tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.comments2023-04-12T08:13:04.539-06:00Good EnoughGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432157510458184788noreply@blogger.comBlogger1353125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-55452215852595510612018-01-01T20:30:54.004-07:002018-01-01T20:30:54.004-07:00Thank you so much for posting this! Yes, I was Goo...Thank you so much for posting this! Yes, I was Googling "why DBT doesn't work for me" and I found your blog. I am about to meet with my new therapist tomorrow (second session) and I am dreading it, because I feel that DBT (for ME) is the hokiest bunch of BS in the world. It seems like a bunch of Pollyannaish "blaming the victim" so to speak. It enrages me and causes me a lot of anger- and yes, it's triggering. As for me- I'm in opiate recovery, in DV recovery, and I just (JUST) lost my Father. I don't want to do worksheets, and I was really put off by having to sign TWO contracts, the second I met this new therapist. One was the "no self harm" one and the other one was me promising to go to therapy (with her) twice a week). I wonder if my suboxone- the only thing that has worked and kept me off heroin- will be taken from me, unless I play along (I see an MD and this therapist). Sigh. And I hate confrontation. I have a hard time saying "no" (obviously lol). I feel bullied into DBT. I thought the B actually stood for "Bully" (ha ha). Anyhow, thanks again.Koifishmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693361717602486112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-75931186895528881672017-11-13T01:48:45.160-07:002017-11-13T01:48:45.160-07:00I am required to go to dbt. I'm suppose to lea...I am required to go to dbt. I'm suppose to learn skills so I can manage trauma therapy later. But the more they make me be in touch with my feelings I've numbed out to my whole life the more all the pain from my severe abuse is right there at the surface. Flash backs and nightmares increasing. If I talk about it I'm punished I'm being willful not using skills told this happened in the past that feelings are temporary I'm choosing to hold on to my trauma pain. They don't understand they feel like my abusers all over again. Be a good little girl smile tell them you're happy. Ignore the bad things that happened it's in the past. If you hurt it's your fault. I try to explain that yes abuse happened in the past but all the feelings I never was allowed to feel then are feelings in the NOW. But I'm told to compartmentalize the abuse. Use my skills. So I feel the thing inside where no one hears me no one sees me just sit there and tell them what they want to hear be a good girl. Smile.. no I'm not be retraumatized at all. If I feel that way it must be my fault right? Who am I to feel these things... where is my voice? That's right I'm no one. Do what I'm told. That's right I have no voice can't speak or be upset just do what I'm told.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00137387576180737116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-91075930106604075112017-09-03T12:25:15.405-06:002017-09-03T12:25:15.405-06:00I also found DBT to be completely unhelpful and Cb...I also found DBT to be completely unhelpful and CbT as well. I'm autism spectrum and chronic anorexia which is in an acute phase right now. Trying to get insurance to access treatment but I have medicaid/medicare and I realize that treatment will only be for stabalizing me physically so I don't die. I find it problematic mainly because I'm not an impulsive or reactive type and mostly my issues stem from lack of care and social isolation/lack of integration into functional employment models etc...lack of housing/homelessness and things of this nature. I've never had issues with other people. But my eating disorder is severe and it will kill me if i don't get treatment. But yeah...no amount of other skills has been useful to me to live differently. The other thing I found was that I am so effective with not reacting to people and remaining calm and level headed even when someone is yelling at me that often clinicians are dumbfounded at my skills and at a loss for why I still have my eating disorder. It's definitely serving a purpose to keep me engaged in something and keep my brain calculating and focused and to keep my body in a state of pleasure and destruction at the same time. But I often wonder if there were appropriate supports for "higher functioning" autistic adults to live and thrive in the community would I be able to give up my ED? Is this literally like my whole issue? I don't know if I'll ever find out the answer to this because I might just die first before they ever start funding adult autism services.:/ I have tried the therapies and they were a joke. They were things I already implemented in my life as a no brainer.Lexihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00543118720737529743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-77826545268311842372015-04-16T17:24:50.995-06:002015-04-16T17:24:50.995-06:00I am also forced 'voluntarily' into DBT. ...I am also forced 'voluntarily' into DBT. So far it has made me more actively su than before, and has totally retraumatised me. I suffer Complex PTSD and for the first few weeks couldn't work out what was wrong, until a therapist I know for a long time worked it out and what had been triggered. I find the ideas and the language in the course insulting and patronizing, and that the idea that trauma and pain can just be "radically accepted" because we decide to do it absolutely absurd. If I could do that and stop all my symptoms which are mostly imprinted in my nervous system and not my mind as such, I would do it in a heartbeat. I feel violated, demeaned and belittled and my intelligence patronized and ignored. Can I do anything about this? Not really. I am in a vulnerable position as a single-parent and the bounty over my head is my child. The diary cards... do you tell the truth because they are really going to help you, or do you lie cos you are just going to get in more trouble? I really don't know. What I do know is that I never wanted to have to second guess those I am supposed to trust to help me. It just triggers me. I have so little strength left and cannot afford to waste it playing games with so called DBT therapists and their egos. I don't want to be judged and remoulded, just helped to get the flashbacks and horror to stop. My behaviors are not the problem, the trauma which leads me to these desperate states is. Why can't they see this? I despair, and more than before this latest DBT nightmare began.Anyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081027569395133306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-54321643056593814152015-04-16T17:24:35.103-06:002015-04-16T17:24:35.103-06:00I am also forced 'voluntarily' into DBT. ...I am also forced 'voluntarily' into DBT. So far it has made me more actively su than before, and has totally retraumatised me. I suffer Complex PTSD and for the first few weeks couldn't work out what was wrong, until a therapist I know for a long time worked it out and what had been triggered. I find the ideas and the language in the course insulting and patronizing, and that the idea that trauma and pain can just be "radically accepted" because we decide to do it absolutely absurd. If I could do that and stop all my symptoms which are mostly imprinted in my nervous system and not my mind as such, I would do it in a heartbeat. I feel violated, demeaned and belittled and my intelligence patronized and ignored. Can I do anything about this? Not really. I am in a vulnerable position as a single-parent and the bounty over my head is my child. The diary cards... do you tell the truth because they are really going to help you, or do you lie cos you are just going to get in more trouble? I really don't know. What I do know is that I never wanted to have to second guess those I am supposed to trust to help me. It just triggers me. I have so little strength left and cannot afford to waste it playing games with so called DBT therapists and their egos. I don't want to be judged and remoulded, just helped to get the flashbacks and horror to stop. My behaviors are not the problem, the trauma which leads me to these desperate states is. Why can't they see this? I despair, and more than before this latest DBT nightmare began.Anyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081027569395133306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-40044316654824047922015-02-21T10:31:41.728-07:002015-02-21T10:31:41.728-07:00Not only is battle-ax former nun Marsha Marsha Mar...Not only is battle-ax former nun Marsha Marsha Marsha's hijacked from Buddhism, stuffed with almost-subtle DBT not healthy...the cork did blow in my case. I was told by my very needy, clinically insane "therapist" when l said the "boot camp" (how appropriate) was bringing up painful emotions that "we ZIP THAT UP until after the first year." Uh...l already know how to do that. lt nearly killed me.Rowland Cheathamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10183548358677585136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-44604311032059433512015-01-22T22:39:34.969-07:002015-01-22T22:39:34.969-07:00Thanks for listeningThanks for listeninghopeurokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07742965815678987967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-86344522634464502752015-01-22T22:38:48.583-07:002015-01-22T22:38:48.583-07:00I f***k&$$in hate dbt, mind control, brainwash...I f***k&$$in hate dbt, mind control, brainwashing money making scam, a complete waste of insurance money and copays, I've done more than half a year, I feel so much WORSE than when I started, the diary cards, what a waste of my time!! This program is an absolute crock of bull as far as I'm concerned, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!! Also, I'm an atheist and the BUDDHA, SPIRITUAL part of dbt makes me want to punch a hole in the wall!!!!! hopeurokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07742965815678987967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-41481414172622297442015-01-22T22:32:46.556-07:002015-01-22T22:32:46.556-07:00Dbt makes me want to punch a f$$k$$n hole in the w...Dbt makes me want to punch a f$$k$$n hole in the wall, !!! I hate it with an all encompassing rage, now I know why so many people quit!!!!! only the hospital is benefiting for all the money they make off of me!!hopeurokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07742965815678987967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-89196946836592184422015-01-16T00:11:25.332-07:002015-01-16T00:11:25.332-07:00Thinking of you its very difficult to tackle situa...Thinking of you its very difficult to tackle situation for you..<br /> Get full information about <a href="http://www.askme.com/delhi/max-hospital-saket-delhi-34359207" rel="nofollow">max hospital</a> @AskmeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211042392898507734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-72363387397253897112014-11-01T15:55:19.743-06:002014-11-01T15:55:19.743-06:00I don't know how your DBT was structured. In t...I don't know how your DBT was structured. In the one I attend I have learned a lot and have been better able to cope because of it. I have not thought of it as telling me to pretend I'm fine. It has actually taught me to recognize when I'm not, give me structure to comunicating my feelings or thoughts, and brainstormed things I can do when really upset. I rarely hear the god talk and if so it is from other members, not the group leaders. I think that therapist should check on what segment the group is on. Interpersonal effectiveness is what I consider the best to start on. Emotion regulation is one that is difficult to take in, or at least it was for me. Thinking about the emotions and digging in did bring up some thoughts that I would rather avoid. If that were my first section them I'm sure I would have dropped dbt. Emotion regulation was one of the sections that did help me to best understand why I'm upset. I hope that everyone reading this has found something that has worked for them. For those looking into dbt, I think it's important to ask what you would be starting with. The most helpful section for myself would not have been the best one for me to start with.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06756619325826175204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-55496922393844936032014-08-16T11:40:18.622-06:002014-08-16T11:40:18.622-06:00DBT is major suckage. I have been in treatment fo...DBT is major suckage. I have been in treatment for 6 months for binge eating disorder and gotten NO results. The therapist is a cold-hearted ice queen and treats me like a bunch of numbers on a piece of paper. DBT drained what little self esteem I had left. It is very rigid and doesn't seem to take into account that each person has their own unique, individual circumstances. I am angry. Guess what, "you can't be dialectical and angry at the same time". Pffffft. DBT is the absolute poster child for this treatment center, but I know they have other forms of therapy.Minnesota Nicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02170043587010711783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-18729420277027837682014-05-23T12:04:53.045-06:002014-05-23T12:04:53.045-06:00So what's the name for this,&are you in me...So what's the name for this,&are you in meds.jw? Idk how, or what to do.I'm like this for year's divorce and misc.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11725763463293310163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-71032438028955129862014-04-24T15:52:20.986-06:002014-04-24T15:52:20.986-06:00They don't hear because we don't know what...They don't hear because we don't know what we want them to hear, we scream because words aren't enough and words are too much for us and themSevenDialsItchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521416352154450265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-31589789097506711822014-04-03T14:46:21.628-06:002014-04-03T14:46:21.628-06:00Grace person sounds really angry and stuck. I hope...Grace person sounds really angry and stuck. I hope you find some kind of therapy that will help you! If anyone ever "FORCED" you or anyone here to do any therapy that sounds like a major 1st problem here period ... I chose my therapies and rehabs all along the way even in my most fucked up states. So? The blog falls apart for me right after that and so do all the comments in the thread for of those who agree with you and say they were "forced". <br /><br />Anyway, I was introduced to DBT and then left it and am now choosing to go back to it. Start again this week. Its just communication and distress tolerance or calming skills basically. <br /><br />I hope you find something to help you Grace. Let go girl. This therapy isn't for everyone. If it didn't work for you, accept it, move on and find one that will! ;) Shancoveryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08668127378481408951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-14298381703594355742014-03-26T23:22:50.564-06:002014-03-26T23:22:50.564-06:00I was forced to take dbt in Calgary Alberta canada...I was forced to take dbt in Calgary Alberta canada. I was wrongly diagnosed and this was crammed down my throat as well. I quit after 6 months of wasted life but not before I was retraumatized by this horrible program. Thank god I had two amazing psychologists before I ever went into dbt so I realized what abusive behaviour was so I ended the torment. Unfortunately I made the mistake of going back to the health care system and they lied to me and said I disnt have to take dbt again but they started doing it in session anyways! So I'm once again quitting and made an official complaint. They literally make me nauseous and no words can explain how much I now loathe dbt! You are ruining any chance of teaching clients when you cram it down our throats! The skills could have been great if only they were clearly taught instead of dictating them Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16891621437747754036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-24268847032734624132014-02-11T21:18:27.369-07:002014-02-11T21:18:27.369-07:00So we should be more like you and not care about a...So we should be more like you and not care about anyone but ourselves? No wonder your kids are bpd. If you were a good mother, youd admire their compassion and encourage them to donate/volunteer in a cause rather than be depressed about it.casiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610316619598393102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-79092478712109661832013-12-26T07:10:04.502-07:002013-12-26T07:10:04.502-07:00We are in DBT with my daughter who had 4 suicide a...We are in DBT with my daughter who had 4 suicide attempts this year. I think it is helpful but not life changing. It takes common sense things that most of us to every day and tries to make it accessible when you are in a stressful situation - to get you through and keep you safe until you can cope with it. So yes, you may already know how to "pretend" to feel good or as they call it "opposite action." The key is recognizing you are lying to yourself and using that skill to get through that tough moment and maybe not make the final cut. THEN you get your coach, trusted friend, etc. and work through the situation in detail. DBT is just there to help you get through the rough spots and give you the time you need to seek help. As a family we laugh at the acronyms and we do sit around a discuss how applicable the class was. But we go in with an open mind and we take away what we can use. The rest of it we let go. Life is like that - a lot of time is wasted for the few moments of meaning. I guess we all need to look for more of those moments of meaning. PS - to Leopardprints: My daughter is BPD. Her father is BPD. There is no history of any trauma - 6 therapists have looked for trauma because typically there is trauma. The thing is, without the trauma, you would probably still be BPD. It just took the trauma for you to not be able to cope. Studies show that most BPD folks improve with age - you through experience - get better at dealing with your illness. My daughter over empathizes with the world. She will break down into a depressive episode because of the refugee situation in Syria. Her twin brother is coping better but I believe he is BPD as well. He went off for 3 days on how he felt guilty for having too many possessions when the rest of the world is starving. I have had many comments such as yours - some how my child has had abuse. It makes me feel threatened as a parent because I know my husband and I have tried to create a free thinking, loving home. I wouldn't even put them in a play pen because I thought it would cage their minds subconsciously. The worst thing I have done as a parent is move to the suburbs for the educational opportunities. So DBT - while not perfect at least takes into account that some people are just excessively sensitive.Wiley37https://www.blogger.com/profile/11090326371523519411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-62490204189100522002013-07-23T15:32:00.105-06:002013-07-23T15:32:00.105-06:00I also hate DBT! I have BPD/ DID, and I did a few ...I also hate DBT! I have BPD/ DID, and I did a few years of Schema therapy on and off, and absolutely loved it. It was validating, gave me names to describe the abuse and it taught me how the abuse turned into BPD. Just being validated alone, helped me recover a lot. I stopped self-harming because I truly believed I didn't deserve it any more. I became a lot more healthy and stable, and felt very empowered now that I understood my disorder and abuse.<br /><br />I wasn't treated like 'a Borderline'. I was treated like a human being with an abandonment and abuse schema. Just taking that label away and viewing myself as a human being and not a label was amazing.<br /><br />I then went to a therapy group that used DBT from the Marsha Linehan book, and wow, what a mistake. So traumatizing and stressful.<br /><br />It triggered memories that I wasn't able to deal with, and offered no talking therapy to help me cope. Schema therapy was much more gentle. <br /><br />I even relapsed back into self-harming and my dissociation went through the roof. It was invalidating and I felt I was being pushed back into having the BPD label and I felt dehumnaised again. The distraction techniques worsened my dissociation<br /><br />I've seen ML write some really messed up things about the cause off BPD. That we are 'born sensetive' and it's how we react to things. I have yet to meet a person with BPD who hasn't suffered severe abuse, sexual, emotional or physical, or abandonment. I am sick of reading about biology.<br /><br />Abuse, abandonment or any form of childhood trauma will cause chemical changes in the brain. There have been loads of studies in it. The brain gets caught in 'fight or flight' response and damages the amygdala and then turns into BPD behaviour. This is the area that control emotions, anxiety, mood. Narcissists are just as 'sensitive' as BPDs, just that we all display it differently.<br /><br />While Schema therapy taught me the tools to help myself and it was a very loving and gentle process, DBT made me into an unfeeling robot.<br /><br />The self-soothing advice was ridiculous. How can you expect someone who has self-harmed since childhood to start lighting candles? You have to teach someone to care for themselves, explore where that self-loathing comes from. It's a slow process.<br /><br />I got to the point where I was constantly monitoring myself and being critical of my responses. It was very boring and my life felt mechanical.<br /><br />And don't get me started on her whole 'finding God' bullshit. As an atheist who also struggled with religious delusions as part of my DID, I was very triggered by that aspect of it. <br /><br />Also the part about empathizing with you abuser and thinking what their life has been like. WTF!<br /><br />Luckily as I'd had Schema therapy I was able to rebuild myself, but it was hard. I can't imagine what it must be like for people who go through it first.<br /><br />You can learn Mindfulness on your own, go to a class or read about it. And combine it with Schema therapy. <br /><br />Read: Reinventing your Life by Jeffrey Young and Change for the Better by Elizabeth McCormick. leopardprintshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00399815435840809616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-77715362103545519602013-06-07T20:44:06.768-06:002013-06-07T20:44:06.768-06:00welll, here's my experience with dbt: I am 42 ...welll, here's my experience with dbt: I am 42 yrs old and have gone to therapy since I was literally 6 years old. I have tried every single therapy in the book. Though I have through time become better at dealing with chronic ptsd and repeated bouts of severe ptsd due to repeatedly making repeatedly poor choices.<br /><br />I recently was introduced to DBT after I had a breakdown (finally) and I find it incredibly hard to learn. But the distraction techniques are NOT to be used constantly to avoid dealing with pain though, as commenters here are interpreting it. It's meant to avoid constant emotional reiteration of the same stuff- the obsessive stuff that in fact retriggers and retriggers etc. I personally cannot do any trauma therapy until I can handle it. and since I totally break down at the thoughts of what recently happened to me, made worse by my 35 year history of chronic ptsd that has established patterns of avoidance, etc, its a mess when I am exposed. (so my life has been one of avoiding more and more things that trigger me, and screwing up my relationships because I dont respond well to being triggered by individuals). <br /><br />The distraction techniques are to quell the repetition, and the self soothe techniques used in conjunction are meant to introduce kindness to self, and caretaking of our selves when we are crying, in a state of terror, etc. I don't know how to take care of myself when I am crying and upset, and my thought processes make it worse. cutting for example, makes it worse overall. so for example, when I am hysterical I hold a piece of ice- if really hysterical I don't even feel the ice, but I hold the ice, which roots me to the physical so I don't dissociate, and then I hold something really soft, or my dog, and keep telling myself I will be ok. it's not distraction- it's management, and kindness. I love my dog a lot more than I love myself, so she makes me feel better. I still cry, but I calm down.<br /><br />So I have appreciated learning how to distract myself when I am so upset I am not functioning in my daily life, and then when I need to process my emotions, to self soothe, to keep me from SH. Kindness to self is part of the DBT recipe, and I've never done that before. The dear mans I still can't get down, and the radical acceptance sends me into paroxysms of hysteria because I can't. I can't be with the reality of certain issues or I wouldn't be there. But the trauma counseling I need can't begin until I actually can handle talking about the trauma without breaking down, and to move through the trauma, I really do have to accept it happened, and the outcomes of what happened are real and right now. I have to open my eyes without falling apart. <br /><br />So mindfulness is helping me with that. But yeah, I can't deal with this stuff really in class because I just cry. But I sit there with it, I use faith to help me sit with my discomfort because I know deeply now that I don't have the tools myself, and I have faith that facing my trauma is the only way to get through it. I have to accept it. Nothing has worked despite years of therapy, and if this works, if I really try and participate and it works, then I'd be grateful. I might get a life one day that isn't totally miserable. If it doesn't work, f'it, it will be just like everything else in my life and I won't change. This is why I don't hate it and I keep trying. I will do *anything* to change my life now. desperation is a real motivator...Lesleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08891583555997444308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-46024997962227556802013-04-09T13:56:37.883-06:002013-04-09T13:56:37.883-06:00CBT, NLP, there are loads.. here's a link to t...CBT, NLP, there are loads.. here's a link to the Wikipedia link on Psychotherapy and the different approaches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy. In addition to this there are the alternative therapies like aromatherapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, colour and art therapy. To be honest I use a range and a combination of different therapies. Don't put your therapist in control. they are not in your shoes. They are an outsider looking in. I had to push my psychotherapist and my general practitioner to send me to DBT/CBT and a psychiatrist.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09388491644671440474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-14215847513520034842013-03-06T23:24:36.005-07:002013-03-06T23:24:36.005-07:00What other treatments are out there? I **hate** DB...What other treatments are out there? I **hate** DBT. I've completed phase one, but because I was "willful," I get the privilege of repeating. I am now 1/2 way through phase one again. <br /><br />My individual therapist doesn't want me to use the phone consult because she says I'm not truly in crisis. But when I ask about developing a "life worth living," she says other therapy elements are more important. <br /><br />Ready to make changes. Ideas?Jane Ellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14263315839948093861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-64746547785692957912013-02-14T09:02:10.124-07:002013-02-14T09:02:10.124-07:00I go to a DBT group but I think that you have to b...I go to a DBT group but I think that you have to be a certain type of person for it to work. My therapist thinks I have a need to control everything so the DBT might give me a way to "control" my feelings/emotions. It won't work if you can't work within the group for what ever reason. It won't work if you have trust issues and definately not if you feel invalidated. My last group was validating because people were able to come out and say what was happening to them and how they tried to cope effectively or ineffectively. I have borderline and I'm on anti-depressants....it depends on the stage you are at in your mental health journey and also the stage you are at in your life....if I had 4 screaming children around me there is no way I could think about the DBT skills or practise them. an each skill doesn't work for everyone. like that whole muscle relaxation and deep breathing is rubbish to me but the imagery of a beach works for me. all I can say is KEEP FIGHTING AND NEVER GIVE UP until you find something or someone that works for you. You know yourself best and if DBT is not working or making you worse stand up to those professionals!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09388491644671440474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-45810539272723790332012-09-06T14:40:33.003-06:002012-09-06T14:40:33.003-06:00One of my other issues with DBT is that it did not...One of my other issues with DBT is that it did not work for my severe mood swings. I believe it is mostly for borderlines (which I do have some overlap there at times,) who need to calm down emotional reactions. In the midst of a severe winter depression, it did nothing for me and I felt worse due to it was doing nothing. In fact, I kept telling the therapist that I think it is my mood swings getting in the way of its effectiveness. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4134631784318235978.post-65746148412483203122012-09-06T14:34:26.394-06:002012-09-06T14:34:26.394-06:00I didn't feel that great after a year or more ...I didn't feel that great after a year or more of DBT group sessions. I felt more suicidal and depressed than before. I found the diary cards to be silly when my distress at the depression was so bad, these little things barely made a dent. Sometimes they did, but then the depressive angst and fear would be right back minutes later and I got frustrated with the whole process. Once day I spent most of the day practicing distracting techniques and others and I finally just let myself cry and felt much better. What I learned that is better for me is to stay away from triggering people and situations who need more help than I do and always did on some level. I just got stuck with the sensitivity and letting others' shit get to me over time. I found mindfulness only useful along with a yoga and meditation practice. Acceptance seemed to stop at acknowledging and then hurrying up to apply a skill to water the thing down. I now try and be with whatever feeling I have for as long as I need rather than try and hurry up and buy time by distracting from it in basically silly ways. I see DBT as potentially harmful in its approach because it doesn't focus enough on acceptance and more on pithy remedies. I don't think the overall approach needs to be that difficult, though I think the interpersonal effectiveness skills was the best module. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com