Emotional regulation is a critical aspect of mental health and well-being. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a common form of psychotherapy that offers a structured and evidence-based approach to improving emotional regulation skills. The behavioral health experts at Clearbrook Massachusetts delve into the fundamental concepts of DBT’s emotional regulation techniques here, exploring their benefits for mental illness and practical applications. By understanding the principles and strategies behind DBT emotion regulation skills, individuals and mental health professionals can gain valuable insights into managing emotions effectively, promoting psychological resilience, and enhancing overall quality of life.
What Is Emotional Regulation in DBT?
Emotional regulation refers to the ability to effectively manage and adjust one’s emotional responses to different situations. It encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral techniques used to employ, understand, control, and adapt one’s emotions healthily and appropriately.
Essential for maintaining emotional well-being and mental health, emotional regulation enables individuals to respond to different challenges and stressors in a balanced and constructive way. This skill involves recognizing and labeling emotions, understanding their triggers, and, depending on the situation, employing techniques to either reduce or enhance emotional responses. DBT emotion regulation aims to reduce impulsive and destructive behaviors often associated with intense emotions, foster emotional stability, and improve overall well-being.
DBT Emotion Regulation Skills List
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers a set of specific skills designed to help participants better manage their emotions. Here are essential DBT emotional regulation skills shared in therapy:
STOP
The DBT skill STOP is an acronym that follows the sequence: Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully. When individuals feel as if their emotions are in control, they need to stop what they’re doing so they can prevent their emotions from dictating their actions. The acronym also encourages the individual to take a step back when they’re faced with a difficult situation to give them time to think. The individual is also encouraged to observe what is happening around them and within them, who is involved, and what other people are doing or saying to prevent the individual from jumping to conclusions or believing negative thoughts. The last letter reminds individuals to proceed mindfully in a situation so they’re better prepared to manage it.
Opposite Action
All emotions activate us to respond, and the type of activation is biologically wired. The opposite action skill allows us to choose to react opposite to what our biological response would activate us to do. For instance, something biologically wired into us is thirst, which tells us we need to hydrate. When we become thirsty, this activates us to drink water. The opposite action skill helps individuals slow down and choose responses to more appropriate emotions, such as showing kindness or walking away when feeling angry, which biologically activates us to attack or defend.
ABC Please
This skill is about taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of others. Also, an important component of DBT is to reduce our vulnerability. When we take good care of ourselves, we are less likely to be vulnerable to disease and emotional crises. In the ABC Please skill, ABC is an acronym that stands for the following: Accumulating positive emotions by doing pleasant things, Building mastery by doing things we enjoy, and Coping ahead by rehearsing a plan ahead of time so that we can be prepared to cope skillfully.
Build Mastery
You can build mastery by doing things you enjoy, such as reading, cooking, cleaning, fixing a car, working a crossword puzzle, or playing a musical instrument. Learn as much as you can about the subject to be well-versed, and journal about what you’ve learned. Practicing these things to build mastery will help you feel competent.
Cope Ahead
The cope ahead skill is intended to have us consider how we might be prepared in some way to help us reduce stress ahead of time. When we are asked to do some task, it is helpful to think through to the completion of the task. For example, all of us, at one time or another, have had to give a presentation. Before the presentation, we likely wrote up some notes or did some research on the subject. We do this to increase our chances of communicating a message to others successfully. This is an example of coping ahead of time.
Positive Self-Talk
Sometimes, all we have is the power of our self-talk, which is the voices inside our heads that drives us. There are hundreds of stories of people in dire situations who believed they had no more energy to carry on, yet they survived. Examples of this include Victor Frankl, who survived a concentration camp. Then there was Donald Driver, who was raised in an economically depressed city, was tempted by the street life but became one of the best Green Bay Packers receivers ever and is now a best-selling author. Almost everyone knows of Oprah Winfrey, who endured both physical and sexual abuse, but she worked hard to overcome the burdens and, from this perseverance, became very successful. Successful individuals often do not come by things easily. Like the story of David and Goliath, the struggles these individuals endured made them stronger and gave them an advantage over others.
By mastering these DBT emotional regulation skills, individuals can gain better control over their emotional responses, reduce impulsive behaviors, and improve their overall emotional well-being and quality of life.
Benefits of DBT Emotional Regulation Skills for Mental Health
Derived from CBT, DBT is useful in treating numerous conditions, including mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, and more. The benefits of DBT emotion regulation skills for mental health are as follows:
- Identifying and labeling emotions: Clients learn to recognize and name their emotions accurately, enabling them to understand and address emotional reactions effectively.
- Understanding emotional triggers: Individuals explore the situations, thoughts, and events that lead to emotional distress. This understanding helps them identify patterns and address emotional triggers appropriately.
- Acceptance and mindfulness: DBT encourages the acceptance of emotions without judgment. Clients learn to be present in the moment, observe their emotions without reacting impulsively, and practice mindfulness techniques to stay grounded.
- Relaxation techniques: Clients in DBT acquire a range of emotion regulation skills, which may include deep breathing exercises, self-soothing techniques, and cognitive strategies to manage intense emotions.
- Opposite action: When emotions are deemed unhelpful or inappropriate, DBT teaches participants to engage in behaviors that counteract the emotion’s intensity or direction.
- Build positive experiences: Clients learn to create and engage in activities that generate positive emotions, enhancing emotional well-being.
- Interpersonal effectiveness: This skill helps individuals navigate interpersonal relationships while maintaining self-respect and boundaries, helping them develop effective communication, assertiveness, and problem-solving techniques.
- Using emotion regulation diary cards: Many DBT programs use diary cards to track and analyze emotions, triggers, and the application of emotion regulation skills. This is an effective tool for monitoring progress and adjusting treatment plans.
These benefits highlight the significance of DBT emotional regulation skills in promoting good mental health and well-being.
