Has DBT worked for you ? PLEASE TELL ME

Hello, I'm seriously looking into starting DBT pretty soon, and I wanted to get some feedback from anyone who has completed, or is currently enrolled in a DBT program (either individual or group).

I would love for you guys to answer any of the following questions, if possible. Thanks so much !

- Has DBT noticeably helped your self-esteem or confidence level ? Long term ? Short term ?
- Has DBT helped how you communicate with others and/or establish/maintain friendships/relationships ? If so, how ? Please elaborate.
- Has DBT allowed you to be more at peace WITH YOURSELF ? In other words, has it helped with anxiety ? If so, please elaborate.
- Has DBT made you appreciate or value life more than before ? How ?
- Has DBT reduced or eliminated your suicidal ideation/obsession ?
- Which of the two formats - individual OR group, has worked better for you ? Or have both worked equally well ? Pros and cons of each ?
- What % of the costs of the therapy has your health insurance covered ?

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT noticeably helped your self-esteem or confidence level ? Long term ? Short term ?

Yes. It's been about 2 years since I went through DBT I believe so does that place me in the long term category? I would say that it took a bit, so short term probably not as much, but in the last 6-9 months or so especially, my self esteem has definitely increased.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT helped how you communicate with others and/or establish/maintain friendships/relationships ? If so, how ? Please elaborate

ABSOLUTELY! I'm able to calmly express how I'm feeling and work towards a resolution vs getting angry and shutting down, or avoiding a conversation and being angry/hurt anyways.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT allowed you to be more at peace WITH YOURSELF ? In other words, has it helped with anxiety ? If so, please elaborate

I don't think DBT specifically helped with my anxiety, but other skills have. I do feel more at peace with myself though in the sense that I feel more competent and confident that I can handle things that come my way.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT made you appreciate or value life more than before ? How ?

I think this is something I'm starting to work on slowly. I don't think it's directly related to DBT, but using DBT in my life, has helped me to feel more able to handle all the negative emotions which has given me some breathing room to be able to start to say, "Hey, maybe I really do want to stick around and enjoy this thing they call life."

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT reduced or eliminated your suicidal ideation/obsession ?

Yes. I have been able to learn to manage my emotional distress before it gets to this point. There are times that I still feel this way, but it is definitely greatly reduced.

lilodian4ever wrote:Which of the two formats - individual OR group, has worked better for you ? Or have both worked equally well ? Pros and cons of each ?

A combination of both. The group therapy allowed me to connect with other people and see that it wasn't just me who was experiencing this stuff. It also helped me to learn how to use the skills to other situations which has been helpful in getting the larger picture of DBT. Individual therapy has been helpful in figuring out how to specifically tailor the skills to my individual life and a good continuous follow up since my year long group therapy ended.

lilodian4ever wrote:What % of the costs of the therapy has your health insurance covered ?

I had a $25 copay for each group therapy session and each individual therapy session. The rest was covered. It was quite expensive there for a while when I had group 1x each week and therapy 1x each week, that was $200 a month for just therapy! Never mind my psychiatry visit and medications. I had a large bill I had to pay off for a couple of years after that as I couldn't afford that much at the time, so they allowed me to pay a little extra until I paid off my balance. It was definitely worth it though and my life is 1000x better for having done it.

My God, thank you so much for the detailed info, Cheze2 ! Much appreciated ! That is exactly the kind of feedback I was seeking.

I'm 1 year 3 months into DBT, in a format consisting of weekly individual therapy and weekly group sessions.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Has DBT noticeably helped your self-esteem or confidence level ? Long term ? Short term ?

It has helped a decent amount with these issues. But this is not the greatest area of improvement for me as I still deal with body image issues.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Has DBT helped how you communicate with others and/or establish/maintain friendships/relationships ? If so, how ? Please elaborate.

Definitely, yes. My interpersonal communication skills have improved so that regardless of how upsetting the topic may be, I am able to clearly communicate and resolve issues. This has helped me have fewer upsetting incidents and has improved my relationships. I've not developed many new relationships, but the ones I have are better because I'm more calm, present and involved, and have learned how to validate others.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Has DBT allowed you to be more at peace WITH YOURSELF ? In other words, has it helped with anxiety ? If so, please elaborate.

it has helped me manage anxiety better, so when I do feel anxiety, I have skills I can use that help me lower it, or change my situation from what makes me anxious. I identify and address personal issues much more quickly now, so they don't have so much time to fester into something big and scary as often.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Has DBT made you appreciate or value life more than before ? How ?

Well, by helping me identify some life values and goals, it has made my life more meaningful. I still struggle a lot with lack of identity. My depression is still big, but note that I am also BP1 and battle with this outside of BPD.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Has DBT reduced or eliminated your suicidal ideation/obsession ?

I rarely find myself cutting or having suicidal ideation, so I know this has changed from before DBT.

lilodian4ever wrote:- Which of the two formats - individual OR group, has worked better for you ? Or have both worked equally well ? Pros and cons of each ?

They are both integral to the process, I think. The group is a good learning environment and there I have a group of people I trust and we can share our current life experiences and application of DBT to issues I can relate to. Others also provide insight I appreciate and I learn from them as well as the actual DBT material. Learning from others who are putting the skills into practice is great. The individual therapy is also valuable because it's a private place where I can share even those things I don't want the group to know, and it's time focused on me and my issues and challenges.

lilodian4ever wrote:- What % of the costs of the therapy has your health insurance covered ?

100%. I'm moving from the regular group, which I will miss, to a process group, and that will also be fully covered.

Cheze2 wrote:

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT noticeably helped your self-esteem or confidence level ? Long term ? Short term ?

Yes. It's been about 2 years since I went through DBT I believe so does that place me in the long term category? I would say that it took a bit, so short term probably not as much, but in the last 6-9 months or so especially, my self esteem has definitely increased.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT helped how you communicate with others and/or establish/maintain friendships/relationships ? If so, how ? Please elaborate

ABSOLUTELY! I'm able to calmly express how I'm feeling and work towards a resolution vs getting angry and shutting down, or avoiding a conversation and being angry/hurt anyways.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT allowed you to be more at peace WITH YOURSELF ? In other words, has it helped with anxiety ? If so, please elaborate

I don't think DBT specifically helped with my anxiety, but other skills have. I do feel more at peace with myself though in the sense that I feel more competent and confident that I can handle things that come my way.

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT made you appreciate or value life more than before ? How ?

I think this is something I'm starting to work on slowly. I don't think it's directly related to DBT, but using DBT in my life, has helped me to feel more able to handle all the negative emotions which has given me some breathing room to be able to start to say, "Hey, maybe I really do want to stick around and enjoy this thing they call life."

lilodian4ever wrote:Has DBT reduced or eliminated your suicidal ideation/obsession ?

Yes. I have been able to learn to manage my emotional distress before it gets to this point. There are times that I still feel this way, but it is definitely greatly reduced.

lilodian4ever wrote:Which of the two formats - individual OR group, has worked better for you ? Or have both worked equally well ? Pros and cons of each ?

A combination of both. The group therapy allowed me to connect with other people and see that it wasn't just me who was experiencing this stuff. It also helped me to learn how to use the skills to other situations which has been helpful in getting the larger picture of DBT. Individual therapy has been helpful in figuring out how to specifically tailor the skills to my individual life and a good continuous follow up since my year long group therapy ended.

lilodian4ever wrote:What % of the costs of the therapy has your health insurance covered ?

I had a $25 copay for each group therapy session and each individual therapy session. The rest was covered. It was quite expensive there for a while when I had group 1x each week and therapy 1x each week, that was $200 a month for just therapy! Never mind my psychiatry visit and medications. I had a large bill I had to pay off for a couple of years after that as I couldn't afford that much at the time, so they allowed me to pay a little extra until I paid off my balance. It was definitely worth it though and my life is 1000x better for having done it.

Forgot to add, in my previous reply, that I'm really happy for you ! I'm really glad to hear that DBT has improved your life. That's awesome !

Thanks for the answers here! I'm going to be starting DBT soon too and I've heard and read many great things. Only chance for survival right now!

Thanks so much, Caribee4me ! Very helpful information. Glad it helped you.