Emotional Regulation
What is the primary goal of Emotion Regulation skills in DBT, and how do they differ from Distress Tolerance skills?
The goal of Emotion Regulation skills is to help you understand, reduce your vulnerability to, and change unwanted emotions.
Distress Tolerance, in contrast, focuses on surviving crises without making things worse—it’s about tolerating pain rather than changing the emotion.
What is the primary purpose of Distress Tolerance skills in DBT?
Distress Tolerance skills help you survive emotional crises without making the situation worse. They focus on tolerating intense emotions rather than trying to change them.
What is the primary purpose of mindfulness in DBT?
To help you stay present in the moment with awareness and without judgment, so you can respond skillfully rather than react impulsively.
What is the main purpose of Interpersonal Effectiveness skills in DBT?
To help you get your needs met, maintain relationships, and keep your self-respect during interactions with others.
What are the four main modules of DBT?
Mindfulness – Staying present and aware without judgment.
Distress Tolerance – Surviving crises without making things worse.
Emotion Regulation – Understanding and changing emotions.
Interpersonal Effectiveness – Getting needs met, maintaining relationships, and keeping self-respect.
Imagine you suddenly feel anxious before a meeting. Using DBT emotion regulation principles, how would you identify and label the emotion accurately?
Notice your body sensations (fast heart rate, muscle tension).
Observe your thoughts (e.g., “What if I embarrass myself?”).
Identify the urge (avoid or escape).
Based on those cues, you would label the emotion as anxiety or fear.
This labeling process helps reduce confusion and increases emotional clarity.
If you feel a surge of anger and want to react impulsively, how would you use the STOP skill?
S — Stop: Freeze and don’t react.
T — Take a step back: Pause mentally or physically.
O — Observe: Notice what’s happening inside and around you.
P — Proceed mindfully: Choose a wise, skillful action instead of acting on the emotional urge.
You notice you are feeling anxious and begin thinking “This is bad, I shouldn’t feel this way.” How would you use the non-judgmental skill?
Label the experience without evaluating it, such as: “I notice anxiety in my body.” This reduces added suffering and helps you stay grounded.
In the DEAR MAN skill, what do the letters “D” and “A” stand for?
D — Describe: State the facts of the situation.
A — Assert: Clearly ask for what you want or say no
What does DBT stand for?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
You text a friend and they don’t reply for several hours. You start feeling rejected and angry. How would you apply the “Check the Facts” skill to determine whether your emotion fits the situation?
Describe the facts: You sent a text; they haven’t responded.
Identify the interpretation: “They’re ignoring me.”
Look for other possible explanations: They might be busy, phone is off, or they haven’t seen the message.
Assess whether the emotion fits the facts: There is no evidence they’re intentionally rejecting you.
Conclusion: The anger or rejection emotion is likely not justified, and may need to be reduced with skills like Opposite Action.
You are overwhelmed with anxiety and need immediate relief. How would you use one TIPP skill to regulate your body?
You could use paced breathing (exhaling longer than inhaling), intense exercise (e.g., 1–2 minutes of fast movement), paired muscle relaxation, or the temperature change technique (cooling your face or holding something cold).
These shift your body’s physiology, reducing emotional arousal quickly.
How would you explain the difference between Emotion Mind, Reasonable Mind, and Wise Mind in a stressful decision-making situation?
Emotion Mind: Driven by feelings and urges.
Reasonable Mind: Driven by logic and facts only.
Wise Mind: Integrates both—using calm awareness and intuition to make balanced choices.
In stress, Wise Mind helps you act effectively rather than emotionally or rigidly.
How would you use one GIVE skill to maintain a positive interaction during a disagreement?
Example: Use G — Gentle by keeping your tone calm and avoiding threats or accusations, helping the conversation stay respectful and connected.
Why do we use DBT in substance use treatment?
DBT equips individuals with practical skills to manage emotions, tolerate stress, and reduce impulsive substance use, making it highly effective as part of addiction treatment programs.
Suppose you feel intense shame that urges you to isolate yourself. Walk through the steps of using Opposite Action.
dentify the emotion: Shame.
Check if it fits the facts: Shame is justified only if you violated your own values. If you didn’t, it’s unjustified.
Notice the action urge: Hide, withdraw, avoid people.
Choose the opposite action:
Make eye contact
Show up socially
Speak openly or act confidently
Act opposite all the way until the emotion decreases.
This helps counteract the unjustified emotion and reduces shame.
What is WISE Mind accepts and it's purpose?
A — Activities
Do something engaging (walking, cleaning, drawing, cooking).
C — Contributing
Help others (send a kind message, volunteer, do a small helpful task).
C — Comparisons
Compare yourself to:
times you’ve gotten through difficulty before
people coping with similar or harder challenges
(Not to judge yourself—just to give perspective.)
E — Emotions (opposite)
Create or engage in an activity that brings out a different emotion
(e.g., watch a funny video when sad).
P — Pushing Away
Temporarily set the situation aside in your mind (e.g., imagery of putting worries in a box).
T — Thoughts
Fill your mind with something else (counting, puzzles, reading, math problems).
S — Sensations
Use strong physical sensations to ground yourself
(e.g., holding ice, warm shower, spicy candy).
It does not solve the problem—it helps you get through the moment safely.
Explain the benefits of mindfulness
Reduces stress and emotional reactivity
Improves focus and clarity
Increases self-awareness
Enhances emotional regulation
Promotes calm, grounded decision-making
Helps break automatic, impulsive habits
What are boundaries and how do interpersonal effectiveness skills help in setting and maintaining them?
Boundaries are limits you set to define what is acceptable and unacceptable in how others treat you, including how much time, energy, or emotional investment you give. They protect your self-respect, safety, and well-being.
Explain DBT to someone that has never heard of it before.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy that helps people manage intense emotions, handle stress, and improve relationships.
What does HALT stand for and what is it's purpose?
H — Hungry
A — Angry
L — Lonely
T — Tired
It’s used to identify basic physical or emotional states that can make you more vulnerable to strong emotions, impulsive behaviors, or distress. When you “HALT,” you pause and check whether one of these needs is contributing to how you feel.
What is self-soothe with the five senses and it's purpose?
Self-soothe with the five senses is a DBT Distress Tolerance skill where you comfort and calm yourself by using sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—for example, looking at something beautiful, listening to calming music, smelling a pleasant scent, sipping something warm, or wrapping yourself in a soft blanket.
Purpose:
To gently reduce emotional intensity and ground yourself during distress by engaging your senses in soothing, peaceful experiences.
You get triggered during a conflict and feel your emotions rising rapidly. Describe how you could use three mindfulness skills to stay grounded.
Observe: Notice your breath, body sensations, and emotions without pushing them away.
One-Mindfully: Focus on one thing—your breathing or the other person’s words—rather than splitting attention.
Effectively: Choose the action that works best in the moment, such as pausing before responding.
This combination helps prevent impulsive reactions and keeps you in wise mind.
You need to assert a boundary with a close friend who repeatedly cancels plans. How could you balance getting your needs met while maintaining the relationship using DBT skills?
Use DEAR MAN to describe the pattern calmly, express your feelings, assert your boundary, and negotiate a solution.
Use GIVE to stay gentle, validate your friend’s perspective, and keep the interaction positive.
This ensures your goal is met (boundary) without damaging the relationship.
Who created DBT?
Marsha M. Linehan