Relaxationdialectical Behavioral Training

25-03-2021

Relaxationdialectical Behavioral Training

How many times have we been told to relax? The typical result of such a question is becoming more uptight or even angry.

At CBT Psychology for Personal Development we have top notch Vaughan Psychologists and Markham Psychologists.We provide compassionate, caring and effective psychotherapy using research-based treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy, Positive Psychology, Compassion Focused Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation. Applied Behavioral Analysis Cope With Anxiety Social Cognitive Approach Progressive Muscle Relaxation Dialectical Behavior Therapy. TERMS IN THIS SET (30) Basic Assumptions of Behavior Therapy - The individual is the producer and product of their environment. Adheres to the scientific method and empirical evidence to derive effective.

The health benefits of relaxation are summarized by the Mayo Clinic:

Slows heart rate.
Lowers blood pressure.
Slows your breathing rate.
Improves digestion.
Maintains normal blood sugar levels.
Reduces activity of stress hormones.
Increases blood flow to major muscles.
Reduces muscle tension and chronic pain.

Most of us know that relaxation is good for us, but few people actually know how to relax. The good news is that relaxation can be learned. And learning how to relax is what we believe to be a key component of peak performance at work and in life as a whole.

Renowned Ecologist and meditation teacher John P Milton, in his book Sky Above, Earth Below, lists four conditions that are required in the relaxation process:

“…first, good instruction in helping you discover where your blockages are; second, learning the techniques of relaxation from a good teacher; third, locating a supportive environment, ideally one in Nature, where you can formally practice relaxation regularly; and fourth, cultivating relaxation at least once or twice a day.”

Building on what John wrote, the entire body is meant to flow naturally like a beautiful stream or river.

Our circulatory system moves blood around body via the heart, arteries and veins, delivering oxygen and nutrients to organs and cells and carrying their waste products away.
Our Digestive system circulates nutrients via the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines and eliminates waste from the body.
Our endocrine system moves chemical communications within the body using hormones.
Our integumentary system/ Exocrine system flows to produce skin, hair, nails, sweat and other exocrine glands
Our lymphatic system comprises a network of lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph.
Our immune system defends the body against pathogenic viruses that may endanger the body.
Our muscular system enables the body to flow and move using muscles.
Our nervous system collects and processes information from the senses via nerves and the brain, and tells the muscles to contract to cause physical actions.
Our renal system / urinary system/ excretory system is where the kidneys filter blood.
Reproductive system: the sex organs required for the production of offspring.
Our respiratory system involves the lungs and the trachea that bring air into and out of the body.
Skeletal system. The bones supporting the body and its organs. (from Wikipedia)

When we are uptight, constrictions and blockages occur that can negatively effect any or all of these vital systems. We need the proper instruction on HOW to relax, and fortunately these techniques are easily taught. We also want to find a special place in wild nature, a park, our backyard, or even a lone tree, some connection to nature to help support the process. And finally, like anything, we need to practice daily if we want to get good at it.

In the simple and quick practice below, you will begin to learn how to:

Dialectical behavioral therapy dbt techniques

Identify where you are holding tension
Set the intention to relax
A specific technique to calm your body and mind
The ability to let go little by little
How to trust and go deeper
And, ultimately, how to progressively surrender into everything that is happening right now

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Practice

Progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that relaxes your mind and body by tensing and relaxing muscle groups throughout your body. You will tense each muscle group, without excessive straining, and then suddenly release the tension and observe how it feels to be relaxed. Throughout this exercise, you may visualize the muscles tensing and a wave of relaxation flowing over them as you release that tension. It is also important that you keep breathing throughout this practice. Let’s get started!

Establish a comfortable posture. You can do this practice seated or standing, but for our initial purposes let’s start in a seated posture.
Be aware that you are sitting in a chair. Be aware of the parts of your body that are being supported. You might notice sensations in your hands. You can also be aware that your feet are touching the ground.
Lift up your heels and tighten the muscles in your calves. Notice what that tension feels like. Hold for a few seconds and release. Notice the difference.
Now, straighten your legs out in front of you lifting your feet off of the ground. Tighten the muscles in your thighs. Notice what that tension feels like. Hold for a few seconds and let it go on an exhale. Notice the difference.
To the best of your ability, tighten the muscles in your abdomen. Notice what that tension feels like. Hold for a few seconds and let it go on a sigh. Notice the difference.
Press your palms together in front of you so you’re tightening the muscles in your chest. Notice what that tension feels like. Hold for a few seconds and let it go on a sigh. Notice the difference.
Take a few deep cycles of breath here, inhaling low into the abdomen and exhaling slowly.
Lift your shoulders up like you’re trying to touch your ears. Notice the tension and with a sigh, let it go.
Flex your arm to the degree you can. Notice the tension and with a sigh, let it go.
Clench your fists and hold. Notice the tension in your hands and forearms, and with a sigh, let it go.
Scrunch up all the muscles of your face. Notice the tension and with a sigh, let it go.

This simple sequence of tensing and relaxing is the basis of a progressive muscle relaxation practice. This technique is a wonderful way to slow down excessive thinking and rumination, and creates awareness of your body in a new way, encouraging you to notice what it feels like to be tense vs. relaxed in the present moment. We encourage you to play with this practice and make it your own and we hope it helps you find a little more ease in your everyday. Have fun with it!

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based treatment developed by Steven Hayes, Ph.D, that addresses mental health conditions and life challenges. ACT helps clients learn to accept what is out of their personal control, and commit to action that improves and enriches their life. It does this by:

Dialectical behavioral therapy for children

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Definition

Teaching psychological skills to effectively address painful thoughts and feelings so that they have less impact and influence (these are known as mindfulness skills).
Helping clarify what is important and meaningful and make use of that knowledge to guide, inspire and motivate change for the better. To find out more about ACT, including its research support, visit the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science website.

Relaxationdialectical Behavioral Training

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment developed by Aaron Beck. CBT is comprised of an interrelated set of treatments all growing out of the idea that our cognitions (thoughts) and our behaviors (actions) are intricately related to our emotional experience. It is effective in the treatment for a wide variety of psychological issues, including depression and anxiety. Strategies offered by CBT include: setting manageable and realistic goals to engage in new patterns of behavior; challenging unhelpful assumptions in thoughts and beliefs about oneself and one’s world; and practicing adaptive coping strategies for managing intense emotions (e.g., relaxation).

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based intervention developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington. DBT combines cognitive behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with distress tolerance, acceptance and mindfulness practices derived from Buddhism. The goal of DBT is to help clients create a meaningful life by balancing acceptance with a therapeutic push towards change. DBT is an effective treatment for impulsivity, suicidal behavior, eating disorders, substance abuse, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal conflict. DBT emphasizes the importance of a non-judgmental stance towards life and postulates that these problematic behaviors arise from environmental factors and biological ones.

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy

Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a form of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) developed by Robert Kohlenberg and Mavis Tsai at the University of Washington that focuses on in-session client-therapist interaction as the basis for therapeutic change. Through this lens, clients and therapists identify problems that are occurring in the therapy session in order to make constructive changes outside of the therapy setting.