DBT Tips, Quotes & Memes

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

“The opposite of a plain truth, Neils Bohr liked to repeat, is a plain falsehood. But the opposite of a deep truth is another deep truth.”

― Rebecca Goldstein, Properties of Light

 

[Daniel E.]

Living Life? or Living in your Head? - The Center for OCD and Anxiety

A defining characteristic of mental health struggles is that they can cause us to become stuck in our heads. But what does that mean exactly, “to be stuck in one’s head?” If you’re like many people, it’s probably become so natural to engage with every thought and feeling that enters your mind...

pittsburghocdtreatment.com

Get in touch with your senses: When you notice yourself getting hooked in by thoughts, try to reconnect with the outside world, the world of your five senses. See if you can notice three different sounds in your environment you hadn’t noticed, or three objects in your vision you weren’t aware of. Can you identify any smells? What textures can you feel with your fingers? If you can focus on these things, you will notice your consciousness returning to the world outside of your head.

 

[Daniel E.]

Dichotomy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In dialectical behavioral therapy, a treatment shown to have some success in treating some clients with Borderline Personality Disorder, an essential tool used is based on the idea of dichotomy. Dichotomy, in this case, is a self-defeating behavior using "all-or-nothing" or "black-and-white" thinking. The therapy teaches the patient how to change the dichotomy to a more "dialectical" (or "seeing the middle ground") way of thinking.

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

The last words in the The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook:

How do you persevere? The answer is one day at a time—making sure that on this day, at the appointed time, you do your practices. And the next day you do the same thing ... and the next. A commitment isn’t something you make once, and you’re set for life. It’s something you keep making, every day.

The daily practices will change your life because they will help you shape new responses to old struggles. Life isn’t about hopes or intentions. It’s about doing. It’s about being effective. Now, as we close the book, we’re asking you to live what you’ve learned. You can do this, maybe not perfectly, but enough to make real changes.

The poet and author Samuel Johnson once said: “The future is purchased by the present.” Similarly, by investing in your dialectical behavior therapy skills and practices today, you can create a happier and healthier tomorrow.