James Fitzgerald Therapy PLLC

Emotion Regulation Module

Barriers to Emotion Regulation

Understanding Resilience & Vulnerability

In the DBT Skills Training curriculum, the Emotion Regulation module includes a handout describing various reasons why it can be difficult to manage emotions effectively. While different versions of this handout may vary somewhat in wording or emphasis, the main ideas typically include the following themes:

Biological Vulnerability

• Genetics and temperament: Some people are naturally more sensitive or reactive to emotional triggers, which can increase the intensity and duration of emotional responses, leading to heightened experiences of joy, sadness, or stress that may not be as pronounced in others. This inherited trait can influence how one navigates relationships and copes with life’s challenges, often requiring different strategies for emotional regulation.
• Physical factors (sleep, nutrition, health): Insufficient sleep, which can lead to fatigue and decreased cognitive function, poor eating habits characterized by high sugar and low nutrient intake, lack of exercise that generally contributes to physical and mental wellbeing, or physical illness such as chronic conditions can all significantly lower your capacity to cope with stress and effectively regulate emotions.

Lack of Skill or Practice

• Unfamiliarity with coping strategies: If you haven’t learned or practiced specific emotion regulation skills, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by strong feelings, leading to heightened anxiety, stress, or even a sense of helplessness. This lack of experience in managing emotions may result in difficulties navigating everyday challenges or interpersonal conflicts, making it crucial to develop and implement effective coping techniques for emotional well-being.
• Ineffective past responses: Relying on habitual but unhelpful strategies (e.g., avoidance, substance use) can keep you stuck in a cycle of emotional dysregulation, leading to an escalation of negative feelings, disrupted relationships, and an overall decline in well-being. These strategies may provide temporary relief but often prevent genuine emotional processing and healing, thus perpetuating the very problems they are meant to mitigate.

Environmental and Social Stressors

• High-stress environments: Ongoing conflicts at home, work, or school can create constant emotional triggers, leading to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. These persistent stressors may affect one’s mental health, reducing overall well-being and impacting daily activities.
• Lack of support or validation: When people do not recognize or respect your feelings, it can significantly increase distress and make it much harder to stay calm and maintain emotional stability in challenging situations.

Reinforcement of Emotional Intensity

• Attention for emotional outbursts: Sometimes, strong or dramatic expressions of emotion gain more attention or assistance from others in both personal and social contexts, unintentionally reinforcing intense emotional cycles that can lead to a pattern of behavior where individuals may feel compelled to express their emotions in increasingly dramatic ways to elicit the desired responses from those around them.
• Avoidance of the emotions themselves: Trying to push away or suppress feelings often backfires, leading to bigger emotional build-ups over time, resulting in overwhelming stress and anxiety that can affect daily functioning and interpersonal relationships. Recognizing and addressing these emotions, rather than avoiding them, is crucial for emotional well-being and personal growth.

Myths and Beliefs About Emotions

• Believing emotions are “bad” or “weak”: Viewing certain emotions as unacceptable can make you more prone to judge or fight against them, escalating distress. This belief can create a cycle of negativity, where feelings of guilt or shame for experiencing these emotions lead to increased anxiety and a heightened sense of personal inadequacy. By labeling emotions in this way, individuals may find it increasingly difficult to validate their own experiences, ultimately hindering their emotional growth and resilience.
• Fear of losing control: Worrying that experiencing or expressing emotions will lead to loss of control can result in more tension and anxiety, creating a cycle where the fear itself amplifies those feelings. This fear may cause individuals to suppress their emotions entirely, leading to further emotional distress and difficulty in navigating personal relationships and everyday situations.

Unclear or Uncertain Emotions

• Lack of emotional awareness: If you aren’t sure what you’re feeling or why, it’s hard to respond skillfully in challenging situations, leading to potential misunderstandings and conflicts with others. Developing a deeper understanding of your emotions can significantly improve communication and relationships, allowing for more appropriate reactions and better conflict resolution strategies.
• Confusion and conflicting feelings: Mixed or contradictory emotions can be overwhelming, making regulation feel more challenging. These feelings may arise from various sources such as personal experiences, social pressures, or even internal conflicts, leading to a heightened sense of emotional turmoil and difficulty in achieving clarity.

Invalidation or Trauma History

• Past invalidation: Repeatedly being told your emotions are wrong, exaggerated, or not real can undermine your ability to recognize and value your emotional signals, leading to a diminished sense of self-worth and an increased tendency to suppress legitimate feelings. This ongoing process may result in confusion about your emotional responses, making it challenging to navigate future emotional experiences and affecting your overall mental health.
• Trauma responses: Post-traumatic stress disorder and related symptoms, such as hypervigilance and intrusive flashbacks, can significantly heighten emotional reactivity, leading to an overwhelming sense of anxiety, persistent fear, and difficulty regulating emotions, which can impact personal relationships and daily functioning.

How This Information Helps

By identifying these common obstacles—whether they are biological, environmental, learned, or related to beliefs—you can pinpoint which changes or skill areas might make the biggest difference in improving your emotional regulation. Understanding these factors is crucial, as they can vary significantly from person to person, influencing how we respond to stressors and triggers in our daily lives. For example, biological factors may include neurochemical imbalances or genetic predispositions that affect mood regulation, while environmental elements might involve the social support systems available to you or the stressful conditions of your surroundings. Recognizing learned behaviors is also essential; these may stem from past experiences or cultural influences that shape our emotional responses. Moreover, beliefs about oneself and the world can profoundly impact emotional regulation, creating either barriers or pathways to healthier emotional responses.
By thoroughly analyzing these aspects, you can create a tailored approach, setting the stage for more effective strategies that promote resilience and emotional well-being.

In DBT, the goal is to:

• Increase awareness of emotional triggers and vulnerabilities.
• Learn and practice concrete regulation strategies (e.g., Check the Facts, Opposite Action, mindfulness techniques).
• Build resilience through healthy habits (e.g., sleep hygiene, balanced eating, exercise).
• Challenge and replace unhelpful beliefs about emotions.
• Seek or create validating, supportive environments where possible.

By working step by step on each of these factors, you gradually strengthen your ability to handle intense emotions without being controlled by them. This is a process of learning new skills, using them consistently, and adapting them to different situations in your life.

References:

• Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
• Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. The Guilford Press.