5 Reasons Why DBT Training Can Help Improve Your Mental Health

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is one of the most widely used forms of therapy, and it’s also one of the most effective. While it was initially designed to help people with borderline personality disorder, its principles and methodology can be applied to people struggling with several different mental health conditions, including Depression, Anxiety, and bipolar disorder, among others. The key to DBT’s success lies in its focus on self-regulation skills and mindfulness techniques—which is why DBT courses can help improve your mental health so much!

1. Understanding your Feelings

Understanding your feelings and what triggers them is an important part of creating a strategy for handling those emotions. When you know what’s making you feel anxious, sad, or angry, then you can find the best way to take care of yourself in that moment. Knowing the signs and symptoms of depression can help identify when it might be time to reach out for help. The more educated you are about your mental health, the easier it will be to identify how to maintain good mental health.

2. Feelings vs. Actions

• Focusing on the present moment instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
• Identifying and changing self-defeating thoughts that are causing you to feel bad.
• Managing your anger by learning how to identify when anger is becoming a problem and what to do about it.
• Learning how to manage distressing emotions like sadness, fear, or guilt.
• Reducing feelings of isolation by sharing experiences with others who have similar problems.

3. Use CBT Techniques

A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who participated in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) training were less likely to commit suicide. The study also found that participants had lower rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and overall mental health issues.  After participation in the DBT program, more than one-third of the participants reported feeling very much better about their lives. Individuals with BPD who participate in DBT have an increased sense of control over their thoughts and feelings. That may lead to a decrease in suicidal ideation, as those suffering from BPD are often impulsive and have high levels of anxiety.

4. Focus on your Safety Behaviours

Safety behaviours are often a part of having an anxiety disorder. It’s natural to want to do anything you can to feel safe and in control, but these behaviours can make the situation worse. Consider what a safety behaviour means: if you’re doing it, then you’re not doing something else (like confronting your fear). If your safety behaviour is avoiding the thing that scares you, it makes sense that your fear will grow rather than shrink. The more you avoid, the bigger your fear grows.