Posted by Dinah on August 13, 2009, at 11:24:31
In reply to Re: Distress tolerance, posted by sunnydays on August 13, 2009, at 10:18:43
I am going to tell my therapist that there is at least one other person who understands the brain smoothing experience! From the inside I mean. He's watched me do it so many times that he can recognize when it's happening. I'm not totally without senses when it happens, and I can feel his intent regard.
I also have problems trying to apply these things when I'm in acute distress, when as you say, I've fallen apart. I liken it to a computer screen saver dissolving into pixels. Once I'm at that point, nothing but meds, sleep or dissociation has any chance whatsoever of helping. At least I've quit self injuring.
But maybe the distress tolerance could help in the time leading up to the meltdown. Keep the meltdown from happening. Of course, that might take more awareness of my mental state than I often have. I've only recently (well, in years) been able to have any consistent ability to notice when I'm getting angry or scared or upset. And my ostrich tendencies and dissociative tendencies tend to get in my way. I often go from zero to sixty in ten seconds flat, because I haven't paid attention to the pressure building. I've gotten better at that - often from looking at my behaviors rather than my feelings. Maybe that's the point to apply the distress tolerance practices.
It's an interesting question. I wish my therapist did DBT so I could ask him and reasonably expect more than a general opinion.
poster:Dinah
thread:911764
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20090730/msgs/911918.html