Understanding OCD What is OCD? Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition characterized by repetitive intrusive thoughts, images, or urges or compulsive behaviors. The intrusive thoughts cause emotional distress, including worry or fear. Many people with OCD, but not all, might also experience compulsive behaviors that try to decrease that distress. Common symptoms of OCD……
Radical acceptance is a critical concept and skill as taught in DBT therapy. Read on to learn about how it can help you. What Is Radical Acceptance? Radical acceptance comes from Dialectic Behavior Therapy, a type of therapy that focuses on managing strong emotions and difficult relationships (Linehan, 2014). It is a skill that helps……
DEAR MAN is an approach to communication taught in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DEAR MAN helps you ask for what you want in a way that’s more likely to get results. Do you want to ask someone for something, but you’re worried that it will damage your relationship? Or maybe you’re hoping someone will just……
Everybody has emotions, both positive and negative. We can never have complete control over them. If you struggle with intense emotions so much that it gets in the way of your everyday life, you may have trouble with affect regulation. Updated on December 31st, 2023 What Is Affect Regulation? Affect regulation is the capacity to……
Last updated: June 18th, 2024 With contributions from Gabrielle Ilagan and Leah Walsh, Ph.D. We all have moments when our emotions get the best of us. Some of us also have moments when we ignore our feelings altogether and let logic guide our decisions. Wise mind is a term for the state when you can……
Few emotional problems are as destructive as unhealthy anger. Fortunately, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, can be very helpful if your anger is hard to control. Anger is one of the basic human emotions. It’s universal – everyone feels angry at times. Anger is often labeled as a “bad” emotion. But the truth is it isn’t……
Do you always feel like there are at least six things you should be doing? Over time, rushing from one task to the next and to the next can take a toll. The busyness and stress of life can make you feel like you’re about to explode. Mindfulness can be a powerful antidote to that……
Last updated: June 17, 2024 Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD), sometimes referred to as complex trauma or complex PTSD, is somewhat different from PTSD. Here’s what you need to know about distinguishing cPTSD from PTSD and the treatment for each of these conditions. What Is PTSD? Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a syndrome that……
Not every relationship is worth preserving. For those relationships you want to maintain or improve, The ‘GIVE’ skills from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) help you do just that. G — (Be) Gentle. One part of being gentle is to avoid being attacking or threatening in your communication. These types of actions are likely to put……
Lots of people have difficulty with change — but it always comes. Change is inevitable. So how can we improve our emotional and mental health to be better at coping with it? Being Unprepared for Change Is a Problem Life is full of changes. So why do they throw us for a loop so often?……
There are a lot of options out there to address emotional problems. Two of the most prominent types of therapy — DBT and CBT — have similar names and approaches. How should you choose between DBT vs CBT?…
We all need the ability to soothe and care for ourselves. But how can we best do these things? Here we offer some tips to help you master these important skills. Updated: June 26, 2022 We Need All the Help We Can Get 21st-century living can be very demanding. People are often consumed by their……