DBT Modules
This DBT skill focuses on being fully present in the moment without judgment.
What is Mindfulness?
This mindfulness skill involves paying attention to what is happening right now without judging it.
What is present-moment awareness?
This state of mind is driven mostly by feelings and impulses.
What is Emotion Mind?
This DBT skill means fully acknowledging reality as it is, even when it is painful.
What is radical acceptance?
This DBT skill refers to the ability to understand and manage your emotional responses in healthy ways.
What is emotional regulation?
This DBT module teaches people how to survive a crisis without making the situation worse.
What is Distress Tolerance?
This is the term for reacting automatically without slowing down to think or notice emotions.
What is operating on autopilot?
This state of mind focuses only on facts, logic, and reasoning while often ignoring emotions.
What is Rational Mind?
This is the difference between emotional pain and the extra distress caused by fighting reality.
What is the difference between pain and suffering?
This is the first step in emotional regulation, which involves noticing what you are feeling in the moment.
What is identifying and labeling emotions?
Using “opposite action,” such as reaching out to a friend when you feel like isolating, is part of this DBT skill area.
What is Emotion Regulation?
This grounding exercise asks you to identify things you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste to reconnect with the present moment.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?
This DBT concept combines emotions and logic to help people make balanced decisions.
What is Wise Mind?
These are two things radical acceptance does not mean.
What are “liking” what happened?” and “approving”.
This coping strategy involves changing your focus or attention to reduce the intensity of a difficult emotion.
What is distraction?
DEAR MAN, GIVE, and FAST are communication tools used in this DBT module.
What is Interpersonal Effectiveness?
In mindfulness, cravings are often compared to this natural event because they rise, peak, and eventually pass.
What is urge surfing?
A patient insists, “I’m fine, I don’t feel anything, so nothing is wrong,” despite clear evidence of emotional distress and consequences. This rigid over-reliance on facts suggests this state of mind.
What is Rational Mind?
This type of thinking increases suffering by focusing on fairness, regret, and “what should have been.”
What is resistance to reality?
This type of emotional response can lead to avoidance, isolation, or withdrawal when feelings become overwhelming.
What is maladaptive coping?
The “dialectical” idea in DBT refers to balancing these two concepts.
What are acceptance and change?
A patient notices anger rising during an argument, takes a breath, and walks away before responding. This demonstrates the difference between these two concepts.
What are reacting and responding mindfully?
A person feels overwhelmed, notices a craving, calls a support person, and chooses not to use despite still feeling emotional.
What is using Wise Mind?
This DBT strategy involves identifying what is inside vs. outside your control to reduce emotional suffering and increase effective action.
What is the “control circle” exercise (distinguishing controllable vs. uncontrollable factors)?
In DBT, this concept (combination) refers to the ability to notice an emotion, tolerate distress, and choose a response aligned with long-term recovery goals rather than immediate relief.
What is emotion regulation with distress tolerance integration and wise mind?