I began by telling the audience that, when I give talks about the development of DBT, I usually say that it began in 1980, when I was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Linehan is the founder and the convener of both the Suicide Strategic Planning Group and the DBT Strategic Planning Group. Linehan was trained in spiritual directions under Gerald May and Tilden Edwards and is an associate Zen teacher in both the Sanbo-Kyodan-School under Willigis Jaeger Roshi (Germany) as well as in the Diamond Sangha (USA). In the 1980s, she achieved a breakthrough when she developed dialectical behavioral therapy, a therapeutic approach that combines acceptance of the self and ways to change.

Her method to treat difficult patients is very successful because she knows first hand what it means to be suicidal.Marsha has written a very powerful book, which joins the ranks of other psychologists who have recorded autobiographies of their mental agony. She would sit down and listen and remind those most troubled in the world that their life is most certainly, A life worth living. There is a HUGE disconnect in our nation between the enormous need for competent psychotherapists, and the institutions that actually provide the training and do the licensing.

In Building a Life Worth Living, Marsha Linehan shares her experience of suicidal depression to help others who may be experiencing this themselves or in someone they love. Reading her memoir I discovered that she made a promise to herself and God that she would help others stuck in hell when she got out of that awful hospital.Over the years, DBT had saved the lives of countless people fighting depression and suicidal thoughts, but Linehan had never revealed that her pioneering work was inspired by her own desperate struggles as a young woman. Anger, hurt, grief, worry, and other intense feelings can be overwhelming, and how you react to these emotions can impact your ability to maintain relationships, succeed at work, or even think straight! Her journey in this book is covered quite thoroughly and her story delivered in conversational tone. Marsha advises that DBT practitioners often burn out after a couple of years and will not conduct the therapy for longer than this. Drawing on the author’s extensive personal experiences dealing with anxiety and OCD, you’ll find the best methods for managing feelings of stress and worry - along with a safe, honest, and open place to explore your anxiety and work towards creating positive change.