"Many compassionate forms of therapy leave people feeling cared for and listened to, but not really knowing what to do with their distress or with the experience of strong emotions. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills have been shown to be effective in helping people, including adolescents, become equal owners of their therapeutic experience. DBT teaches those with unrelenting emotions manage the ensuing impact to relationships and potentially dangerous behavior. But beyond this, the magic to DBT lies in the use of mindfulness as its core skill.Written by leading clinical DBT experts, Drs. Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen, Blaise who I personally know as a human whose personal example and wisdom has saved and inspired so many lives, DBT For Dummies makes the skills, philosophies and principles of DBT accessible to all, and whether you struggle with mental illness or not, the skills are ones that, when practiced regularly, can lead to a life of greater autonomy and control."-- Jewel, singer-songwriter, musician, lived experience mental health expert, Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author of Never Broken"Dr. Gillian Galen and Dr. Blaise Aguirre have been on the forefront of this impactful, mindful, lifesaving and family saving therapy for close to two decades. DBT For Dummies brings you back to basics and functions from your core values. It is skills-based (not pills!) and surprisingly simple if one truly wants to help make their lives better and suffer less. Dr. Galen has been helping me with my own journey for three years now. I begged her to write this book because I wanted the incredible results of this therapy to be made available to everybody. Especially during these turbulent times, where isolation and suffering are so prevalent, DBT For Dummies can be a savior. And anybody can do it! Read this book and your life gets better. It is as simple as that."-- Mika Brzezinski, New York Times bestselling author, cohost of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and founder and creator of KNOW YOUR VALUE"To succinctly describe all of the facets of DBT treatment in lay terms in such an engaging way is truly a skill. Galen and Aguirre's years of clinical and supervisory experience working in residential and outpatient settings make them perfectly suited to write DBT For Dummies. Lay people now have an excellent up-to-date and easy to read comprehensive guide to learn about the modes and functions of DBT, the theoretical underpinnings, the myths about DBT, the numerous DBT skills and the adaptations of DBT for special populations. It's a great read and I highly recommend it!"-- Alec L. Miller, PsyD, Co-Founder and Clinical Director, Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants, LLP; DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Program; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Introduction 1Part 1: The Nuts and Bolts of DBT 5Chapter 1: Entering the World of DBT 7Chapter 2: Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy 15Chapter 3: Accepting Multiple Points of View 29Chapter 4: Moving from Impulsive to Spontaneous 37Part 2: Gaining Understanding 53Chapter 5: Understanding Your Emotions 55Chapter 6: Understanding Your Behaviors 65Chapter 7: Understanding How You Think 75Chapter 8: Understanding Your Relationships 87Part 3: Exploring DBT Skills 95Chapter 9: Thinking about Mindfulness 97Chapter 10: Regulating Your Emotions 117Chapter 11: Building Your Distress Tolerance 127Chapter 12: Increasing Your Interpersonal Effectiveness 147Chapter 13: Walking the Middle Path 161Part 4: The Mechanics of DBT Therapy 169Chapter 14: Exploring Therapy Basics 171Chapter 15: Embracing Dialectics 181Chapter 16: Structuring the Environment 191Chapter 17: The Therapist Consultation Team 209Chapter 18: Tracking Your Experience 219Chapter 19: Gaining and Keeping Motivation 233Part 5: Putting DBT into Action for Specific Conditions 243Chapter 20: Building Mastery for Mood and Personality Disorders 245Chapter 21: Taming Trauma 263Chapter 22: Tempering Addictions 271Chapter 23: Dealing with Counterproductive Behaviors 297Part 6: The Part of Tens 315Chapter 24: Ten Mindful Practices 317Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Live an Antidepressant Life 323Chapter 26: Ten Myths about DBT 331Index 337
Gillian Galen, PsyD, is an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and the Program Director of the 3East Girls Residential DBT Treatment Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.Blaise Aguirre, MD, is the Medical Director of 3East, a DBT continuum of care at McLean Hospital in Belmont Massachusetts, and a trainer in dialectical behavior therapy.
