When it comes to overcoming addiction, dealing with underlying mental disorders is extremely important. However, there are numerous ways to treat mental disorders, so it’s hard to know where to begin. One option is dialectical behavior therapy. What is this type of behavior therapy, and how does it aid people with overcoming mental disorders?

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Young woman learns about a dialectical behavior therapy programThis form of behavior therapy teaches people a new set of skills to manage and process painful emotions. They can also use these skills to resolve conflicts that might arise within relationships. In fact, experts say that it focuses mostly on providing therapeutic skills in four areas. At Sunflower Wellness Retreat, the dialectical behavior therapy that we offer touches on all four of these critical areas.

Firstly, DBT includes focusing on mindfulness. This specific skill helps people accept their current mood. Likewise, it helps them deal with present emotions. Learning to pay attention to their feelings actively is essential in overcoming mental disorders.

Secondly, a dialectical behavior therapy program focuses on helping people increase distress tolerance. In fact, experts believe that it’s better to increase tolerance for negative thoughts and emotions than to run from them. Doing so helps people deal with these thoughts head-on.

Next, this form of therapy focuses on teaching people strategies to manage and regulate emotions. Actually, these strategies can help people change negative or intense emotions that damage their lives. In fact, negative emotions can result in bad behavior.

Lastly, dialectical behavior therapy focuses on teaching better communication skills. These skills help people strengthen relationships via communication and self-respect. Also, they allow people to be more assertive without causing conflicts.

What Mental Disorders Does This Form of Therapy Treat?

Initially, DBT emerged as a way to treat people who have borderline personality disorders. However, now experts know that it can treat other conditions too, including:

  • Substance abuse
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Binge eating
  • Extreme depression
  • Bulimia

Also, a dialectical behavior therapy program can help people who don’t suffer from mental disorders. Some people participate in counseling to simply learn how to regulate their own emotions better. Furthermore, others participate in order to learn how to communicate their feelings. This therapy has a lot to teach them whether or not they have a mental disorder.

How Does This Therapy Work?

Dialectical behavior therapy occurs in multiple stages. First, people have to learn to control their most self-destructive behaviors. Typically, these behaviors are those that result in self-injury.

Next, they start to learn skills that improve their quality of life. In fact, Sunflower Wellness Retreat incorporates learning to regulate emotions and limit distress.

Then, people move on to improving their self-esteem and relationships. This type of therapy isn’t just about helping them improve themselves. It’s also about improving relationships with others.

Finally, the last step involves promoting more joy in their lives. This joy typically comes from being able to regulate emotions better. However, it also comes from better relationship connections.

Invest in Your Future With the Help of Sunflower Wellness Retreat

Good Kansas addiction therapy programs aren’t hard to find if you visit Sunflower Wellness Retreat. We offer a full lineup of programs that can help you overcome addiction. However, we don’t just focus on addictions. We also aim to help you overcome underlying mental disorders that occur alongside substance abuse.

At Sunflower Wellness Retreat, we create custom treatment programs for all of our clients. We don’t believe in using a one-size-fits-all method of treatment. Some of the programs that we customize according to your needs include:

Learn more about what dialectical behavior therapy can do for you. Develop the right skills to adjust negative behavior and maintain recovery. Reach out to Sunflower Wellness Retreat at 855.730.8825 to get started.