Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Theory and Practice of Treating Disorders Caused by Excessive Self-Control

Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT), based on more than 20 years of research, — is an innovative transdiagnostic approach aimed at helping clients who suffer from disorders characterized by excessive self-control, or hypercontrol, such as anorexia nervosa, chronic depression, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Practicing psychotherapists know that these disorders are difficult to treat and are often associated with social isolation, loneliness, cognitive rigidity, risk aversion, an obsessive need for structure, suppressed emotional expression, and hyper-perfectionism. RO DBT is based on the premise that psychological well-being includes the merging of three factors: openness, flexibility, and social connectedness. RO DBT addresses each of these factors and is the first evidence-based treatment method that directly targets social signals and nonverbal aspects of communication. This is the core mechanism of change for understanding and applying this innovative method in individual therapy, including theory, research, specific treatment protocols, clinical examples, and future directions.