The Role of DBT in Managing Anxiety

It’s not often you have people come into rehab with the intended purpose being to learn about their emotions. It’s usually more like their life is falling apart, they know they need help, and they don’t know what else to do. Drugs and alcohol are great coping mechanisms - until they aren’t. And then they become a disaster where you’re left raw, exposed and vulnerable. In early recovery, this can manifest itself as anxiety. Overthinking, body tension, nervous system feeling jacked up all the time. It’s a lot and it’s uncomfortable. That where DBT comes in. 

DBT Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s a Survival Skill

DBT is one of those therapy acronyms that’s grown in popularity over the last few years - but not without good reason. It’s a science-backed way to help people get out of emotional emergencies without white-knuckling their way through.

“We teach clients to reduce distress from a 10 to a manageable level,” says Bradley Wagner, Clinical Director at Monument Recovery. “DBT helps bring down excessive worries and anxiety.”

Why Anxiety Gets So Loud in Recovery

There’s a good reason why your anxiety gets wild in early recovery. You quit the drugs and booze, your brain no longer has the buffer it used to rely on. You’re interfacing with the world in real-time with no comfort blanket. Before you could numb out or distract yourself when things got too much. Now you’re face-to-face with all those things you were trying not to feel: anxiety, uncertainty, fear of failure, awkward social moments, shame, identity confusion—the full package. 

Recovery doesn’t cause anxiety. It reveals it.

What DBT Actually Looks Like

DBT is a skills-based therapy. It’s less talk therapy about your childhood and more learning emotional regulation skills for when life gets too intense. It’s about developing emotional freedom through the main tenets of DBT. 

Mindfulness: Train Your Attention

If you’ve ever experienced your thoughts moving from “this is uncomfortable” to “this is the end of everything” you could probably benefit from mindfulness. It helps you notice when those shifts happen and keeps you from drowning in them. 

“Breathwork and mindfulness are key self-regulation tools,” says Wagner.

Mindfulness turns unconscious reactions into conscious responses. 

Distress Tolerance: Survive the Moment

Some situations just suck. Your phone lights up with a message that makes your stomach drop. You can’t sleep. Someone says something that brings up all your insecurities.

In those moments it’s not about fixing everything, it’s about not imploding in the next five minutes. This is what distress tolerance is for. It helps you ride out the wave instead of crashing on the shore with it. 

Emotion Regulation: Understand What the Hell You’re Feeling

“Learning to name and process emotions is life-changing,” Wagner says.

Most of us weren’t taught how to do this. We either grew up stuffing our feelings down or letting them run the show. DBT teaches you how to name what you’re feeling and understand what it’s telling you.

For example, anger might be a sign your boundary was crossed. Sadness might mean you need connection. Once you can recognize it for what it is, it starts to lose its power over you. 

Interpersonal Effectiveness: Speak Up Without Blowing Up

DBT teaches you how to ask for what you need, say no, set boundaries, and deal with conflict.

This is a big deal in recovery. You’re building a new life, which means navigating new relationships, reconnecting with family, and dealing with people who might not always “get it.”

“Self-awareness leads to self-confidence in handling emotions,” Wagner says.

The more you know your own emotional patterns, the more you can stop outsourcing your stability to everyone else’s moods.

You Don’t Need to Be “Fixed”—You Need Skills

Recovery is hard—but it’s easier when you’re not bracing for emotional impact 24/7. With DBT, you learn how to breathe through the storm, feel your feelings without drowning in them, and keep moving forward.

Reach out and find out how we can help you go from barely hanging on to actually feeling grounded.