Tips from a Therapist

We all have difficulties and stressors in life, and our ability to self-regulate in stress is even more difficult when we have a history of trauma. Present stressors can trigger our past trauma in ways that bypass our reasonable mind and throw us into fight-or-flight, causing us to be reactive or defensive, or even to panic or leave the situation prematurely. We might get triggered by criticism from our supervisor and quit our job impulsively. We might get triggered by a comment from our spouse and lash out verbally in defense. We might smell the cologne of someone in Publix and be triggered into a flashback of trauma by someone who also wore that same cologne years ago. How do we regulate ourselves in these instances and bring ourselves out of survival mode before we act impulsively or instinctively? The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Model is an evidence-based therapy model designed specifically for self-regulation. The skills taught in DBT can help you calm your own nervous system and prevent a statement or action you might later regret. In this video I teach the Five Senses, one of the skillsets from this model which uses the five senses to self-soothe. Enjoy this 8-minute brief psychoeducational video!