To reiterate, validation is a skill that can be used for a variety of

reasons—to deescalate emotions, to improve relationships, to increase trust

and confidence, and to be the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine of

change go down. According to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), there are

6 levels of validation. The higher the level, the deeper the validation.

That being said, it’s important to validate from all 6 levels or you just

come off as weird. Here’s an explanation and example of each: