Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Understanding the behaviors behind substance abuse addiction can be a complicated process. However, if you or a loved one struggle with addiction, then figuring out the root cause of the addictive behavior can help you or them heal and recover. Here at Southern California Addiction Center, we offer a variety of therapy options including dialectical behavior therapy to help our patients fully recover and have the best chance possible at staying sober throughout their life.

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of innovative treatment that helps patients examine their own thoughts, reactions, and opinions. It re-teaches patients how to feel all of their emotions and truly understand where each emotion comes from and how to react to them. In turn, patients are taught better coping skills and how to react and to their own emotions and the emotions of people around them. This innovative therapy provides patients with a better emotional foundation during treatment and throughout their recovery.

How Does Dialectical Behavior Work?

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) works in two different phases. The first phase involves one on one therapy with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. The one on one therapy sessions are mostly for the patient to garner trust with their therapist. The first phase allows the patient and the therapist to talk to one another and truly connect with each other. It is only through trusting one another and getting to know each better that DBT will be successful in the second phase.

The second phase of DBT involves many group sessions. This portion of the theory is known as skills-training therapy and is an essential part of the therapy for it to be successful. Throughout the second phase of the therapy, patients learn how to regulate their emotions, how to accept their reality, become more tolerant of distress, how to become more mindful, and how to develop better interpersonal communication and connection skills.

Throughout the second phase of DBT, patients are taught how to accept their thoughts and feelings and how to deal with them. For example, they learn to validate their feelings and determine if the emotions they are feeling are acceptable or ignorable. This helps patients, especially patients trying to recover from addiction, to truly feel their own emotions and learn not to be controlled by their emotions.

Traditionally, patients in DBT will identify any bad thoughts or feelings they have about themselves and the world around them. After identifying them, they will be taught how to eliminate these feelings from their daily life. Therapists teach patients how to cope with these feelings through techniques such as meditation, redirection of thoughts, and visualization. These techniques are taught to patients as self-direction techniques and give patients the ability to feel less controlled by their emotions.

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy Made to Treat?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy was initially created to treat borderline personality disorder. These patients tend to have a history of large emotional responses to stimuli in the world that other people can seemingly ignore. In turn, they tend to be very emotionally labile and have overly dramatic responses to issues such as relationship breakups, family problems, and stress at school or work. To cope, patients with borderline personality disorder may turn to drugs or alcohol or may participate in self-harming behaviors.

Since its inception, DBT has also been studied for other disorders such as eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, and adjustment disorders. It has been found highly effective for all of these disorders and is now used very frequently to treat these issues.

At Southern California Addiction Center (SCAC), we utilize DBT for substance abuse. We have found that patients who undergo DBT have better recovery rates. As with every therapy option at SCAC, we first get to know our patients and figure out which therapy would be best for them. Our patients who undergo DBT will have their DBT therapy sessions catered to them and their substance abuse. We help patients understand their emotions so that they can better understand why they became addicted to their substance of choice.

Through DBT, we also help patients learn how to curb drug cravings, and stay away from emotions and people who have been a vital part of their substance abuse journey. This allows patients to be able to succeed on their own once they finish their treatment. Through DBT, we teach patients real-world skills and help patients learn vital lessons that help them cope with their lives in recovery.

Why Choose Southern California Addiction Center

Southern California Addiction Center (SCAC) is a state of the art treatment center that is found in beautiful sunny, Southern California. Our treatment center offers a variety of different therapy options and treatment plans to help cater to each patient in our center. We offer inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment to help cater to the needs of each of our patients. By getting to know all of our patients on a personal level, we can give them individualized care plans that give them a better chance at success in their recovery.

If you or a loved one is suffering from any kind of substance abuse, then call our center today. We can help you or your loved one begin to understand why they chose substance abuse, and help you or your loved one recover. At SCAC we offer multiple different treatment plans and therapy options, plus even fun therapy options such as outdoor therapy, exercise therapy and more. Our center is truly devoted to helping patients reach their best potential in recovery, and we accomplish this through our unique and individualized programs. Call us today to learn more about our different programs and how they can benefit you or your loved one.