Radical genuineness is the value of being real or true to oneself through and through. You’re true to yourself to the core: how you think about yourself, how you consider yourself, and how you act, speak, and express yourself. Trauma makes this skill challenging for people. When survivors of trauma are stuck in survival mode, whether that’s fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, our brains are constantly thinking of strategies to stay alive and reduce harm, not necessarily on how to relate or express ourselves. Radical genuineness can be a powerful, healing skill that facilitates encountering and expressing ourselves.

Online DBT therapist Kelsey Harper, Psy.D., talks about Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT and how DBT skills help trauma survivors calm distress right now. Dr. Harper shares how incorporating DBT skills into therapy can help calm trauma symptoms, and support ongoing trauma therapy.