Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a type of talking therapy that attempts to change and adapt different thinking patterns people often develop. DBT Groups therapy can be used to provide support against behaviors that are considered to be self-destructive. However, many of the skills learned in DBT groups can be useful for anyone with negative feelings or struggles in stressful situations. Here are five key skills commonly associated with DBT Groups therapy.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a skill that helps you become more aware and more accepting of your environment or situation. Essentially, it helps you recognize and, therefore, understand the present. This can help you learn to notice and accept your thoughts or feelings without self-judgment. Everyone experiences mindfulness differently. However, DBT Groups therapy is often broken into two types of skills: “how” and “what.”

“What” skills help people learn and understand what they should focus on. This could include the present moment, their emotions, their current thoughts, and their sensations. It also helps people understand how to separate their emotions from their thoughts.

“How” skills are based on understanding how to balance rational thoughts with emotions experienced and overcome issues that make mindfulness difficult such as doubt and feeling tired.

Self Soothing

Another skill people will often learn through DBT groups is how to self-soothe. This skill is based on restoring a sense of calm. This is achieved by using the five senses:

• Sight
• Smell
• Touch
• Taste
• Sound

Each sense can be used to help restore peace. For instance, you can use sight to look at pictures that make you happy. Or, you might touch something that helps you feel relaxed, like your furry pet. You could even taste something sweet that helps you to feel good. Finally, you might play some soothing music and relax through the sound.

If you are dealing with a stressful situation, thinking straight can be incredibly difficult, leading to the wrong action. That’s why self-soothing skills can be so important.

Emotional Regulation

The emotions we feel are often difficult to understand. They can also be unwanted and cause a chain of negative emotions that you may wish to avoid completely. At the same, emotions can also be useful. Some emotions may help you better understand and deal with a situation causing you distress. DBT groups help people learn the PLEASE skill when dealing with emotions and help you differentiate between different ones that you might be feeling.

The PLEASE acronym refers to:

• PL – Physical Illness
• E- Balanced Eating
• A – Avoiding Drugs
• S – Balance Sleep
• E – Exercise

Each of these possibilities will help you regulate your emotions more effectively. For instance, you should treat physical issues that impact your emotions while eating the right amount to keep your body healthy. You need to avoid any drugs that are not prescribed, as these will have a negative impact and get enough sleep so you feel rested. You also need to get enough exercise each day so you are not inactive.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

When your mood changes rapidly, and you struggle with intense emotions, it can be difficult to relate to others and feel empathy. This can mean that building meaningful connections is a lot harder. Interpersonal effectiveness helps people combine listening and social skills to change situations, ensuring you don’t give up your values. It ensures that you can work through conflicts without losing your respect for yourself. It also ensures that you can ask for what you want and then take the necessary steps to achieve it.

Using Pros And Cons

Finally, DBT groups can also teach you how to use pros and cons lists to your benefit. This can be useful to combat urges that are considered harmful. Writing pros and cons will help you examine a situation more thoroughly and understand all the outcomes. Everyone uses pros and cons mentally, whether they realize it or not. DBT teaches you how to visualize the results and be more specific. It helps you take the right action and could de-escalate a situation.

As you can see, DBT Groups therapy teaches people numerous skills that could be useful in everyday life, whether at work or at home. You don’t need to struggle with a crisis to benefit from DBT skills. They could help anyone who has ever found themselves in a tough emotional situation or life event. These skills can also help you achieve your goals and ensure that you do have a better quality of life overall.