Recovery and Relapse Prevention
What are three common relapse warning signs?
Isolation, skipping treatment, romanticizing past use, dishonesty, or neglecting self-care.
What does TIPP stand for?
Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation.
What does ACT stand for?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
What is the difference between an emotion and a behavior?
An emotion is what you feel; a behavior is what you do in response.
"I feel like a failure, so I must be one."
Emotional Reasoning: Treating the feeling of failure as proof of being a failure.
Labeling: Defining the entire self by a negative judgment.
Overgeneralization: Assuming the feeling reflects a consistent pattern of failure.
What does HALT stand for?
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.
What DBT skill asks you to consider whether your emotional response fits the actual facts of a situation?
Check the Facts.
What is cognitive fusion?
Becoming so caught up in a thought that you treat it as an absolute fact.
What is the difference between guilt and shame?
Guilt says "I did something bad"; shame says "I am bad."
"I have to be available whenever someone needs me, or I'm a selfish person."
Should Statements: Believing there is an absolute obligation to always be available.
All-or-Nothing Thinking: Either always available or selfish; no middle ground.
Labeling: Defining oneself as selfish for having limits.
Personalization: Potentially taking excessive responsibility for other people's needs or reactions.
What is the difference between a trigger and a craving?
A trigger is a cue that can bring up an urge or emotional response; a craving is the urge or desire to use.
What is the difference between emotional mind and reasonable/logical mind?
Emotional mind is driven primarily by feelings; reasonable/logical mind is driven primarily by logic and facts.
What is cognitive defusion?
Learning to step back from thoughts and recognize them as thoughts rather than facts or commands.
Why isn't avoiding every uncomfortable emotion a healthy long-term strategy?
It can reinforce avoidance and make difficult emotions harder to tolerate over time.
"My therapist looked at me differently today. They must be disappointed in me."
Mind Reading: Assuming the therapist's thoughts without asking.
Emotional Reasoning: Assuming anxiety or insecurity means the therapist is disappointed.
Fortune Telling: Potentially predicting a negative outcome based on the perceived look.
Jumping to Conclusions: Drawing a conclusion without enough evidence.
Why can things going well actually become a risk in recovery?
People may become complacent, reduce support, or underestimate their vulnerability.
You are angry and want to send a long, aggressive text. What DBT skill could help you choose a different response?
STOP: Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully.
Taking the middle path
Wise Mind
DEAR MAN, FAST, GIVE
Someone thinks, "I can't handle this feeling." What is one way to practice defusion?
Rephrase it as "I'm having the thought that I can't handle this feeling."
What is catastrophizing?
Assuming the worst possible outcome will happen, often without enough evidence.
"I haven't accomplished everything I wanted by this age. I've wasted my life."
Mental Filtering: Focusing on unmet goals while overlooking accomplishments.
Overgeneralization: Turning unmet goals into a conclusion about one's entire life.
All-or-Nothing Thinking: Defining life as either fully accomplished or completely wasted.
Disqualifying the Positive: Discounting progress or meaningful experiences.
Labeling: Applying a global negative judgment to one's life.
Someone has been sober for six months and starts thinking, "I can probably use just once." What is this an example of?
Romanticizing substance use, minimizing risk, or relapse-related thinking.
What does it mean to hold two seemingly opposite truths at the same time?
Dialectical thinking. For example, "I can love someone and still need boundaries with them."
In ACT, what does psychological flexibility mean?
Being able to experience difficult thoughts and emotions while still choosing actions that align with your values.
Why might someone feel emotionally overwhelmed by a situation that seems minor to someone else?
Their past experiences, stress level, beliefs, vulnerabilities, and current circumstances influence how they interpret the situation.
"I know I'm going to mess this up. I always do, and there's no point in trying."
Fortune Telling: Predicting failure before attempting something.
Overgeneralization: Using past experiences to assume the same outcome will always occur.
All-or-Nothing Thinking: Assuming that anything short of success means failure.
Labeling: Potentially defining oneself as someone who always messes things up.
Magnification: Exaggerating the likelihood or consequences of failure.
Jumping to Conclusions: Deciding the outcome without sufficient evidence.