If you are trying to recover from addiction to drugs or alcohol, you face numerous challenges. You must first overcome your physical dependence. Only then can you begin to examine the root psychological causes of your addiction as well as the triggers that can lead to relapse. Through it all, you must learn to accept yourself and your imperfections while simultaneously working to bring about positive change and freedom from your addiction. It is this task that dialectical behavioral therapy can help you to address.
The History of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
In the early 1990s, Dr. Marsha Linehan became frustrated that traditional therapeutic methods weren’t working well for her suicidal patients or for those with borderline personality disorders. In response, she developed techniques that enabled a two-way conversation with clients about real-world issues. She found that by doing this, she could teach them positive, alternative ways to react. It was this modality that has matured over the last two decades and in turn become the dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) that is frequently practiced in inpatient and outpatient settings today.
The Principles of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
The word “dialectic” in DBT refers to how the therapy helps you to combine the two opposing goals of change and acceptance successfully. It is necessary to synthesize them both because they are not workable on their own. Asking someone who is suicidal or addicted to making changes without also promoting acceptance often leads to the client shutting down and refusing to move forward. Working on acceptance without also emphasizing change leaves the client feeling ignored and disconnected. If someone is addicted, dialectical behavioral therapy advocates permanent and immediate abstinence from the drug (change), while also recognizing that a relapse may occur. If it does, the client is still a worthy person who can continue to benefit from DBT and find lasting recovery.
Dialectical behavioral therapy includes five goals:
- Helping the client to be more motivated to change
- Enhancing a client’s capabilities
- Learning and generalizing positive behaviors
- Structuring the environment
- Increasing the motivation and ability of the therapist
DBT is designed to reduce self-destructive, life-threatening behaviors, minimize actions that reduce the effectiveness of therapy, reduce behaviors that decrease the quality of life such as substance abuse, and increase positive skills. When an addict participates in DBT, the client and therapist work specifically on reducing substance abuse, alleviating the physical discomfort of withdrawal, reducing cravings, avoiding opportunities, cues, and triggers to use, minimizing behaviors that could lead to drug abuse and reinforcing healthy behaviors that discourage abuse and provide life-affirming alternatives.
How Spring Gardens Recovery Can Help through DBT
Located in Spring Hill, Florida near Tampa, Spring Gardens is a residential detox and addiction therapy provider. We understand that addiction is not simple or easy to treat. Therefore, we make it our mission to meet you where you are in your recovery process. Whether you need detox therapies or our other detox services, we will be there every step.
You can expect the following features if you come to stay with us:
- Safe, medically supervised detox under the supervision of a world-renowned medical director
- Licensed staff who will treat you with respect
- Beautiful 4.5-acre facility featuring a private TV, Bluetooth headsets, housekeeping, sauna and professional chefs
- Individual and group therapy including the option for dialectical behavioral therapy
- Holistic programs including meditation and yoga with a registered shaman, massage therapy, music therapy and sound therapy
Life is too short to waste it. Recovery can be yours if you take the first step today. Call us at (866) 244-9556 to start your new, sober life.
