Opposite Action: Changing Emotions You Want to Change

by Marsha M. Linehan

Pioneering clinician and researcher Marsha M. Linehan brings her therapeutic wisdom and down-to-earth style directly to clients in these five outstanding skills training videos. Anyone who has attended Linehan's professional workshops can attest to her masterful instructional approach and empathic presence. Now clients can experience Linehan's teaching first-hand with these easy-to-follow programs enhanced by engaging audiovisual effects. Demonstrated are simple yet powerful techniques for emotion regulation as clients are guided to develop new patterns of behavior and practice them in everyday life. Grounded in the concepts and procedures presented in Linehan's bestselling books, the videos are designed for use on their own or in conjunction with the Skills Training Manual. They are also ideal viewing for clinicians and students seeking to develop their skills training expertise.

Acting opposite to emotions is one of the most effective and efficient ways to change emotions you want to change. Whether it is by doing something nice for a person you are angry at, or approaching something that you fear, this video shows how taking opposite action can modify unwarranted negative emotions and make them feel more manageable.

See also Linehan's related video--Crisis Survival Skills: Part One, Crisis Survival Skills: Part Two, From Suffering to Freedom, and This One Moment--plus DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition, and DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition, which provide detailed guidance and reproducible materials for conducting DBT skills training.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Mental Health, Reference

DVD (NTSC)

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Marsha Linehan, PhD, ABPP, is a Professor of Psychology and adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle and is Director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics, a research consortium that develops and evaluates treatments for multi-diagnostic, severely disordered, and suicidal populations. Her primary research is in the application of behavioral models to suicidal behaviors, drug abuse, and borderline personality disorder. She is also working to develop effective models for transferring science-based treatments to the clinical community.
She is the developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a treatment originally developed for the treatment of suicidal behaviors and since expanded to treatment of borderline personality disorder and other severe and complex mental disorders involving serious emotion dysregulation. In comparison to all other clinical interventions for suicidal behaviors, DBT is the only treatment that has been shown effective in multiple trials across numerous independent research studies. DBT is effective at reducing suicidal behavior and is cost-effective in comparison to both standard treatment and community treatments delivered by expert therapists. It is currently the gold-standard treatment for borderline personality disorder and has demonstrated utility in the treatment of high substance abuse and eating disorders.
Linehan has authored multiple books, including three treatment manuals: Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, DBT Skills Training Manual (2nd ed.), and Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. She serves on a number of editorial boards and has published extensively in scientific journals.
Linehan is the founder of The Linehan Institute, a non-profit organization which helps advance mental health through support for education, research, and compassionate, scientifically-based treatments. Linehan is also the founder of Behavioral Tech LLC, a DBT training and consulting organization, and founder of Behavioral Tech Research, Inc., a company that develops innovative online and mobile technologies to disseminate science-based behavioral treatments for mental disorders.
Linehan was trained in spiritual directions under Gerald May and Tilden Edwards and is a Zen master (Roshi) in both the Sanbo-Kyodan-School under Willigis Jaeger Roshi (Germany) as well as in the Diamond Sangha (USA). She teaches mindfulness via workshops and retreats for health care providers.
She has dedicated her life and research to working with people whose lives are at-risk due to crippling and incapacitating psychological problems.