How Did DBT Therapy Start?
DBT Therapy, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence based treatment shown to be effective for a variety mental health issues including depression, ADHD, addiction, and much more. It is heavily skills based. In other words, DBT therapy aims to teach people practical and actionable skills and tools to better manage their stressors. There are four main components of DBT: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Within each of these sections, there are dozens of skills and tools. DBT has been heavily researched and is scientifically supported as an effective treatment, but how did it start?
The year in which DBT started seems to differ depending on the source, but most articles claim that it started between the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. It was developed by a person named Dr. Marsha Linehan, PhD (University of Washington). Dr. Linehan explains that the creation of DBT blossomed from her own struggles with mental health issues.
Dr. Linehan recounts being institutionalized, diagnosed with schizophrenia, and heavily medicated at the age of 17. She dealt with intense suicidal thoughts and self harm. She has a history of cutting and burning herself. She even had episodes of banging her head against the hard floor. Dr. Linehan reports being sent to the room in the inpatient unit reserved for the most severely ill patients. Dr. Linehan knows what it is like to struggle with mental health issues. It is from this struggle that DBT was birthed.
In an article with the NY Times (linked below) she reports an encounter in a Catholic church that changed her life forever. She explains that she loved herself for the first time in the church. From there, she began her road to recovery. After this she earned her Ph.D and the development of DBT began.
Dr. Linehan set out to develop a treatment that really worked. She says in the DBT manual that she wanted to develop skills and tools she wished her parents had taught her.
At PRGRS Therapy, one of our main modalities is DBT Therapy. If you are interested in learning practical skills and tools to better manage stressors and achieve your goals, contact us today for a free consultation.
