Emotional Dysregulation Therapy

Understanding Emotional Dysregulation

What is Emotional Dysregulation?

Emotional dysregulation is a symptom of trauma that affects how a person manages their emotions. People with emotional dysregulation experience their emotions intensely, which may lead to relationship problems and impulsivity.

As a licensed clinical psychotherapist specializing in emotional dysregulation therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Liz can help you regulate your emotions and regain control of your life.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of emotional dysregulation include:

• Self-harm
• Substance use
• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Overreacting to minor events
• Inability to see solutions
• Somatic symptom disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Emotional dysregulation is treatable. Once you learn to regulate your emotions, you will be able to more effectively deal with challenges, come up with solutions, and move forward from the effects of your traumatic experiences. 

Our therapists understand the impact of trauma on emotional regulation. That is why we have extensive training in specific modalities, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), to help clients regulate their emotions.

These therapies can help you manage your emotions, let go of negative experiences, and improve your relationships with others and yourself.

Causes

Emotional dysregulation can be caused by a significant trauma or stress history. During stressful events, our bodies release cortisol and adrenaline.

These are the stress hormones that help us respond to the situation and maintain our survival. Too many of these hormones can become toxic. They can cause us to become hyperaroused, and it takes fewer stimuli to distress us.

Other times, emotional dysregulation occurs simply due to a lack of healthy coping mechanisms.

Our therapists have years of experience and understand that every person’s experience is unique. That is why we conduct thorough assessments on each client to identify the severity and underlying causes of trauma symptoms.

This allows us to create individualized treatment plans that incorporate the best evidence-based intervention specifically for you. This is what helps our clients achieve long-term fulfillment and success.

Treatment Options

The main treatment for emotional dysregulation includes: 

• Somatic regulation: helps you learn how to relax the muscles of your body, which alleviates intense emotions
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps you identify thoughts that lead to negative feelings and unwanted behaviors. Your therapist can then help you identify techniques for changing your thoughts, which will, in turn, change your feelings and actions.
• Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT): A popular therapy for emotional dysregulation, which helps clients learn skills to manage their emotions and tolerate distress.
• Schema therapy: Holds the belief that emotional dysregulation comes from maladaptive schemas developed in childhood. Schema therapy can help you change your narratives to help regulate your emotions or even treat disorders like narcissistic personality disorder.

Emotional dysregulation is difficult to live with. Your highs are high, and your lows are even lower. This makes regular life challenges more difficult. With emotional regulation therapy, you can deal with difficult challenges with a clear mind and be more productive than you ever were. 

Efficacy of Treatment

You can fully recover from emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is not a diagnosis, it is a symptom of traumatic or stressful experiences. In therapy, you will learn the skills, tools, and techniques you need that you can use in stressful and overwhelming situations throughout your lifetime.

Remember to be kind to yourself, utilize the skills you learned in therapy, build a support system outside of professionals, and, most importantly, maintain the lifestyle changes you made while in therapy.

Many of our clients shared that they no longer feel overwhelmed by their emotions, stating that they have the tools to cope with past traumas and daily life.

Treatment Duration

During your first session you will get actionable steps you can take to alleviate your emotional dysregulation.

However, therapy is not about the length of treatment. It is about making sustainable, lifelong changes. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can help you learn distress tolerance skills and mindfulness to regain control over your emotions.

Some things that can affect how long emotional regulation therapy takes include:

• The severity of your trauma
• Your willingness to participate in treatment
• Consistency in practicing regulation techniques
• Your response to treatment

Usually, people tend to stay in therapy long-term due to the benefits and insights they receive. To get the best results from therapy, you must simply remain honest. 

Medications

Medications can help treat the symptoms of emotional dysregulation, however it does not treat the emotional dysregulation itself.

Some medications that may be prescribed for emotional dysregulation include:

• Antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Mood stabilizers such as lithium, lamotrigine (Lamictal), valproic acid (Depakote)
• Antipsychotics such as lithium, lamotrigine (Lamictal), valproic acid (Depakote)

Talk to your psychiatrist about medications for emotional dysregulation to complement healthy coping mechanisms and trauma processing in therapy.

The Role of Mindfulness

Mindfulness and meditation are amazing ways to help with emotional dysregulation because they help you ground yourself in the present moment and handle big emotions.

These skills can help you develop the ability to identify your emotions and handle them nonjudgmentally.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes that can help with emotional dysregulation include:

• Taking time throughout the day to relax
• Creating a morning and evening routine
• Integrating self-care into everyday
• Getting enough sleep
• Eating nutritious meals
• Getting some physical activity daily
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol

There are many lifestyle changes that can help with emotional dysregulation. Talk to a trauma therapist to find the right changes that work best for you.

Our Approach

Liz is a licensed clinical psychotherapist specializing in emotional dysregulation. She understands that emotional dysregulation is a symptom of past trauma and a normal biological response to stressful experiences.

She helps normalize your experience and teaches you skills to help you safely experience, express, and let go of your feelings.

Our emotional dysregulation treatment philosophy is to approach each individual with compassion and care. Our goal is to help you find what works best for you in a safe and confidential environment.

We use evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT)

Our counselors stay current on the latest training and psychology research to ensure the best care for our clients.

Specializing in Treating Emotional Dysregulation

When looking for a therapist to help with emotional dysregulation, look for the following:

• Credential: Liz is a licensed counselor with post-graduate credentials in trauma and recovery.
• Approach: Our approach is compassionate, understanding, and empathetic.
• Location: We have offices located across Palm Beach County and offer virtual sessions for your convenience,
• Personality: Liz is an approachable, down-to-earth, and caring professional who cares deeply about her clients.

If you are ready to heal with emotional dysregulation treatment, call our West Palm Beach office today for a free consultation.

You don’t have to deal with emotional regulation alone. Our compassionate counselors provide emotional dysregulation treatment in a safe and confidential environment in our West Palm Beach office. Call us today for a free consultation.