Thriving with DBT

In this conversation, Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward discuss the importance of self-compassion and mindfulness, exploring how individuals often struggle to be kind to themselves despite being compassionate towards others. They delve into the components of self-compassion, the challenges faced in practicing it, and the benefits it brings to emotional well-being. The conversation explores the themes of...

The episode focuses on mindfulness and the DBT 'how' skills, specifically non-judgmentally and one-mindfully. Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward discuss the practice of mindfulness and its impact on focus and emotional regulation. The conversation delves into the DBT skills of non-judgmentally, one mindfully, and effectively, exploring their application in both personal and professional contexts. Edward...

The conversation delves into the practice of mindfulness, exploring the impact of emotional distress, the 'What' skills of observing, describing, and participating, and the experiences and challenges associated with these skills. It also reflects on the value of participation in the present moment and the application of mindfulness skills in personal and professional contexts. Takeaways Mindfulnes...

The conversation begins with a mindfulness exercise led by Dr. Alicia Smart, introducing the concept of mindfulness and its practice. This is followed by a discussion on setting SMART goals for mindfulness, with a focus on accessing wise mind and balancing emotions and rationality. The conversation delves into the concept of Wise Mind as a DBT skill and its application in everyday life. It explore...

The episode covers the topics of distress tolerance, willingness versus willfulness, and mindfulness of current thoughts. It explores the practice of mindfulness and the application of willingness in managing difficult situations. Edward shares his experience of supporting a friend who lost their job and the impact of mindfulness on his ability to cope with support fatigue and overwhelming situati...

The conversation begins with a mindfulness practice led by Dr. Alicia Smart, focusing on breathing and body awareness. This leads to a discussion on radical acceptance and turning the mind, exploring the concept of accepting reality and the practice of redirecting the mind towards acceptance. The conversation delves into the concept of radical acceptance and effective communication, emphasizing th...

The session begins with a mindfulness exercise, followed by a discussion on radical acceptance as a distress tolerance skill. Edward shares his experience with radical acceptance in personal and professional contexts, highlighting its impact on conflict resolution and emotional regulation. The concept of approval versus acceptance is explored, and the application of radical acceptance in co-parent...

The episode begins with a mindfulness exercise led by Dr. Alicia Smart, followed by a discussion on the concept of self-soothing and its application in distress tolerance. Edward shares his experience with self-soothing and its impact on his distress levels. The conversation delves into the use of distress tolerance skills, including self-soothe and improve the moment. Edward shares his experience...

The podcast episode focuses on distress tolerance and mindfulness, exploring the use of distraction, comparison, and emotion regulation as coping skills. The conversation delves into the practice of mindfulness, word association exercises, and the application of distress tolerance skills in real-life scenarios. The conversation covers various distress tolerance skills, including pushing away, dist...

Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward discuss the introduction to distress tolerance, mindfulness, and the 54321 exercise. They then delve into the STOP skill and the TIPP skill, exploring their practical applications and effectiveness in managing high-conflict situations and emotional dysregulation. Takeaways Practical application of distress tolerance skills Importance of intentional use of skills in high...

Dr. Alicia Smart begins the conversation with a mindfulness exercise and focuses on gratitude. The discussion then transitions to behaviorism and reinforcement, where Edward shares his positive reinforcement strategy for calm and direct communication during stressful situations. The conversation explores measuring effectiveness, unintended consequences, role play, and troubleshooting interpersonal...

The conversation begins with a mindfulness exercise and transitions into a discussion about dialectics in DBT. It explores the application of dialectics in practice, the role of distress tolerance and the middle path, and the concept of acceptance and change within dialectics. The conversation delves into the practice of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and its impact on interpersonal relationsh...

The conversation begins with a mindfulness exercise and self-reflection, leading into an exploration of interpersonal interactions. The FAST skill for self-respect effectiveness is introduced, followed by its application in work scenarios. The discussion delves into struggles with the FAST skill, the impact of apologizing unnecessarily, and concludes with a reflection on personal struggles and imp...

The conversation delves into the GIVE skill in interpersonal effectiveness, emphasizing the importance of validation and self-validation. It explores the impact of invalidation and the challenges of self-validation, highlighting the need for compassionate understanding and acceptance of one's emotions. Takeaways The GIVE skill is a powerful tool for effective communication and relationship buildin...

The conversation begins with a mindfulness exercise and reflection, leading to the introduction of the Dear Man skill for interpersonal effectiveness. The discussion progresses to the preparation for using the Dear Man skill, followed by a breakdown of the skill's components: Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Appear Confident, and Negotiate. The conversation concludes with a deep dive into the...

Conflict avoidance feels safe until it starts costing you. In Week 1 of the Interpersonal Effectiveness module, Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward discuss the hidden barriers to genuine connection, including communication myths and the pull toward people-pleasing. Together, they dive into one of the hardest parts of relating to others: balancing your goals, your relationships, and your self-respect witho...

Emotion regulation doesn't start with feelings. It starts with sleep and the other daily habits that set your emotional baseline. Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward finish the Emotion Regulation module by unpacking the PLEASE skill, mindfulness practices, coping ahead, and the role of acceptance in managing anxiety. Edward gets candid about his real-world experience with each skill including how anxiety...

If anxiety or fear show up when you need to speak honestly, this one is for you. Feeling emotionally reactive in high-pressure moments is something most people experience yet few have a concrete plan for. Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward explore how DBT skills like Building Mastery and Cope Ahead can help you prepare for difficult situations before they happen. They walk through practical tools for reg...

Worry has a way of stealing the moments that are supposed to feel good. Edward gets candid about the struggle to be present, the weight of constant worry, and spreading yourself too thin. From mindfulness practices to the role of pleasant events in mood regulation, this conversation offers a grounded look at building resilience from the inside out. Takeaways Mindfulness as a Mood Regulation Tool T...

Anger can be one of the hardest emotions to sit with, especially when it feels completely justified. Dr. Alicia Smart and Edward dig into two powerful DBT skills, Opposite Action and Problem Solving, and what it actually looks like to use them when emotions are running high. From navigating real-life anger to applying mindfulness in everyday moments, this conversation offers a practical and ground...

Catastrophic thinking can feel convincing until you examine it closely. This episode dives into the DBT skill "Check the Facts" as a practical way to untangle cognitive distortions and the anticipatory anxiety that comes with uncertainty. The conversation also explores building an emotional dictionary, processing sadness, and practicing radical acceptance when the pain is still fresh. Takeaways Ob...

Ever wondered what actually happens inside a DBT program? Join expert therapists Dr. Alicia Smart and Dr. Jesse Finkelstein in "Thriving with DBT." In each episode, they conduct real one-on-one coaching sessions with students from TheraHive’s group program. Gain a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are practiced, where people often get stuck, and how to master...

The conversation covers the introduction to emotion regulation and SMART goals, the practice of mindfulness and breathing, the development of emotional resilience and decision making, coping with high-stakes situations and pressure, the use of distress tolerance and skill stacking, and the challenge of tolerating uncertainty and fear-based thinking. The conversation delves into the exploration of...