DT 101
What are the goals of Distress Tolerance?
1) To survive crisis situations (without making them worse)
2) Accept reality (replace suffering and being stuck with pain/possibility of moving forward)
3) Become free (of having to satisfy demands of urges/intense emotions)
The STOP skill
TIP Your Body Chemistry
Distract with Wise Mind ACCEPTS
Self Soothe with the Five Senses
IMPROVE the Moment
What has to be accepted?
Flexibility with response
Personal examples
You are in a crisis when the situation is....
(at least three responses)
Highly stressful
Short-term (it won't last a long time)
Creates intense pressure to resolve the crisis now
Identify each part of the STOP acronym
S: Stop. Freeze. Your emotions may try to make you act without thinking
T: Take a step back. Take a break, take a breath
O: Observe. Notice what is going on inside and outside of you.
P: Proceed Mindfully. Act with awareness. Ask Wise Mind: Which actions will make it better or worse
Show 'Willing Hands'
*shows willing hands
Hands communicate to the brain; your body connects to your mind
I have tried one distress tolerance skills, it's sort of working, but I'm still distressed...what could I do?
SKILL STACK!
Use Crisis Survival Skills when...
You have intense pain that cannot be helped quickly
You want to act on your emotions, but it will make things worse
Emotion mind threatens to overwhelm you, and you need to stay skillful.
You are overwhelmed, yet demands must be met.
Identify the parts of the TIP skill
T: Temperature (old objects, ice dive)
I: Intense exercise
P (2): Paced Breathing, Paired Muscle Relaxation
Why accept reality?
Reject reality doesn't change it
Changing reality requires first accepting
Rejecting reality turns pain into suffering
...more responses
You get two questions! (YAY)
1) Reality Acceptance Skills are for...
2) What are the Reality Acceptance Skills?
1) Living/engaging in life, that's not the life you want.
2) Radical Acceptance, Turning the Mind, Willingness/Willfulness, Half-smile and Willing Hands, Allowing the Mind: Mindfulness of current thoughts
L
WHAT IS COMPARISON?
What is Radical Acceptance NOT?
It is NOT: approval, passivity, agreement
There are a lot of acronyms in DBT---
Can you identify each part of 'Distract with Wise Mind ACCEPTS?'
and/or IMPROVE The Moment?
Accepts (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, (with different) Emotions, Pushing Away, other Thoughts, other Sensations
Improve (Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxing actions, One thing in the moment, brief Vacation, self-Encouragement)
What is Willfulness?
Multiple responses
*refusing to tolerate the moment
*doing the opposite of what works
*insisting on being in control