Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life: How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Put You in Control

Scott E. Spradlin

New Harbinger Publications, 2003 - Psychology - 204 pages

There's a wide spectrum of emotional sensitivity, and it varies from one person to another. Some people oscillate between over-control and over-expression. Others stuff or hide their emotions for months before they finally blow their stack and "stand up for them selves" through overly aggressive behaviors.

People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) for example, are are often emotionally sensitive, and may have problems with emotion dysregulation, but they aren't the only ones who have trouble with managing emotions--we all do. There have probably been times in each of our lives when we can remember not being in our "right mind."

When we are regularly undone by our emotions, we become victims of damaged relationships, trapped circumstances, self-sabotage, and illness. Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life offers help to all of us who want to gain the upper hand on our feelings and our lives. Even high reactors, people disposed to experiencing strong, even overwhelming emotions on a regular basis, will find its strategies easy to use and effective at managing frequent emotional flare-ups.

This book develops proven dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) techniques into worksheets, exercises, and assessments that show you how to pay attention to emotions when they arise, assess blocks to controlling them, and overcome them to eliminate overpowering feelings. Learn what emotional triggers exist in your environment and become less judgmental about yourself when you do experience a surge. Avoid or reduce the distress that strong emotions cause you. This workbook teaches you to reduce the impact of painful feelings and increase the effects of positive ones so that you can tolerate life's ongoing stresses and achieve a sense of calm coexistence with your emotions.

Contents

• PART IThe Nature of Emotion: 3
• Chapter 2: 15
• Chapter 3: 19
• Part IINaming and Describing Your Emotions: 26
• Chapter 5: 42
• Chapter 6: 60
• Chapter 7: 74
• Chapter 8: 85
• PART IIIReducing Blocks to Emotion Regulation: 92
• Chapter 10: 104
• Chapter 11: 119
• Part IVLeading an Emotionally Skillful Life: 132
• Chapter 13: 150
• Chapter 14: 162
• Appendix: 184

About the author

Scott Spradlin, MA, specializes in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT.) He is the founding editor of the DBT Bulletin.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life: How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Put You in Control; New Harbinger self-help workbook
• Author: Scott E. Spradlin
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, 2003
• ISBN: 1572243090, 9781572243095
• Length: 204 pages
• Subjects: Psychology / Emotions; Psychology / Psychopathology / Personality Disorders; Psychology / Psychotherapy / General; Self-Help / Emotions; Self-Help / Mood Disorders / General; Self-Help / Personal Growth / General