Emotional Vulnerability and Self-Invalidation: Opposite Ends of a Dialectical Dilemma

Psychē, PLLC Vanderbilt University

Emotional vulnerability vs. self-invalidation dilemma was the primary impetus for developing DBT.
It accounts for the struggles of the patient in attempting to reconcile whether it is the environment or themselves which is to blame for their circumstances.
In order to synthesize the two opposing sides, the therapist must effectively validate without reinforcing problem behaviors and listen for the innate wisdom of the patient’s current experience.