At Sierra Sage Recovery Services, we are often asked about the different forms of addiction therapy offered. Specifically, those in treatment and their friends and family often wonder about the difference between cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Our team understands that there can be confusion when it comes to CBT vs. DBT. These two types of talk therapy are extremely effective in the treatment of substance use disorder. During the recovery process, talk therapy is often part of the program. It is important to understand the differences to understand which treatment is the better choice for you personally.
Understanding Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) is an individual talk therapy that focuses on helping you see how thoughts, feelings, and behavior interact and influence each other. When it comes to CBT vs. DBT, cognitive-behavioral therapy is the shorter-term process. This therapy is done one-on-one with a counselor. Rather than try to get to the bottom of what is causing your issues, CBT focuses on changing your thoughts to help you feel better emotionally and react better.
The idea is to find the thought, such as “I am a failure,” that needs to be changed. This thought will lead to depression, and you will face bouts of anxiety when you attempt something new because you feel like you can’t succeed. This anxiety, in turn, may cause you to focus less and make more mistakes. You end up not succeeding, completing the circle. By learning to identify the erroneous, you can work on changing the thought to a positive one. This will then influence your feelings, make them hopeful, and help create a situation where you act with more confidence and success. Normally, this type of therapy is short-termed and is sought for one basic problem. You learn to think realistically and learn to problem-solve with CBT.
How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Helps in Addiction Therapy
DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) is a form of CBT, but the focus is on learning to accept your feelings and change how you react to them. When it comes to CBT vs. DBT, the first focuses on internal change, while the second focuses on outward behavior. Dialectical behavior therapy was created to help with people’s extreme reactions to borderline personality disorder. Therapy is done in a group session and often involves role-playing to help people understand proper reactions. In DBT, you are taught to recognize that your disorder causes you to act in an extreme way.
You learn to acknowledge the feelings you feel because they are valid, but then you ask yourself how to react in a way that ends in a positive social interaction rather than making the interaction worse. For example, one of the things most individuals with borderline personality disorder experience is a fear of abandonment. Something as simple as a difference of opinion can cause the individual to feel that the other person hates them and will leave. The reaction is often extreme rage or uncontrollable crying. DBT teaches the individual to realize that this fear of abandonment is real but caused by their disorder and not the event. Reacting extremely could make it a reality. Therefore, the individual learns to calmly explain what they are feeling and give the other person a chance to help them understand that a disagreement doesn’t mean they are leaving.
CBT vs. DBT: Which is Better
Neither of these therapies is better in and of itself. What matters is the specific disorder you are working on improving. While DBT was designed for disorders such as borderline personality disorder, CBT has proven to be more effective on depression and anxiety. Here at Sierra Sage Recovery, both approaches are used across all our addiction treatment programs. This is especially true in our dual diagnosis program, which treats mental health conditions that arise simultaneously as substance use disorders. Some of the conditions our dual diagnosis programs handles include:
You and your therapist will first sit down and talk about your personal needs and then determine which is better for you personally.
Find the Addiction Therapy You Need at Sierra Sage Recovery
If you are ready to take the first step on your road to recovery, contact us by calling 833.922.2884 to set up an evaluation. We will discuss CBT vs. DBT during your evaluation, and you can be assured that we will help you decide which of these, or another type of therapy altogether, will best meet your recovery needs.
