A warm-up in a space free of pressure or distraction. The therapist becomes a steady witness, and participants get comfortable moving — even with eyes closed.
Gentle verbal prompts guide attention inward. Open-ended imagery builds a relaxed, personal inner landscape, and movement starts to take on symbolic shape.
What surfaced through movement is brought into conscious awareness through dialogue with the therapist — often surfacing insight that can feel both clarifying and, at times, difficult.
The session closes by naming what emerged and why it matters, grounding the experience before returning to daily life.
DBT was originally developed and remains most strongly evidenced for Borderline Personality Disorder, particularly in reducing self-harm and suicidal behaviour. Its skills modules have since been adapted successfully across mood, anxiety, trauma-related and substance use presentations. For schizophrenia specifically, DBT-informed approaches are used as an adjunct alongside standard psychiatric care — supporting emotional regulation and distress tolerance — rather than as a primary or standalone treatment.
Curious whether DBT fits your specific diagnosis or pattern of emotional intensity?