Summary: <p>Dialectical Behavior Therapy Techniques<br> Emotion Regulation<br> Presented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes Executive Director, AllCEUs<br> Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox & Happiness isn’t Brain Surgery with Doc Snipes<br> President: Recovery and Resilience International<br> Objectives<br> ~ Review the basic premises of DBT<br> ~ Learn about the HPA-Axis<br> ~ Define emotion regulation<br> ~ Identify why emotion regulation is important and how it can help clients<br> ~ Explore emotion regulation techniques<br> Basic DBT Premises<br> ~ Dialectical Theory<br> ~ Everything is interconnected<br> ~ Reality is not static<br> ~ Constantly evolving truth can be found by synthesizing differing points of view<br> DBT Assumptions<br> ~ People do their best<br> ~ People want to get better/be happy<br> ~ Clients need to work harder and be more motivated to make changes in their lives<br> ~ Even if people didn’t create their problems, they still must solve them<br> ~ The lives of suicidal [or addicted] people are unbearable<br> ~ People need to learn how to live skillfully in all areas of their lives.<br> ~ People cannot fail in treatment<br> What is Emotion Regulation<br> ~ Emotional dysregulation results from a combination of<br> ~ High emotional vulnerability<br> ~ Extended time needed to return to baseline<br> ~ Inability to regulate or modulate one’s emotions<br> ~ Emotional vulnerability refers to [situation] in which an individual is more emotionally sensitive or reactive than others<br> ~ Differences in the central nervous system and HPA Axis play a role in making a person more emotionally vulnerable/reactive<br> ~ The environments of people who are more emotionally reactive are often invalidating<br> What is Emotion Regulation<br> ~ According to Linehan, “Emotional regulation is the ability to control or influence which emotions you have, when you have them, and how you experience and express them.”<br> ~ Emotion Regulation<br> ~ Prevents unwanted emotions by reducing vulnerabilities<br> ~ Changes painful emotions once they start<br> ~ Teaches that:<br> ~ Emotions in and of themselves are not good or bad<br> ~ Suppresses emotions makes things worse</p> <p>Emotion Regulation<br> ~ Emotions are effective when:<br> ~ Acting on the emotion is in your best interest.<br> ~ Expressing your emotion gets you closer to your [ultimate] goals.<br> ~ Expressing your emotions will influence others in ways that will help you.<br> ~ Your emotions are sending you an important message.<br> The HPA-Axis<br> ~ Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis is our central stress response system<br> ~ Hypothalamus<br> ~ releases a compound called corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF)<br> ~ Pituitary<br> ~ Triggers the release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)<br> ~ Adrenal<br> ~ ACTH is released and causes the adrenal gland to release the stress hormones, particularly cortisol and adrenaline</p> <p>HPA Axis<br> ~ The Adrenals<br> ~ Control chemical reactions over large parts of your body, including your ‘fight-or-flight’ response.<br> ~ Produce even more hormones than the pituitary gland<br> ~ Steroid hormones like cortisol (a glucocorticoid) increasing availability of glucose and fat<br> ~ Sex hormones like DHEA, estrogen<br> ~ Stress hormones like adrenaline<br> ~ Once the perceived threat passes, cortisol levels return to normal<br> ~ What if the threat never passes?<br> HPA Axis<br> ~ The amygdala and hippocampus are intertwined with the stress response (Higgins & George, 2013)<br> ~ The amygdala modulates anger and fear / fight or flight<br> ~ The hippocampus helps to develop and store memories<br> ~ The brain of a child or adolescent is particularly vu</p>
