Because perfection is boring and overrated.
Do you wish you could let go a little?
Take life and yourself a little less seriously? Be better with change, less risk-averse? More playful, even? But above all, less lonely? If so, radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT) may be helpful for you. RO DBT is an evidence-based treatment for people who tend toward maladaptive “overcontrol.” Fun fact: many therapists lean in this direction. Personally, I once thought I needed to strive for perfection to be accepted by others and only later realized those standards are actually alienating. I learned, in large part through RO DBT, how to pursue excellence rather than perfection, all while being 10-50% more relaxed. Because harsh judgment never made anyone happier or less lonely, not to mention any better at getting things done.
You can learn to master feedback.
Yes, the dreaded “feedback.” If you’re highly sensitive and/or experienced bullying, family chaos and dysfunction, trauma, neglect, or poverty, you may have learned that receiving criticism is inevitably painful. Yet giving and receiving feedback is part of every job and healthy relationship. RO DBT includes skills for opening up to criticism from others. This doesn’t mean we automatically adopt it, or are open to any rando’s two cents at any time, but that we are able to hear and evaluate feedback from significant others, and act on it when it aligns with our values. We can also learn to craft and deliver criticism that helps achieve our objectives, enhance self-respect, and/or increase closeness.
RO DBT fosters these skills amidst a backdrop of understanding humans, even the shyest, misfit-iest, or most staunchly independent among us, as having intimacy needs, as being wired for connection. Whether it’s nurturing a couple of true, secure friendships or helping share your more authentic self with legions of social media followers, RO DBT is a powerful conduit for connection. You can feel like the spontaneously loving and playful child you once were, or never got the chance to be, with RO DBT. With the added benefit of access to your wise, flexible adult mind.
If you’re interesting in developing more emotional agility with RO DBT, please feel free to inquire below.