He he I really messed up the name of the therapy.

English isn´t my mother tongue

I´m talking about Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Glad you opened the link anyway!!!

Maybe I should make a new discussion?

Hi Moomin,
Welcome. I have been doing DBT as part of an online yahoo group for about three months and I am getting a lot out of it. The greatest benefit I've seen is to my emotion regulation when "I'm skyhigh inside my horrible feelings." My T and I discuss my skill usage but we really focus on talking. I struggle most with the meditation and follow your breath type exercises. I am still going to try and make them effective. I also use my DBT diary to assess my recovery and withdrawal scores as well as skill usage.

Hi NobleDaughter!
I´m glad to hear that you are getting a lot out of DBT. I feel the same, it works very well for me!!!

I was first introduced to DBT three years ago and then my T started every session with meditation or "follow your breath type exercises" At first I found it very difficult, it was so hard to focus on my breath, my mind wandered a lot. Then i realized that was ok, it is supposed to be that way, the task here is to be able to control the mind. It can wander around...100 times, but I can bring it back 101 times, and refocus on my breath. This wasn´t easy and I had to practise a lot. I´m getting better at it.

I think my greatest benefits from practising DBT is to be able to enjoy life better. Focus on the things that are happening here and now, and enjoy them. I also feel that "skyhigh horrible feelings" phases don´t happen as often as they used to.

But when they happen I have a hard time regulating myself.

Do you want to share with me some of the skills that work for you when your emotions are really hard, what do you do?

OMG! Deepfried--YES, distress tolerance has caused me some rifts with T. I tell her that she wants me to push shit down like I always have, and she's just using some fancy word. I like the whole "creative denial" description. That's awesome. I might have to borrow that in an argument with T. I'm hoping to arrive at the point where I can say that distress tolerance is not pushing it down--like you someday soon.

I use art as a way to soothe myself,too. I really LOVE drawing and painting. It relaxes me.

DF, what do you think about my T postponing my group involvement? Do you think that's a good thing? Can group get intense sometimes--do you share your T with others in the group or do you have an individual DBT therapist?

Broken

Thanks Deepfried,

It does sound intense, and I am glad T took the steps to make sure that I wasn't pushed into group too soon. I feel like some of those issues that you mentioned ARE huge for me. One--sharing my T. We are learning to just become accustomed to me trusting her, and knowing that she will be there when I come back. Two--the fact that I had major issues sharing my mom with my sister(mom always favored her), and that would trigger me in group, for sure. Three--the idea of people confronting me. I am not good with that at all. I am sure that would make me feel overwhelmed and I would probably not go back to group.

Maybe someday once I get a little bit more therapy under my belt, I will be comfortable enough in a situation like that. I think T is smart. I trust her, and I can see that she cares for my well-being by having me sit on the bench for this round of group therapy. She mentioned she wanted to work more on building our relationship before she threw me into the group.

I didn't know that DBT group would be so intense. I thought it would just be learning skills. I thought another type of group therapy would be more relationship/group based, but DBT kind of eased that.

I'm feeling relieved right now because after reading your post, I know that I am not ready. It's much too intimidating to me at this time.

Thanks DF. Have a great session!

--Broken

((deepfried))

How wonderful that you have such loving feelings towards the members of those groups. I can see that being a positive experience once I am ready for it. I love the book idea upon graduation. I would cherish that, too. These are people that get to know one another VERY VERY intimately, so it makes sense how important those books and bonds would be.

--Broken