Mindfulness
Why bother tolerating painful feelings and urges? (3)
2. If you can't deal with pain, you may act impulsively.
3. When you act impulsively, you may end up hurting yourself, hurting someone else, or not getting what you want.
Thinking about the good and bad outcomes of tolerating and not tolerating distress.
What are the TIPP skills and WHEN should use use them?
Temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, progressive muscle relaxation.
TIPP skills are to be used to calm your body during a crisis situation (SUDs 70+) when you need to survive the moment without making things worse for yourself.
False: Mindfulness is like exercise for your brain, it requires focus and attention. It is not always pleasant or relaxing, especially if you are attending to aversive, uncomfortable, or painful experiences
What is Contributing? (and why does it work?)
Refocusing attention from yourself to what you can do for others.
What is the purpose of IMPROVE the Moment?
Replacing immediate negative events or emotions with more positive ones.
Identifying what you have control over, what you don't have control over, and skillfully letting go of things you cannot control.
The cycle of avoidance is an anxiety-driven pattern where avoiding a feared situation provides temporary relief, but reinforces the fear, leading to higher anxiety and more avoidance in the long term.
Examples: VISION: Walk in a pretty part of town. Look at the nature around you. HEARING:Listen to beautiful or soothing music, or sounds of the ocean. SMELL: Smell breakfast being cooked. Light a candle. TASTE: Have a special treat, and eat it slowly, savoring each bite. TOUCH: Take a bubble bath. Pet your dog
What is NOT part of radical acceptance?
Agreement, Approval
What does it mean to be willful?
Willfulness refers to a state of stubbornness or resistance to change. It involves having a rigid or an inflexible mindset and refusing to consider alternative viewpoints or approaches. Willfulness is seen as a barrier to behavioral change. It can manifest as an unwillingness to try new coping skills or a reluctance to acknowledge and address problematic behaviors.
Provide the definition and give one example of Opposite Emotion
Acting opposite to our current emotional state/urge.
Example: Take a walk around the block when feeling tired/socializing when you feel anxious
Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One Thing at a Time, Vacation, Encouragement
What are the four options for painful situations?
1. Change the situation/solve the problem
2. Change how you feel/think about the situation
3. Accept it
4. Stay miserable
When is it appropriate to use distress tolerance skills instead of problem solving skills?
Distress tolerance skills will be most effective when they are reserved for a true crisis situation. You use distress tolerance when your goal is to survive the moment without making things worse.
Describe the proper way to use Comparison
Trying to compare your current situation or the current crisis to a situation that's worse than the one you're in now.
Ex: You could compare yourself to people who have less than you have OR you could think about times in your life when things have been a lot harder or you didn't have the same resources you have now. "I have made it through before."
What are the two rules for Vacation? (IMPROVE)
1. Don't take vacations that will harm you.
2. Don't make your vacation too long.
What is willingness?
Willingness refers to the ability to be open, receptive, and engaged in the present moment. It involves a mindset of acceptance and a willingness to participate fully in the process of change.
Willing means that you make efforts to help, try a coping skill, accept things for what they are & not fight against them
Draw a DBT-style Pros and Cons list on the board
Should have 4 boxes: pros of resisting urge, cons of resisting urge, pros of giving in to urge, cons of giving in to urge.