Hi Mapleton,

jadedbutterfly really summarized DBT very well!! I've been in DBT for a while now, and I am just now beginning to really grasp the different concepts.

FAST is absolutely the toughest Interpersonal Skill, in my humble opinion. It's about handling conflicts with oneself in #1. For instance, I have a bad habit of giving in to everyone else's desires. Their wants/needs come before my own. So, I REALLY need to practice using this skill. When a situation comes up, like: my bf wants to go fishing with me & I have regular appointments that I need to go to. I need to use the FAST skills. I need to say, "I can't go." and let it be right there. No apologies, no trying to figure out how to manuever (sp?) out of 1 or 2 appointments, and be honest. Now isn't a good time for me. How about tomorrow, or whatever? That's using FAST skills.

It may seem to be really simple to a lot of people to just stand up for what you want, but this is a core issue for many with BPD. I am so used to doing what others want that 9/10 I have no idea what I truly want! I don't know who I am. What I like, or what I want from life.

Very, very different than Distress Tolerance skills. Radical acceptance is a skill sometimes used in a very heavy situation. Like: my kids are in a bad mood and I just can't seem to shake them out of it. (Not literally, of course! ) Whatever I do, they just float right back into the bad mood. Is yelling going to help? Complaining about how I feel? Activities aren't helping. Encouragement isn't helping. Try radical acceptance. Sometimes, we all get into bad moods. It will pass. Chances are, once we simply accept those grumpy moods, they pass amazingly more quickly and smoothly.