Radically Open DBT Seattle
RO DBT therapy and RO DBT Skills Class in Seattle, WA for genuine recovery from eating disorders, OCD, and hyper-perfectionism.
Trauma-informed, relational, embodied, research-supported care for eating disorders, OCD, and hyper-perfectionism. Based in Seattle, serving clients across Washington state.
“I’m so good at self-control, striving, and pushing through– why do I feel so miserable?”
Our ability to control, suppress, and “just get through” can come from a variety of sources:
- Maybe you got the message early in life that you were “too much,” and responded (understandably) by over-correcting. You learned to not have “too many” needs, to not take up “too much” space, to not eat “too much,” to not want “too much,” to not have “too many” feelings. This was a necessary and useful strategy in your past.
- Maybe as a child your relationship to a parent or family member felt inconsistent, unpredictable, or chaotic. You learned how to create the stability and consistency you needed– in the form of self-imposed rules, perfectionism, compulsions, rituals, and routines. You found a way to feel organized on the inside, and this felt soothing in the face of stress.
- Maybe your family prioritized success, performance, reputation, or academic achievement. You learned that what you can do matters more than how you feel, so suppressing your authentic thoughts, feelings, and impulses became second nature.
- Maybe even with love, support, and stability around you, you’ve always had a hard time with new experiences, flexibility, openness, grey-area thinking, and feeling connected to others in the ways you really long for. This is just how some of us are wired!
When we have too much of a good thing (i.e., too much self-control), this can cause problems in the form of eating disorders, OCD, and hyper-perfectionism.
Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating
- Body checking behaviors
- Pushing down or ignoring hunger cues
- White knuckling it through urges to eat
- Suppressing emotions leading to unintentional overeating
- Restriction and “off-limits” food rules leading to bingeing on restricted foods
- Anxiety, shame, and misery related to body image
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & OCPD
- Engaging in physical or mental compulsions such as checking behaviors, compulsive rumination, ritualized routines, or others
- Intense fear of deviating from what is known and “safe”
- Dissociating or pushing through new experiences to block the possibility of new learning
- Prior attempts at exposure and response prevention therapy were unsuccessful at producing desired results
Hyper-Perfectionism
- Fear of making mistakes
- Strong inner critic
- Feelings of shame and unworthiness
- Fear of being unlovable if others were to know your true self
- High expectations for yourself and others
- Wanting to be known but feeling afraid of being truly seen
While self-control can be incredibly useful in many scenarios, it is also possible to have too much of a good thing.
If your ability to control, push through, or compulsively strive gets in the way of you feeling joy, living in alignment with your values, or connecting to others in the ways you’d really like, it could be useful to learn new strategies.
Hi, I’m Margee Quinn, LICSW (she/they). As a licensed therapist and clinical social worker, I specialize in treating adults in Seattle and across WA state who are struggling with eating disorders, OCD, and hyper-perfectionism using an evidence-based treatment called Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or RO DBT.
RO DBT is a research-supported treatment for a spectrum of experiences that have one thing in common: excessive inhibitory control, or overcontrol (OC).
How does RO DBT work?
RO DBT differs from some other types of therapy, in that it focuses on social signals, which are the subtle changes in expression, body language, tone of voice, and length of responses we all display during social interactions. This means I will pay a lot of attention to you during sessions! In RO DBT, change occurs through genuine connection paired with attuned, supportive feedback.
Research shows that when there is a mismatch between what we feel inside and what we express externally, it’s harder for us to receive the kind of responses we genuinely desire, and we often end up feeling more disconnected, lonely, and isolated. By learning about and potentially shifting our social signaling to more accurately convey our experience, we can increase our sense of emotional closeness, intimacy, and connectedness.
What can you expect after RO DBT?
After RO DBT, people often feel more accepting and open to their life as it is, as well as more empowered and able to make necessary changes. Taking on a stance of radical openness does not mean that certain things are not painful, or that stress never arises. Rather, people who complete RO DBT individual therapy or RO DBT Skills Class often leave feeling more equipped, more resourced, and connected enough to face whatever life may throw at them.
This can show up in a number of different ways– having a hard day and being able to feel genuine self-compassion, choosing to do something that’s aligned with your values even though it scares you, being able to truly enjoy eating a sweet treat with friends, surfing the urge to engage in old behaviors and then choosing not to. . . it’s feeling present, embodied, flexible, and connected. These feelings are possible for you, too.
If you are interested to learn more about individual therapy or RO DBT Skills Class, reach out below to schedule your free 20 minute phone consultation.
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