Building a Life Worth Living

 

Title: Building a Life Worth Living; A Memoir

Author: Marsha M. Linehan

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Length: 343 Pages

Audible: 12 Hours and 19 Minutes

About the Author
Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP, is the developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and a professor of psychology, adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics at the University of Washington.

"You can't think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking."
Dr. Marsha Linehan shares her life story and how she developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). 
The four skills in DBT are;

• Mindfulness
• Distress Tolerance
• Emotion Regulation
• Interpersonal Effectiveness

These skills are designed to assist people in managing behaviors, emotions, and thoughts.

My Thoughts
I was recently introduced to DBT while reading "DBT for Everyone" for Net Galley. I was curious to learn more about this therapy and I thought this book would provide good background information. The book exceeded all my expectations!

Dr. Linehan shares her life story from the time she was growing up in Oklahoma to her long distinguished career as a psychologist and mental health researcher.

When the author was 18 years old, she entered a psychiatric hospital and stayed there for two years. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia but later believed she was actually suffering from borderline personality disorder. The time Dr. Linehan spent in the hospital inspired her to devote her life to helping other women who were suffering the way she had suffered. She taught her clients specific skills that could be used to build a life worth living. 

This book is inspiring and informative. It is written in a manner that is understandable to the lay reader. Dr. Linehan's DBT therapy offers skills and strategies that can be used by anyone who is interested in emotional intelligence. The book has prepared me to investigate DBT skills in greater detail. I listened to the audiobook on Audible and hope to revisit the information in print format.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

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DBT for Everyone - Book Review

 

Title: DBT for Everyone; A Guide to the Perks, Pitfalls, and Possibilities of DBT for Better Mental Health

Authors: Michelle Henderson and Kate Sherman

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub.

Publication Date: November 21, 2023

Length: 208 Pages

About the Authors
Kate Sherman and Michelle Henderson are Licensed Mental Health Counselors and hosts of the popular podcasts, DBT and Me and The Couch and the Chair. They both have personal and professional experience of using DBT skills and are passionate about communicating the benefits of DBT more widely.

DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat personality disorders and interpersonal conflicts. DBT skills training is made up of four modules;

• Mindfulness
• Distress tolerance
• Emotion regulation
• Interpersonal effectiveness

The authors share their knowledge and experiences using DBT therapy in their mental health counseling practices.

My Thoughts

This is the first book I have read on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and I think it is a wonderful resource for anyone seeking information on the subject. I took my time and read small sections at a time and highlighted segments that I wanted to remember.

The authors explained all the skills that are involved in the four modules that I named above. They shared the pitfalls and benefits of the skills and provided tips from their personal experiences. Many times, Kate and Michelle would emphasize different things that they considered important about a skill.

I found it very interesting that the DBT skills can be used by anyone who wants to improve their emotional intelligence and create a life worth living. I have read many books on mindfulness, but the other three modules contained skills that I will definitely use in my efforts to improve my relationships

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5

Thank you to Net Galley for an excellent reading experience.