How Radically Open DBT Helps Those Who Suffer in Silence (Ft. Psychological Associate Larry Dahmer)

Are you good at doing things “right,” following the rules, and controlling your emotions? Maybe a little too good? Do people in your life sometimes have a hard time believing how much you’re struggling with your mental health because you seem so “high functioning?”

If so, you might have an Overcontrolled style of coping. This is a temperamentally based trait that means you are highly detail-focused, attuned to threat, and high in something called inhibitory control. Inhibitory control is the ability to inhibit one’s impulses and behaviors. Many people who have an Overcontrolled style of coping look like they have it all together on the outside, but they don't feel like they do, and their suffering often goes unnoticed. Focusing too much on doing everything “right” can lead to rigidity, perfectionism, and loneliness, making it hard to connect with others and enjoy life.

My guest on today’s episode is Larry Dahmer – a psychological associate at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, Ontario CA who specializes in a new treatment modality for those who struggle with overcontrolled coping styles called Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT.)

Topics covered in this episode:

■ What is Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT)?

■ How is RO-DBT different from standard DBT?

■ Understanding the problem of emotional overcontrol

■ The importance of self-inquiry in RO-DBT

■ How emotional overcontrol is praised and encouraged in Western society

■ How we can “welcome hopelessness, despair and anxiety as teachers”

■ Who might be a good fit for RO-DBT?

■ Life-changing stories of transformation that Larry has witnessed in his RO-DBT clients

Learn more about RO-DBT at https://www.radicallyopen.net/

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