'Could there be another reason for this behaviour?'
Posted on March 24th, 2017
This one comes from DBT. It is a technique that allows you to think of other interpretations of people's behaviour, in order to calm yourself down when you get strangely extreme emotions about someone's behaviour towards you that you interpreted as negative.
Let's do the math now. DBT is the go-to therapeutic method for treating Borderline. Borderline often occurs with codependency. People with codependency are like magnets for abusers and simply people who want to take advantage of other people. Add those facts together, then apply this "wonderful" technique and you will end up with some pretty scary results.
Yes. Have been there, have done that. Conclusion: do not do apply DBT blindly. Very dangerous when done in a non skillful way. And who would think that someone learning DBT could not be skillful at it? To me DBT is about tricking and manipulating yourself into behaving in less emotionally disordered ways. The problem is that you never know where the line is, so all the time you act blindly. It's like telling someone blindfolded who is standing at the edge of a tall building's roof to "take steps backwards", without mentioning that there is nothing between them and the opposite edge. I seriously think that it is useful to be a bit critical towards DBT. Or perhaps my therapist missed some important piece in this puzzle.