Marsha Linehan, creator of DBT, discusses radical acceptance and her journey to alleviate suffering. The podcast explores emotional reactivity in personality disorders, the foundations of DBT, and the importance of radical acceptance in Zen practice. It emphasizes understanding deep emotional pain and accepting change, as well as compassion towards individuals' suffering.
Marsha Linehan's DBT therapy emphasizes radical acceptance for individuals with borderline personality disorder, focusing on validating emotions.
Marsha Linehan's Zen-inspired approach emphasizes acceptance as a practiced skill, cultivating compassion and understanding for clients' experiences.
Deep dives
Marshall Linahan's Personal Journey and Vow to Help Others
Marshall Linahan, the developer of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), went through a profound personal struggle and breakdown, leading to her admission to a psychiatric institution. She survived the ordeal and made a vow to herself and to God that she would find a way to help others who were deemed beyond saving, particularly suicidal individuals. This commitment stemmed from her personal understanding of the pain and emotional turmoil her clients experience as they battle their own demons.
Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotional Dysregulation
Marshall Linahan's work primarily focuses on individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is characterized by severe and pervasive emotional dysregulation. People with BPD often struggle with intense emotions, such as sadness, anger, jealousy, and depression, and have difficulties regulating their thoughts, feelings, physiology, and actions. Linahan recognized that accepting and validating the emotions of her clients were essential aspects of her therapy, as they had often experienced intense suffering and emotional pain.
The Shift Towards Radical Acceptance
Through her own Zen practice and training, Marshall Linahan learned the importance of radical acceptance and compassion. She understood that telling clients to simply accept their situations or change their behaviors could be invalidating and unhelpful. Instead, she framed acceptance as a skill to be practiced. Linahan emphasized that radical acceptance requires genuine compassion and the ability to see the world from the client's perspective. By cultivating acceptance, both the therapists and clients can work towards healing and building a strong therapeutic alliance.
The Practice of Acceptance and the Middle Way
Marshall Linahan found inspiration from Zen teachings, which emphasized the practice of acceptance, the middle way, and the willingness to handle emotional pain. Just as in improv comedy, where saying 'yes and' is important for the scene to progress, Linahan encouraged her clients to accept their circumstances and to add their own contributions. She recognized that acceptance can be a continual practice and that change often takes time. Linahan's approach focused on validating her clients' experiences while helping them develop the ability to tolerate distress and move towards greater emotional and behavioral regulation.
Marsha Linehan is the creator of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) which was the first form of psychotherapy proven effective for suicidal people with personality disorders. Her work was driven by her own struggles and by her experience in Zen training. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript