One goal of distress tolerance in DBT is to learn to replace suffering with ordinary pain. The video below explains the difference between pain and suffering with the parable of The Two Arrows, and shows us how we can experience pain without it leading us to suffer.
DBT Distress Tolerance Skills: Difference Between Pain and Suffering
When we’re able to accept the fact that we’re experiencing pain, we avoid causing ourselves additional suffering. In the next post, we’ll look at the role of acceptance in DBT. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them on the YouTube video page.