DBT

[Starryeyes]

Has anyone on here completed 12 weeks of DBT. I'm really struggling to commit to it. I go each week. But some of the concepts I can't get my head around. Like putting your thoughts on a leaf and watching it float down a river.
And the rest of it just makes me feel either like a nasty piece of shit or a useless peace of shit.
I really wanted this to work out for me but I'm not sure it's the right type of therapy for me.

Is there any alternatives anyone's found helpful?

 

[bed]

you might get a better response in the recovery section <3

 

[PrincessInWhite]

Go to recovery section for sure, also I'll be happy to discuss DBT with you further if you like! PM me, I have a DBT workbook somewhere I think. Also I totally get what you mean about it feeling silly and impossible, I struggle too. It's like I'll make progress then lose it every time! But I hear it's immensely helpful if you can manage to commit to it fully.

 

[motel rooms]

But some of the concepts I can't get my head around. Like putting your thoughts on a leaf and watching it float down a river.
And the rest of it just makes me feel either like a nasty piece of shit or a useless peace of shit.

I'm sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you.

 

[Starryeyes]

Is it possible for admin to move my thread or delete it so I can post it in recovery?

I'm sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you.

Honestly I struggle to keep a lid on laughing at it too. The therapist got my to close my eyes and every time a thought popped in my head I had to imagine it on a leaf floating down a river. Then asks me to open my eyes and asked me how I felt. Apparently ' fucking ridiculous' wasn't the correct answer.

 

[Kennish]

What is dbt

 

[Starryeyes]

What is dbt

What is DBT?

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a type of talking therapy. It's based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but it's specially adapted for people who feel emotions very intensely.

The aim of DBT is to help you:

• understand and accept your difficult feelings
• learn skills to manage them
• become able to make positive changes in your life.

'Dialectical' means trying to understand how two things that seem opposite could both be true. For example, accepting yourself and changing your behaviour might feel contradictory. But DBT teaches that it's possible for you to achieve both these goals together.

 

[motel rooms]

Honestly I struggle to keep a lid on laughing at it too. The therapist got my to close my eyes and every time a thought popped in my head I had to imagine it on a leaf floating down a river. Then asks me to open my eyes and asked me how I felt. Apparently ' fucking ridiculous' wasn't the correct answer.

Oh Lord... I suggest you imagine your therapist shrinking to the size of a cute lil turd & flushing them down the toilet. I bet it'll feel awesome!

@Flippy

 

[Flippy]

Words escape me? They make you write stuff on a leaf? I would probably want to troll them by freaking out that I thought I was going to get the leaf back! Excuse me I need to go and find a hard surface and bang my head into a pulp!

EDIT: OK so you imagine the leaf? Hmmmm... Sounds somehow like even more of a waste of time!
Okay I got it! I will put the world's most urgent existential problems on a leaf in my imagination and watch it float down a river! This is huge guys! Let me know when you start noticing the changes!

In all seriousness though, don't let my cynicism put you off @sue1984 if you find it helps. But on the other hand, if it's making you feel like "a nasty piece of shit" or a "useless piece of shit" that seems counter productive to the claimed goal of therapy.

 

[SlipAway]

I did 12 weeks of DBT years ago. I still use some of the "coping tools" I learned like squeezing frozen oranges when you're feeling out of control. Sounds odd, but I do find it effective.

 

[Starryeyes]

I did 12 weeks of DBT years ago. I still use some of the "coping tools" I learned like squeezing frozen oranges when you're feeling out of control. Sounds odd, but I do find it effective.

Did you do the leaf thing?

Words escape me? They make you write stuff on a leaf? I would probably want to troll them by freaking out that I thought I was going to get the leaf back! Excuse me I need to go and find a hard surface and bang my head into a pulp!

EDIT: OK so you imagine the leaf? Hmmmm... Sounds somehow like even more of a waste of time!
Okay I got it! I will put the world's most urgent existential problems on a leaf in my imagination and watch it float down a river! This is huge guys! Let me know when you start noticing the changes!

In all seriousness though, don't let my cynicism put you off @sue1984 if you find it helps. But on the other hand, if it's making you feel like "a nasty piece of shit" or a "useless piece of shit" that seems counter productive to the claimed goal of therapy.

Apparently it's to be able to face the parts of you that maybe needs work. But yea, I can't imagine me lasting the 12 weeks with that leaf shit.

 

[motel rooms]

I still use some of the "coping tools" I learned like squeezing frozen oranges when you're feeling out of control.

I squeeze my eggplant when I'm feeling out of control.

 

[Starryeyes]

Oh Lord... I suggest you imagine your therapist shrinking to the size of a cute lil turd & flushing them down the toilet. I bet it'll feel awesome!

@Flippy

 

[Pure]

DBT was quite effective for me.

It's the most effective form of therapy for suicidal people/people with bpd. Of course that depends on the therapist.
I'd recommend sticking to it for the 12 weeks. If it doesn't work then there are other forms of therapy.

 

[callme]

Words escape me? They make you write stuff on a leaf? I would probably want to troll them by freaking out that I thought I was going to get the leaf back! Excuse me I need to go and find a hard surface and bang my head into a pulp!

EDIT: OK so you imagine the leaf? Hmmmm... Sounds somehow like even more of a waste of time!
Okay I got it! I will put the world's most urgent existential problems on a leaf in my imagination and watch it float down a river! This is huge guys! Let me know when you start noticing the changes!

In all seriousness though, don't let my cynicism put you off @sue1984 if you find it helps. But on the other hand, if it's making you feel like "a nasty piece of shit" or a "useless piece of shit" that seems counter productive to the claimed goal of therapy.

Use a painting to express your anger. But that's a bit too much, so show you are caring and positive, bring your pet with you.

And the rest of it just makes me feel either like a nasty piece of shit or a useless peace of shit

Your the-rapist doesn't think so, surely tells you you're good?

 

[SlipAway]

I squeeze my eggplant when I'm feeling out of control.

Glad to hear you have a good "tool."

 

[Starryeyes]

DBT was quite effective for me.

It's the most effective form of therapy for suicidal people/people with bpd. Of course that depends on the therapist.
I'd recommend sticking to it for the 12 weeks. If it doesn't work then there are other forms of therapy.

I'll stick to it for the sake of my relatives. Just some parts of it I can't seem to get my head around. The putting thoughts on things is a bit much for me

 

[Flippy]

I'll stick to it for the sake of my relatives. Just some parts of it I can't seem to get my head around. The putting thoughts on things is a bit much for me

My joking aside. I understand the theory behind "imagining problems floating away". The idea I believe is to bring symbolic closure or divert a pattern of thought.

The problem is, if you can't suspend disbelief, then I doubt this will work. I consider myself quite a logical person, and quite a rational person. Other people who know me seem to agree. Now, I'm no Mr. Spok with mad Vulcan skills, but I have tried to cultivate this rationality in myself.

So from my point of view, I approach things in an empirical way. I like to think scientifically about things. Basically I'm a total nerd, but it's a useful way to think.

I like repairing things, and anything broken I will try to figure out how it works and then use that knowledge to hopefully fix it. So my brain is filled with logic statements such as "If X then Y, if Y then P, if not P then check cause of state of X". The more I've thought in these terms the better I feel I'm able to understand the world around me and see if a premise is logically valid.

The problem I have is (in a kind of pseudo code) is "If problem == true, then imagine leaf, imagine stream, put problem on imaginary leaf, put imaginary leaf on imaginary stream, if imaginary NOT true, then solution == false". I don't believe in the unreal, so being rational my mind can't accept the premise that a problem is solved by imagining it floating away.

This may also be your "problem" you know that a problem isn't solved by playing make-believe. So perhaps they need to fine tune this therapy and apply it in more logical terms. I'm not quite sure how, but maybe if there was something they could help you physically do that actually works towards resolving a problem?

I guess it depends on what you struggle with as to how this could take shape.

Anyway that's my theory :-)

 

[motel rooms]

Glad to hear you have a good "tool."

I'm very grateful for it. I don't even have to freeze it to get it hard.