Cognitive Distortions
Thinking in extremes like "I always fail" or "Nothing ever works."
What is All-or-Nothing Thinking?
The core DBT skill involving observing and describing experiences without judgement.
What is Mindfulness?
Naming and identifying what emotion you are feeling.
What is Emotional Awareness?
Paying attention to the present moment on purpose.
What is Mindfulness?
A grounding technique that uses the five senses.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise.
Assuming you know what someone else is thinking without evidence.
What is Mind-Reading?
The skill that helps people survive crisis situations without making things worse.
What is Distress Tolerance?
Doing the opposite action of what your emotion urges when the emotion is not helpful.
What is Opposite Action?
Observing thoughts without judging them.
What is Non-Judgmental Awareness?
Slow breathing used to calm the nervous system.
What is Deep Breathing/Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Believing one bad event means everything will go wrong.
What is Catastrophizing?
A DBT skill that uses cold water, intense exercise, paced breathing, and muscle relaxation.
What is TIPP?
Taking care of physical needs to reduce emotional vulnerability.
What is PLEASE skill.
Focusing completely on one activity in the moment.
What is One-Mindfully?
Writing down thoughts to process emotions.
What is journaling?
Blaming yourself for something outside of your control.
What is Personalization?
A skill used to ask for what you need while maintaining relationships.
What is DEAR MAN?
Reducing emotional suffering by changing thoughts about a situation.
What is Cognitive Restructuring?
Describing thoughts and feelings without attaching labels like "good" or "bad."
What is Describe Skill?
Doing something enjoyable to improve mood.
What is Behavioral Activation?
Ignoring positive experiences and focusing on negatives.
What is Mental Filtering?
Accepting reality as it is without fighting it.
What is Radical Acceptance?
Checking whether an emotional reaction fits the facts of the situation.
What is Check the Facts?
Engaging fully in an activity instead of staying detached.
What is Participate?
A skill that helps tolerate distress without acting impulsively.
What is Self-Soothing?