patterns
• Emotional burden, stress burden, disassociation, and why its so easy to let them pile up
• Dealing with environmental triggers and learning to cope
• Grounding ourselves to establish safety in the moment by being present in the moment
• Long term goals and how to reach them, despite our vulnerabilities
• Emotional rest vs. emotional recovery
• Achieving a "wise mind"
• Building tolerance to discomfort
• Acceptance/Change Dialectic
• The skills we need to challenge ourselves (and others) for change and growth
• Why we must become nonjudgmental to our inner feelings, inner selves, and towards our symptoms
• Prolonged exposure through both Imaginal Exposure and In Vivo exposure
• How prolonged exposure works, its effect on the brain, and why we are building towards habituation
• The dangers of prolonged exposure and why it has continued to be controversial

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If you or anyone you know is suffering through trauma contact the National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online for 24/7 support. (This podcast is not a replacement for psychotherapy or mental health care. You can obtain a referral for mental health care provider from your primary care physician, or search on Psychology Today’s Find a Therapist directory)

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