Many individuals struggle with overwhelming emotions. It is like a volume rocker that goes ups and downs and is sometimes difficult to control. In fact, it can even control us instead. Whether we get angry, sad, or scared, they can show up as a big, powerful wave that can sweep our feet off.

If you or someone you know has experienced a tidal wave of emotions, you probably know what we are talking about and understand how it feels to carry that heavy emotional baggage. When this happens again, the distress it brings is extremely exhausting. The trouble is, the more you try to suppress or put a lid on your emotions, the more overwhelming they can get.

If you wonder how Liberty Home Clinic can help you overcome these struggles, read on and discover how our professionals teach many individuals some strategies to regulate their emotions using Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).

Our Liberty Home Locations

Liberty Home incorporates DBT into our holistic treatment framework to promote recovery and address the underlying emotional and behavioural issues associated with addictions and mental health disorders.

Liberty Home Clinic

Liberty Home Clinic is located in Marina De Gama, Cape Town, South Africa. Here, we provide comprehensive care, which involves a minimum of 28 days and up to 8 weeks of primary treatment. Individuals receive two to three sessions of counselling using our evidence-based approach, including CBT and DBT.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy at Liberty Home

DBT is one of the standard treatments that we use at Liberty Home. DBT is a versatile technique that fits almost all conditions, including addictions and mental health disorders. In addition, DBT not only reduces symptoms; it also equips the individual with various tools to promote long-term progress.

The target of DBT in treating individuals with addiction is to promote abstinence and reduce the adverse impact of relapses. Specifically, a DBT therapist aims to:

Decrease substance use.
Relieve physical discomfort caused by abstinence and/or withdrawal.
Reducing urges, cravings, and temptations to use substances
Avoiding opportunities and cues to substance use
Reducing behaviours conducive to drug use
Promoting community reinforcement of healthy behaviours.

Substance Use

DBT works for process addictions similar to those of substance addiction but with a concentration on changing or modifying problem behaviours such as excessive internet use, watching pornographic or explicit content, and gambling. Individuals are taught various techniques to better handle the urges without resorting to engaging in the usual problem behaviours.

Process Addictions

Many mental health conditions have the key features of having intense emotions and impaired interpersonal relationships, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorders. Hence, the skills taught by DBT therapists, such as emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness, are extremely beneficial to managing their symptoms and promoting long-term recovery.

Mental Health Disorders

How Does DBT Work?

DBT’s primary aims are to help individuals cope with stress in healthy ways, learn to regulate emotions, improve interpersonal relationships, and live in the present moment. Although DBT takes the position that individuals take ownership of their recovery, therapists assist them in resolving apparent contradictions about self-acceptance and teach them skills to encourage positive behaviours.

DBT assumes that skill deficits cause the problems exhibited by individuals. Therefore, their difficulties can be resolved by teaching them a set of behavioural skills to be used in their everyday lives using these four core modules:

The skills being taught in this module will help individuals effectively cope with distress and constant life stressors without needing to resort to self-destructive or self-harming behaviours. DBT teaches them skills to build resilience and develop new ways to soften the impact of upsetting circumstances. Some of the skills introduced by the therapist include crisis survival skills such as distraction, self-soothing, TIPP skills, STOP skills, and various reality acceptance skills, to name a few.

Distress Tolerance

Mindfulness allows individuals to become fully present in the moment to help them reduce concentration on painful experiences from the past or frightening possibilities in the future. This practice of acknowledging thoughts, feelings, and behaviours as they happen allows individuals to deal with a situation or a circumstance without reacting too impulsively or out of control. Mindfulness will also equip them with tools to overcome habitual, negative judgements about themselves, others, and the world. A DBT therapist teaches the WHAT skills, HOW skills, and WISE Man skills to promote awareness of the present.

Mindfulness

Another cornerstone of DBT is managing intense emotions. DBT helps individuals recognise emotions that cause and maintain distress. The therapist assists them while observing these emotions without getting overwhelmed by them. Once they understand what they feel and why they feel it, it leads to a reduction in intensity and a promotion of acceptance. One of the most commonly used skills in this module is ABC PLEASE, which stands for accumulating positive experiences, building mastery, coping ahead, physical illness treatment, eating a balanced diet, avoiding non-prescription drugs, sleeping adequately, and exercising.

Emotion Regulation

DBT also improves the individual's interpersonal relationships and self-esteem by improving communication with other people. This particular module provides new ways of expressing the individual's beliefs and needs, setting boundaries, and negotiating solutions to problems while protecting their relationships and treating others with respect. The therapist introduces DEAR MAN skills, FAST, and GIVE skills to create new relationships, maintain healthy connections with others, and terminate unhelpful ones.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Is DBT a Type of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

DBT is a more specific form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Although both of these psychotherapies are similar in many aspects, such as being evidence-based and having strong educational components, what sets DBT apart from CBT is its integration of mindfulness principles. Instead of identifying and replacing faulty thought patterns in CBT, the focus of DBT is to promote awareness and acceptance of emotional states to improve emotion regulation.

When Should I Think About Seeing a DBT Therapist?

DBT can be used for a wide array of conditions. But if you have been experiencing intense emotions, relationship difficulties, and problem behaviours that are excessive, pervasive, and affecting your daily functioning, consider asking for support from a DBT therapist.

Discover How DBT Can Help You at Liberty Home

Whether you are here to learn about DBT or to explore treatment options for yourself or someone you know, Liberty Home Clinic reminds you that you are not alone in your journey. We understand that it might be challenging to seek support, but we assure you that early intervention can promote a better treatment outcome.

If you are interested in learning more about what we can offer, you can connect with us anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can DBT Treat Borderline Personality Disorder?

Yes, DBT is a type of talk therapy that was specifically designed for people with chronic suicidal behaviours, such as those with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Can DBT Treat Addiction?

Evidence from numerous research studies and clinical practice has demonstrated a high success rate in treating addiction and preventing relapses.

What are the Two Main Treatment Settings of DBT?

First, DBT involves individual therapy, which consists of a one-on-one session to help individuals stay motivated, constantly apply DBT skills in their daily lives, and address difficulties that might arise during treatment. Second, it involves a skills group where members share experiences and provide mutual support.