How DBT Skills Help Manage Emotional Dysregulation

Building Stability, Control, and Confidence Through Evidence-Based Tools

Emotional dysregulation—the inability to effectively manage emotional responses—is a core feature of many mental health struggles, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), PTSD, anxiety, and mood disorders. When emotions feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or out of proportion to events, day-to-day life can feel chaotic and exhausting.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was specifically designed to help people who experience this kind of emotional intensity. At City Behavioral Health, our Comprehensive DBT program equips clients with powerful, research-backed skills to navigate distress and build emotional resilience.

What Is Emotional Dysregulation?

Emotional dysregulation refers to difficulty:

Identifying or labeling emotions
Controlling emotional impulses
Recovering from emotional upset
Responding appropriately in interpersonal situations

This often results in:

Mood swings
Irritability or outbursts
Relationship conflict
Self-harming behaviors or impulsivity
Shame, guilt, or emotional numbness

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), emotion dysregulation plays a central role in borderline personality disorder and contributes significantly to distress in other mental health conditions. Source: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder

DBT: Built for Emotion Regulation

DBT was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to support individuals who struggle with emotional intensity, self-harm, and suicidality. One of its four key modules—Emotion Regulation—is specifically designed to teach clients how to:

Understand what emotions are and why we have them
Identify and name emotions accurately
Reduce emotional vulnerability
Increase positive emotional experiences
Reduce emotional suffering by applying targeted strategies

Key DBT Emotion Regulation Skills

1. PLEASE Master
This acronym outlines foundational health behaviors that reduce emotional vulnerability:

Physical Illness: Treat health issues promptly
Limit drug and alcohol use
Eat balanced meals
Avoid sleep deprivation
Stay physically active
Engage in health-promoting behaviors

These habits help stabilize the biological systems that influence emotional reactivity.

2. Check the Facts
Often, our emotional reactions are based on assumptions, not facts. This skill teaches clients to evaluate whether their emotional response fits the situation.

For example:
“Is there actual evidence that I was excluded on purpose, or am I interpreting a delay in response as rejection?”

Checking the facts can reduce emotional intensity and help prevent impulsive reactions.

3. Opposite Action
This skill helps shift unhelpful emotional responses by doing the opposite of what the emotion urges:

Feeling anger? Try approaching with kindness.
Feeling fear? Try engaging instead of avoiding.
Feeling shame? Try seeking connection rather than hiding.

Research shows that Opposite Action helps reduce emotional avoidance and promotes behavioral flexibility—key in treating anxiety and depression. Source: National Library of Medicine

4. Build Positive Emotions
This DBT skill encourages clients to:

Do things they enjoy (short-term)
Work toward meaningful goals (long-term)
Increase engagement with positive people and activities

By fostering positive experiences, clients increase emotional bandwidth and reduce the dominance of negative mood states.

5. Mindfulness of Current Emotions
Rather than trying to suppress or escape emotions, clients learn to observe, describe, and ride the wave of emotion without judgment. This reduces fear of feelings and builds tolerance for emotional discomfort.

At City Behavioral Health, mindfulness is woven throughout our DBT program and supported through guided practice, discussion, and real-world application.

Real-Life Impact of Emotion Regulation Skills

Clients who apply DBT emotion regulation skills often report:

Fewer emotional outbursts
Increased ability to pause before reacting
Improved communication and relationships
Greater sense of control over their behavior
Enhanced confidence in navigating daily stressors

These improvements aren’t just anecdotal—clinical trials show that DBT significantly reduces symptoms of emotional dysregulation and improves functioning across diverse populations.

A randomized controlled trial published by the VA found DBT to be superior to treatment-as-usual in reducing suicide attempts, emotion dysregulation, and psychiatric hospitalizations. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK107208/

How CBH Delivers DBT for Emotion Dysregulation

City Behavioral Health offers Comprehensive DBT, including:

Individual therapy
Weekly DBT skills training groups
Phone coaching for in-the-moment support
Clinician consultation team to ensure fidelity

We also integrate these services into The Nimble Track and in-home clinical support, making DBT accessible and applicable in real-world contexts.

Final Thoughts

Emotion regulation is a skill—not a trait you’re born with or without. With the right tools and consistent support, individuals can learn to navigate their feelings with clarity, compassion, and control. DBT offers a roadmap for this transformation.

If you or a loved one struggles with emotional intensity, we invite you to explore DBT with us at City Behavioral Health.