Emotional flooding is a psychological phenomenon in which a person is overloaded with an abundance of emotions.
Emotions may come all at once and it may be hard to process them all clearly. With so many emotions running through one’s mind, it may be difficult to think clearly.
A response may be seen as incoherent and contradictory to oneself and to others.
DBT teaches you real, practical, life-changing, evidence-based tools.
DBT can change your entire mindset about these problems.
What Makes DBT Different
Psychologist Marsha Linehan developed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as a way to treat emotional dysregulation at its extreme.
DBT takes an empirical approach, using scientific facts to explain and help patients manage this complex psychological process.
The four central skill modules of dialectical behavior therapy include:
- Mindfulness
- Distress tolerance
- Emotional regulation
- Interpersonal effectiveness
These modules help patients develop the skills to address various aspects of emotional overwhelm.
Mindfulness: The First Skill
Mindfulness does not have a specific definition. Mindfulness is about being in the present moment.
Automatic reactions based on situational perception are not conscious and happen outside of the individual’s awareness.
With an intentional focus, the gap between trigger and reaction is created. The gap is where the control is.
The primary actions:
- Observe – Simply witnessing the moments without losing in the middle.
- Describe – Articulating without the analysis.
- Participate – Fully embody the now.
Distress Tolerance: Surviving Crisis Moments
Some moments are just difficult to say the least. Changing the situation is not an available option, for instance. Everything in
the moment creates more complications.
These moments exemplify the purpose of distress tolerance: to survive the most difficult moments, riding the storm without worsening it.
The TIPP technique presents an action plan:
- Temperature. Using icy water will trigger the diving reflex, inducing a rapid systemic calming.
- Intense exercise. The system flooding will be purged by the burning off of adrenaline.
- Paced breathing. A system hit will result from activation of the parasympathetic system.
- Physical tension will be released as the paired muscles relax.
These actions will not be distractions.
Instead of artificially inducing shifts in emotional states, these actions aim to elicit physiological changes, which underpin emotional changes.
Radical acceptance is likely the most challenging skill of DBT.
It involves accepting reality for what it is, without combating it, even if doing so is difficult.
This does not mean liking or approving of what happens.
You can accept what has occurred while still working to change things for the future. However, adding suffering to pain by fighting what is true is a losing battle.
Emotion Regulation: Changing the Pattern
While distress tolerance helps you to withstand the storm, emotion regulation helps you to change the storm’s weather patterns.
Check the Facts is one of the emotion regulation skills that assist with reality testing emotional responses by helping you evaluate whether your response actually pertains to what’s happened.
Most of the time, what you believe to be true is not what actually happened, and what is true is often not what you think to be true, and it is simply your interpretation to which your feelings are responding.
In contrast, the purpose of the emotion regulation skill of Opposite Action is to act the opposite of what your emotional impulse would be in a given situation.
If fear is unjustified, then instead of avoiding, approach.
If anger is unjustified, then instead of attacking, a gentle form of avoidance would be appropriate.
This will help you break the negative emotional cycles you want to be rid of.
Cognitions and emotions interact. You cannot simply work to decrease the negative emotions.
You will have to work just as hard to increase positive emotions, which means doing things you enjoy and being physically healthy.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Navigating Relationships
Intense emotions often occur in relationships.
DEAR MAN helps you be clear and polite when asking for what you want.
GIVE helps you maintain relationships when that matters more than getting exactly what you want.
FAST helps you keep your respect in an interaction and not lose it.
Applying the Skills
Reading the information on a skill is easy. Trying to use it when your brain is flooded with cortisol is not. Try to use the skill before you need it.
You can’t learn to drive during a car chase. Pick one skill at a time and see what works.
When Professional Support Makes the Difference
DBT skills are worth learning, but are most effective when done with guidance.
If you experience difficult emotions and they impact your daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, or your objectives, the help of a trained therapist can help you the most.
At Prospera Behavioral Health, we have a team of clinicians trained in DBT who are skilled at teaching these skills in a way that works.
Call our team at (713) 804-9120 to book your free consultation.
FAQs
Is it true that DBT is only for people with Borderline Personality Disorder?
Not at all! In fact, DBT is for people with:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Eating disorders
- Substance abuse problems
- Anyone having trouble with emotional regulation
How can I know if DBT is for me?
In case your feelings are difficult to control, and you have emotional outbursts that are damaging to your relationships and goals then DBT could be useful to you.