A DBT Flowchart

A few weeks ago, I posted about my confusion and frustration with figuring out when to use the abundance of new skills I was learning through my Dialectical Behavior Therapy workbook. I have tons and tons of notecards that simplify all of the information the book is spouting at me, but I needed something more comprehensive so that I can have an idea of where to go in the moment when a wave of emotions hits me hard.

I’ve been in a wonky place again for the last couple days and have pretty much been withdrawn from the blog world and the real world whenever I have the choice. The positive thing about that is while I’ve been hiding away from people, I’ve put all my energy into developing that needed flowchart.

I’m pretty happy with the results. Obviously, this is not a perfect system, as no issue is so black and white that it can be resolved by some arrows guiding you. However, I feel that it’s a worthy starting point for me that can replace some of that helpless feeling.

Hopefully you can read my handwriting. It’s broken down into color by unit (the colors I used when highlighting my book). Green is distress tolerance, blue is mindfulness, purple is emotion regulation, pink is interpersonal effectiveness.

As anyone using DBT knows, there are many things that crop up when you’re trying to use skills which block you from being successful. I couldn’t fit all of that in one diagram, so I ended up with a second flowchart that specifically highlights some of the issues I typically run into.

I don’t know if these will be helpful for anyone, but I wanted to share them. In a very rocky period as I look towards the beginning of my first real job, this has brought me a sense of calm and peace. There’s something about getting organized that makes me feel so empowered.

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