Revelare Recovery believes that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a transformational approach that can help people reclaim their lives and obtain long-term recovery. Dr. Marsha Linehan has developed DBT, which is a special form of cognitive behavioral treatment for improving emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. Especially for people with eating disorders and other complex mental health problems, this is evidence-based therapy. With a focus on individualized care and cutting-edge therapeutic modalities, we are committed to helping women achieve long-term recovery.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Eating Disorders
What is dialectical behavior therapy? Designed to treat borderline personality disorder (now an accepted diagnosis, but back then not recognized as a real illness), DBT has reached patients with a variety of mental health problems, including eating disorders. Eating disorder dialectical behavior therapy aims to reduce disordered eating behaviors, manage intense emotions, and improve eating disorder symptoms and enhance relationships with food and body image. It’s a structured, skills-based therapy that teaches people to become mindful, self-compassionate and more capable of coping.
In a dialectical behavior therapy program in eating disorders, patients learn to balance acceptance of what we are now dealing with and the need to change. DBT addresses the pain and the maladaptive coping strategies that underlie disordered eating and provides the tools needed for people to live a fuller and more balanced life.
Eating Disorder DBT Skills
Practical skills that foster emotional resilience are a central part of dialectical behavior therapy. In DBT for eating disorders, the following skill sets are emphasized:
- Mindfulness: Practicing present moment awareness without judgment, we can get into the habit of realizing our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations more clearly. This is a foundational skill that helps keep hunger and fullness cues more in your awareness, and decreases mindless or emotional eating.
- Distress Tolerance: Tolerating emotional distress is an important bit of learning not to turn to harmful behaviors. Other techniques for dealing with intense urges and prevention of self destructive patterns include self soothing, grounding, and distraction.
- Emotion Regulation: People with eating disorders can feel too many emotions. DBT teaches people to identify, understand, diminish, and regulate emotions so as to stabilize them and diminish binge eating or restrictive eating behaviors.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: For recovery it’s important to set healthy boundaries and establish healthy relationships. DBT helps to increase communication skills, assertiveness and conflict resolution in the hope of creating healthier social connections.
DBT vs CBT
The comparison between cognitive behavioral therapy vs dialectical behavioral therapy highlights key differences:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) basically just looks at negative thoughts and how to change them and change them into positive thoughts in order to change negative behaviors. This treatment is effective for treating eating disorders — for changing beliefs about food, body image, and self worth.
The procedures of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) includes techniques drawn from CBT and mindfulness and the accepting strategies. It promotes the balance of change with the acceptance and trains skills in excellent emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Both therapies are evidence based and effective, and dialectical behavioral therapy for an eating disorder is more holistic as it includes more looking at emotion vulnerability, behavioral pattern.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Eating Disorders Types
There are several formats of dialectic behavioral therapy available, ensuring flexibility to meet individual needs:
- Individual Therapy: With the DBT therapist you attend one on one sessions focusing on personal goals/skill development, applying the skills, problem solving and conducting DBT fine tune if needed.
- Skills Training Groups: DBT skills are learned and practiced in supportive group settings to improve community and shared experiences at the Center for Behavioral Health.
- Phone Coaching: During breaks in therapy, coaching is available to help clients get through crises and continue using DBT strategies in real time.
- Comprehensive DBT Programs: All components of a full, complete dialectical behavior therapy program are implemented through individual therapy, group skills training and coaching support.
The Benefits of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders offers numerous benefits, including:
- Enhanced Emotional Regulation: DBT assists people to learn better how to manage emotions, and rattle one’s impulsivity and mood swings.
- Improved Coping Strategies: Distress tolerance skills or mindfulness skills are better suited alternative behaviors.
- Increased Self-Awareness: Through developing the mindfulness practices, self awareness becomes deeper resulting in improved self decision making and self acceptance.
- Stronger Relationships: Communication, boundaries and social connections all improve through interpersonal effectiveness skills.
Dialectical behavior therapy studies have shown that those who complete a program experience high reductions in disordered eating behaviors and greater emotional stability.
Why Choose Revelare Recovery
Revelare Recovery is a place specializing in compassionate, evidence-based care for women who are seeking recovery from eating disorders. Here’s why our dialectical behavior therapy for eating disorders stands out:
- Expert Clinicians: We have licensed therapists, all with advanced DBT and eating disorder treatment training on our team.
- Customized Treatment Plans: Each dialectical behavior therapy program is tailored to meet the particular needs and the desired outcomes of our clients.
- Holistic Approach: Complementing DBT, we also use other therapies to help manage comprehensive healing.
- Supportive Environment: In the nurturing, non judgmental space we are able to grow, become resilient, and become empowered.
Let’s start your journey to recovery! If you or your close one has an eating disorder, you should note that this is not the end of everything because there will always be help for you. At Revelare Recovery, it is our primary mission to help women navigate their path to healing and well-being on our path to long-term sobriety; DBT is one of the treatment modalities we offer. Please call us at (888)-341 0244 today for more information or visit our website for an appointment.
