How to use this Website!
It’s pretty clear that there's a lot of information inside the pages of this website, all of which I completely understand on first glance, might seem a little overwhelming. To address this, I wanted to create a page that provides the simple directions we need to know exactly how to work through this information, with the intention of maximizing the benefits people can get from it, for free! At theliberationplace.com, everything is set up to provide the information we need to Live the Life we Want to Live, as every life is a life worth living. This fundamental principle of the evidence-based approaches of both Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Schema Therapy, along with it being the basic attitude we need to bring to any behaviour change program, starts with building a solid foundation for making the changes we want to make.
Once we get to grips with what it takes to build this foundation, and we are beginning to put these things into practice, we can take some time to improve our understanding for who we are right now, what areas of life are important to us, and what our values and beliefs are for the way we want to live our lives moving forward. This not only sets the standard that we’re striving to reach ourselves, but also gives us guidelines for the people we want around us for support. Looking at these things in detail opens up the opportunity to formulate a basic plan for what it looks like to live according to these true authentic values and beliefs, rather than the way we may be currently doing things. This is the essence of, and the fundamental principle for, the whole idea of Living the Life I Want to Live, being the person I want to be, in the areas of life that are important to me.
"I wanted to create a page that provides simple directions, explaining exactly how to work through the information that’s contained on each page with the intention of maximizing the benefits people can get from it, for free!"
~Steven Morris RP.
As I said before, everything starts with building a solid foundation, so it makes total sense that this is where we begin the work when using this website. Even if you think you’re an old hat at this, and you’ve got a solid foundation in place already, I highly recommend you start your journey here so you can have an understanding for what it takes to live your life from a DBT and Schema Therapy perspective. DBT is a lifestyle, not just a thought process, so it's important to recognise this right from the start. When you go to the Building Foundation page you will find a video that contains information about what it takes to set your self up for successful behaviour change, according to the principles we use at The Liberation Place. You can either watch this video alone, or you can listen to the audio while reading along, as the information contained on each page is a basic transcript of what is being discussed.
At the bottom of the page you will find 2 important things. First a downloadable PDF logo, with a note underneath that lets you know whether this contains a written version of the page itself, and a worksheet that can be used to build an understanding for the topic contained in the page. This is a really important aspect of the DBT and Schema Therapy philosophy, as doing the written work not only helps to build our awareness, it also supports us in creating a consistent and educational approach for what it is we are trying to do. Psychoeducation is an important part of this work, but it’s not the only part of this work. We also have to go through the emotional experience of practicing the skills, and working with our parts, as this is how we connect the parts of us that know things, to the parts of us that feel things.
"Even if you think you’re an old hat at this, and you’ve got a solid foundation in place already, I highly recommend starting here so you can have an understanding for what it takes to do this work from a DBT and Schema Therapy perspective."
~Steven Morris RP.
Take some time to go through the worksheets that are available on most pages, try not to rush through them just to get to the next thing. If there is a temptation to do this, notice the urge. This is probably a pretty solid demonstration of our Problem with Instant Gratification, which is a huge awareness piece for us to build. Once you have completed the worksheet, and then spent time reflecting and contemplating what it was you learned or what insight it might’ve given you, click on the link beneath the PDF logo that says, “Continue Reading.” This automatically takes you to the next step in the process where you will find the exact same setup again. Watch the video, read along with it, and download and work through the worksheet that’s attached at the bottom of the page. The key component to doing this work is taking your time to complete each section. Pause after completing an exercise, take stock of what you got from it, and contemplate the insight and awareness it might’ve given you. This is how we grow.
As you complete the work for Building Foundation, which has no specific time frame for attached to it. However, I would recomend spending at least a week on each page and worksheet as a rough guide to follow, clicking the link at the bottom of each page that states, “Continue Reading” takes you into the next section in the order that I believe is the most beneficial path to follow if we’re trying to Live the Life we Want to Live. After Foundation, we take a look at Values and Beliefs to get an understanding for who we are right now, and who we want to be moving forward. Living the Life I Want to Live isn’t about the things we have, the places we live, what we do for a job, or any of those things that we set as goals to achieve in our lives. Living the Life I want to Live is about being the person you want to be in order to achieve these things. From this perspective, we can Live the Life we Want to Live, right now!
"Living the Life I want to Live is about being the person you want to be in order to achieve these things. From this perspective, we can Live the Life we Want to Live, right now!"
~Steven Morris RP.
Download the PDF of this page
