Marriage, like any relationship, requires effort, understanding, and the right tools to thrive. Over time, conflicts, miscommunication, and emotional stress can create a distance between partners. One effective approach to rekindling marital harmony is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Originally designed to treat emotional dysregulation, DBT offers valuable techniques to enhance communication, manage emotions, and build stronger connections in relationships says DBT therapist Shivani Sadhoo.
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
DBT, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, is a type of cognitive-behavioural therapy that helps individuals regulate emotions, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and improve interpersonal effectiveness. It combines acceptance and change strategies to help individuals manage distress and foster healthier interactions. DBT is structured around four core skills: mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills work together to help individuals navigate complex emotions and relationships more effectively.
How Can DBT Help Improve a Marriage?
Delhi’s top marriage counselor and DBT Therapist, Shivani Misri Sadhoo, shares some points that show how DBT improves marriage.
Enhancing Present-Moment Awareness with Mindfulness
One of DBT’s key components is mindfulness, which teaches partners to focus on the present rather than dwelling on past conflicts or future anxieties. Couples who practice mindfulness can improve active listening, recognize and appreciate each other’s presence, and prevent impulsive emotional reactions. Being fully present in conversations and daily interactions fosters a deeper emotional connection.
Managing Emotions for Healthier Interactions
Emotional regulation skills from DBT help individuals identify their emotional triggers and respond to them constructively. In marriage, this can lead to fewer impulsive reactions, increased patience, and greater emotional stability. When partners understand and regulate their emotions, they create a more harmonious and supportive environment, reducing unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings.
Building Resilience Through Distress Tolerance
Marriage inevitably comes with challenges, whether financial stress, parenting struggles, or external pressures. DBT’s distress tolerance techniques enable couples to handle marital stress with calmness and clarity. Learning to accept difficult situations instead of resisting them allows couples to navigate hardships without damaging their bond. Engaging in self-soothing activities and positive distractions can also help maintain emotional balance during tough times.
Strengthening Communication with Interpersonal Effectiveness
Communication is the foundation of a healthy marriage. DBT’s interpersonal effectiveness strategies equip couples with the skills to express their needs and concerns respectfully, set healthy boundaries, and resolve conflicts without blame or resentment. The DEAR MAN technique helps partners communicate more effectively by encouraging them to describe situations objectively, express emotions clearly, assert needs confidently, reinforce positive behaviours, and negotiate mutually beneficial solutions.
DBT provides a powerful framework for couples looking to rejuvenate their marriage. By practising mindfulness, managing emotions, tolerating distress, and improving communication, partners can build a healthier and more fulfilling relationship. Whether through therapy sessions or self-guided practice, integrating DBT techniques into daily life can lead to lasting marital harmony.
Shivani Misri Sadhoo is an internationally recommended relationship counsellor by the world’s biggest and most trusted study and research-based foundation for couples therapy – Gottman Institute. She is trained in specialised key relationship counselling Skills from AIIMS, VIMHANS and various other reputed institutions. Counsellor Shivani Misri Sadhoo is also certified in emotionally focused therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, and dialectical behaviour therapy.
Counselor Shivani Misri Sadhoo is also a Certified Neuro Linguistic Practitioner with specialized training and experience in the field of affairs/betrayals, trust issues, difficulty communicating, conflicting values, bereavement, grief and loss (affairs, separation, divorce, childhood) and emotional health issue (anxiety, social anxiety, fear, depression, low mood).
Currently, Shivani Misri Sadhoo is one of the top counselors with the HIGHEST Success Rate with over 17,000 happy couples and individuals (based in India and abroad), who has benefited from her therapy. Psychologist and Counselor Shivani Misri Sadhoo not only practices independently from her clinic in Greater Kailash, Delhi, India, but also is listed on the panel of eminent hospitals like IBS Hospital Panel – Institute of Brain and Spine, Express Clinic, Fortis (formerly) based in Delhi.
Call Counselor: +91-8860875040
Email: saarthiforlife@gmail.com
