RO DBT In Treating Anxiety

RO DBT is designed for individuals with over-controlled tendencies, such as those with chronic anxiety, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or perfectionistic behaviors. Here’s how RO DBT addresses anxiety:

 1. Targeting Over-Control

How It Helps: Anxiety often stems from an intense need to control situations, emotions, and outcomes. RO DBT teaches individuals how to loosen rigid control and embrace openness, flexibility, and adaptability.

Key Technique:

Practice Radical Openness, where you actively acknowledge and explore uncomfortable emotions or uncertainties instead of avoiding or suppressing them.

 

2. Building Social Safety

How It Helps: Many people with anxiety feel disconnected from others due to fear of rejection or failure. RO DBT emphasizes fostering social connection as a core part of emotional regulation. When you feel connected you lose the anxiety related to fear of judgement or rejection.

Key Technique:

Use “Big 3 + 1” social signaling (a relaxed face, warm eyes, a slight smile, and a nod) to communicate openness and build trust with others.

3. Encouraging Novelty and Risk-Taking

How It Helps: Anxiety can lead to avoidance of new experiences or perceived risks. RO DBT focuses on stepping outside comfort zones to develop flexibility and confidence.

Key Technique:

Use Novelty Exposure by intentionally seeking out small, safe risks that challenge your typical avoidance patterns, such as starting a conversation with someone new or trying a new hobby.

 

4. Mindfulness of Social Feedback

How It Helps: Anxiety can heighten sensitivity to perceived criticism or rejection. RO DBT trains individuals to mindfully observe and interpret social feedback without jumping to conclusions or overreacting.

Key Technique:

Use Mindful Awareness of Social Signals to notice subtle cues, like a person’s tone or body language, and assess them objectively instead of catastrophizing.

5. Balancing Emotional Expression and Suppression

How It Helps: Over-controlled individuals often suppress emotions to avoid vulnerability, which can increase internal tension and anxiety. RO DBT helps balance appropriate emotional expression with situational demands.

Key Technique:

Practice Flexible Emotional Expression by sharing your feelings in a way that aligns with the context, such as expressing gratitude or frustration constructively.

 

6. Emphasizing Self-Enquiry

How It Helps: Anxiety often stems from rigid thought patterns or fear of uncertainty. RO DBT encourages curiosity and self-enquiry to break free from black-and-white thinking.

Key Technique:

Ask yourself open-ended questions like, “What if I didn’t have to be perfect?” or “What could I learn if this situation didn’t go as planned?”

7. Developing Radical Openness Skills

How It Helps: Anxiety thrives on avoidance of discomfort or uncertainty. Radical openness is about welcoming all experiences—pleasant or painful—as opportunities for growth.

Key Technique:

Use Open-Minded Listening, where you practice listening without preparing your response, aiming to truly understand another person’s perspective.

 

8. Promoting Flexible Thinking

How It Helps: Anxiety often involves rigid patterns of thinking or perfectionism. RO DBT emphasizes the importance of being open to new perspectives and adjusting one’s thoughts or behaviors as needed.

Key Technique:

Engage in Dialectical Thinking, where you actively look for multiple truths in a situation instead of settling for “right vs. wrong” or “success vs. failure.”

9. Challenging Rule-Based Living

How It Helps: Over-controlled individuals with anxiety often rely on strict internal rules to feel safe. RO DBT encourages reevaluating these rules to promote flexibility and spontaneity.

Key Technique:

Reflect on a personal “should” or “must” rule, like “I must always be perfect at work,” and consider whether it truly serves you—or if it can be relaxed.

10. Fostering Playfulness

How It Helps: Anxiety can make life feel rigid and serious. RO DBT highlights the importance of playfulness and humor in reducing tension and building social bonds.

Key Technique:

Deliberately incorporate playful activities into your day, such as sharing a funny story, playing a game, or exploring a new creative outlet.

Why RO DBT Works for Anxiety

RO DBT’s focus on flexibility, openness, and social connection directly counters the rigid control and fear of uncertainty that fuel anxiety. By targeting these underlying patterns, it helps individuals build a more balanced and fulfilling life.

If your anxiety is tied to perfectionism, social fears, or over-controlled tendencies, RO DBT may be a perfect fit. Ready to learn more? Contact us–we are ready to work with you.