DBT Process: accept feelings → build regulation → protect recovery
Big feelings can hit even harder in early recovery — shame, anger, loneliness, stress, the “I’m messing everything up” spiral. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) helps you stay grounded in those moments, so cravings don’t take over and relapse isn’t the only option.
It’s not about getting rid of emotions. It’s about learning skills to feel them without falling apart.
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DBT is a therapy designed for people who feel things strongly — the kind of emotions that show up fast and loud, especially in recovery. When stress spikes or shame creeps in, it can feel like the only relief is to escape, shut down, or use.
DBT doesn’t ask you to pretend those feelings aren’t there.
It helps you stay present long enough to make a different choice.
At Aftermath, DBT supports your recovery by teaching you how to:
Understand what your emotions are trying to tell you
Slow down urges before they turn into relapse
Communicate without conflict erupting
Rebuild trust — in yourself and your relationships
You don’t have to get rid of emotions to stay sober.
You just need better ways to move through them.
DBT teaches you skills that show up when you need them most — not just when you’re sitting in a therapy room.
When anger comes fast, shame hits hard, or panic takes over → DBT helps you slow the emotional intensity so you can choose what happens next.
When cravings feel urgent or every cell in your body is screaming for relief → These skills help you survive the moment without blowing up your recovery.
When your thoughts spiral into fear of the future or regret from the past → You learn to stay grounded in the now — not the story your brain is telling.
When you want connection but keep pushing people away → This helps you speak your needs and set boundaries without the conflict erupting.
DBT helps you feel more in control of the emotions you used to run from.
Behavioral therapy has a long history of helping people overcome addiction. It addresses the underlying behaviors that contribute to substance abuse. Today, it’s implemented through various techniques tailored to individual needs. Benefits include:
Dialectical behavior therapy will involve a combination of different therapies and individual and group sessions to help instill essential life skills capable of fostering a long-term, successful recovery.
DBT helps you build skills that make recovery work in real life — not just in the therapy room.
At Aftermath, DBT gives you support to:
Navigate overwhelming emotions without turning to substances
Stay grounded when cravings, conflict, or panic hit
Repair relationships strained by addiction
Communicate honestly without blowing up or shutting down
Hold yourself accountable with compassion, not shame
Build confidence that you can handle whatever comes next
You’ll practice these skills individually and in group — because recovery requires both personal growth and people who get it.
Dialectical behavior therapy works because it focuses on providing a patient with essential critical skills in four crucial areas:
To be mindful is to live in a state of active, open, and present attention to life and all that you have to be thankful for every day. Practicing mindfulness will teach you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment and be present in your own life. Patients accomplish this through critical mindfulness exercises practiced during therapy.
Instead of once again turning to substances like drugs and alcohol to escape your negative emotions, dialectical behavior therapy teaches distress tolerance. This will increase the tolerance of negative thoughts and feelings as you learn to cope with any harmful triggers that once lead you down a dangerous path of drug and alcohol use.
Substance abuse may be masking mental health issues caused by intense emotions that seem unmanageable without using drugs or alcohol. During dialectical behavior therapy, you will learn different methods for managing your emotions and changing them for the better.
Many patients suffering from addiction struggle in their relationships with family, friends, classmates, and coworkers. Learning interpersonal effectiveness through dialectical behavior therapy will arm you with the essential techniques for communicating with others in a way that will simultaneously maintain your self-respect and build stronger, healthier relationships.
At Aftermath, you’ll work with DBT-trained clinicians who specialize in treating substance use through emotional regulation and real-world coping skills. Our providers are trauma-informed, which means they understand how past experiences can shape reactions today — especially in recovery.
You’ll have a primary therapist who learns your story, your triggers, and the strengths you already have. In small group sessions, you’ll practice staying grounded with others who get what it’s like to feel overwhelmed fast. And when support needs to go deeper, your therapist will coordinate with our psychiatric and medical team to keep care connected and safe.
This is a team that sees the whole you — not just the part that’s struggling.
Meet the clinicians who will support you every step:
Our Providers at Aftermath
Drugs and alcohol cause more damage than just to your physical body. An addiction treatment program using dialectical behavior therapy can help you understand how to regain control over your life, relationships, and emotions. Contact Addiction Aftermath Treatment Center at 781.587.3636 today to learn more about how dialectical behavior therapy can be vital to your recovery.
Find us at 607 North Ave. Wakefield, MA 01880
Aftermath offers same-day admission for those seeking help for substance use disorder treatment. Our simple admissions process takes just minutes. Call today for a free private consultation.
