© 2025 StoneRidge Centers – Prescott Valley. All Rights Reserved.
Dialectical behavioral therapy is based on the idea that everything is composed of opposites. Change happens when there is a “dialogue” between opposing forces. In order for that dialogue to happen, individuals must accept seemingly contradictory ideas. Consider the following example: “I’m doing the best I can” and “I want to be better.” These statements seem to oppose each other, but the ability to change exists in between these two efforts. Even though the person is functioning well, they want to continue to improve themselves. In DBT, the individual and therapist can work together to find and resolve the contradiction between the individual’s current and desired state of being. From there, they can derive a treatment plan that will bring about positive behavioral changes.
Approximately 1 in 5 Americans live with some form of anxiety or has an anxiety disorder. Luckily, research shows that DBT can help anxious people manage their anxiety better and enjoy greater levels of peace.
Emotional regulation is our ability to manage and influence our emotions. That can include changing the way we think about challenging situations, reducing the intensity of our emotions, or simply distracting ourselves during a difficult moment. People with anxiety disorders have a hard time regulating their emotions. As a result, many individuals with anxiety disorders become overwhelmed by their emotional responses. Luckily, DBT can help improve emotional regulation. In DBT, individuals learn opposite action and self-soothing, two important skills.
As the name suggests, individuals are taught to act the opposite of how they feel. This helps anxious people face the thoughts, feelings, and situations that frighten them rather than avoiding them. When individuals feel afraid, they are expected to confront their fear. When they’re angry and irritated, they learn to relax, breathe deeply, walk, or watch something funny. When they’re sad, they learn to seek out joy. Acting the opposite also means being active instead of withdrawing from the world when individuals feel depressed.
Self-soothing refers to our ability to calm emotional turmoil by grounding ourselves through the use of our 5 senses. Often, anxious people get stuck in the emotional realm of their minds. Self-soothing helps them escape their mind and reenter the physical world again. Instead of ruminating, obsessing, and worrying, DBT encourages anxious individuals to find relief through their senses. For example, individuals can soothe themselves with:
DBT also helps anxious people practice mindfulness. In DBT, mindfulness is more than meditation. The mindfulness component of DBT teaches individuals to train their “attention muscle.” This allows them to better focus on what is going on in the present rather than the past or future, which is extremely helpful for anxious people who typically worry about what’s to come or what has passed.
Many anxious people have difficulty making balanced decisions. Typically, their decisions are made as a result of fear, stress, or excessive worry. DBT teaches individuals how to activate and work from “the wise mind” instead. The wise mind is the unique, balanced combination of the reasonable and emotional mind. When individuals act from the wise mind, they make decisions that consider their feelings as well as logic. For anxious people, this often means acknowledging their fear by being sensitive to their emotional state while pushing themselves to take action.
Anxiety disorders tend to make individuals hypervigilant to threats and distressing circumstances. As a result, anxious individuals tend to experience restlessness, irritability, fear, and excessive worry more often than people without anxiety disorders. DBT combats this issue by increasing an individual’s distress tolerance. In DBT, individuals learn various techniques for handling crises and challenging circumstances. Some of DBT’s distress tolerance techniques include:
IMPROVE stands for imagery, meaning, prayer, relaxation, one thing in the moment, vacation, and encouragement. When faced with anxiety individuals should:
Making sensible decisions when you’re anxious can be difficult. Using a pros and cons list can help individuals decide if they should act on an anxiety-based urge or come up with a healthier decision.
TIPP stands for temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, and paired muscle relaxation. When anxiety rises, individuals should:
These techniques can help anxious individuals prepare for intense emotions and teach them to cope with the distressing feelings in a healthy way, making them less hyperreactive.
Radical acceptance teaches individuals to accept the world exactly as it is at the moment. The idea isn’t to turn away from painful experiences, but rather to accept the pain as real and true. This can be a life-altering change for anxious people who typically focus on the why and how of experiences. Instead of allowing individuals to ruminate and mull over their disbelief of the circumstance, radical acceptance teaches them to accept the situation and decide how to best move forward.
Here at StoneRidge Centers, we know just how taxing anxiety can be on the brain. But we also know that treatments like DBT can help you learn to manage anxiety in a healthy way.
Our comprehensive, brain-focused mental treatment program can help you overcome anxiety. Contact us today if you or a loved one struggles with anxiety or have an anxiety disorder.
Because mental health and addiction concerns are so often interconnected, we utilize research-based approaches with evidence-based outcomes that promote overall healing and recovery.
This low-impact magnetic stimulation activates neurons inside the brain, relieving symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
Using brain scanning and readings, we create a map of our patients’ brains, helping us develop more targeted and effective treatments.
This process assists patients in visualizing their own brain functionality through continuous EEG readings.
We use carefully monitored doses of Spravato to help patients struggling with complex mental health disorders, including severe depression.
Patients use this practice to help reframe intrusive or negative thought patterns and develop coping techniques for long-term recovery.
This practice helps patients learn to regulate emotions, communicate more effectively, and process their own thoughts and feelings..
Licensed and trained therapists guide patients through this technique for managing stress and anxiety on an ongoing basis.
Patients experience one-on-one therapy sessions with a licensed therapist to provide a safe and private place to recover and heal.
Patients can practice the skills and techniques they have learned in treatment with others in a safe, therapist-guided space.
5940 E. Copper Hill Dr. Ste B & E, Prescott Valley, AZ. 86314
928-583-7799
We exercise progressive, leading brain science in our treatment approach for patients in our community and across the country who are struggling with mental health and addiction challenges.
We exercise progressive, leading brain science in our treatment approach for patients in the Prescott Valley community and across the country who are struggling with mental health and addiction challenges.
© 2025 StoneRidge Centers – Prescott Valley. All Rights Reserved.