DBT Acronyms for Crisis Survival Skills
The T in TIP skills stands for this.
What is "Temperature" or "Tip the Temperature?"
Sarah uses this skill to decide between acting on a target behavior or tolerating the distress.
What is Pros and Cons?
Sarah wants to use touch to self-sooth. Tell her how.
How about taking a hot bath or shower, petting her dog, wrapping up in a blanket, etc?
What is [insert any example of intense high cardio exercise]?
Sarah is really dysregulated and agitated and doesn't know which distress tolerance skills to start with. She might start with these skills because they tend to be most effective when distress is REALLY high
What are the TIPP skills?
This is one of the two "C" skills from Wise Mind ACCEPTS.
What is Contributing or Comparisons?
Sarah breathes deeply into her belly and tenses her toes. She notices the sensation of her body tensed. When she breathes out, she releases the tension, she notices the difference. She does this for different parts of her body.
What is paired muscle relaxation?
Sarah is trying to use the imagery to improve the moment. Give her some examples of how she can do this.
Imagine things going well, imagine a relaxing scene, remembering a happy time and imagining self in it
Explain how you would use activities for distress tolerance?
Any example of an activity
Sarah lit a candle to help self-sooth but she is still struggling to tolerate the distress. make a suggestion of what she could also try?
What is another distress tolerance skill -- example: touch, imagery, self-sooth, paced breathing, etc.?
These are the six senses in the Self-Soothing with senses.
What is vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and movement?
Sarah does yoga to practice self-soothing.
What is self-soothing with Movement?
Sarah gets her test grade back in class. She got an F on an important test! She wants to know how she can use paced breathing in class.
What is
1. Breathing deeply into her belly
2. Slow the pace of her inhale to 5 seconds.
3. Slow the pace of her exhale to 7 seconds.
4. Continue for several minutes.
Explain how you would use one self-soothing skill for distress tolerance.
Any example of self-soothing
Sarah received a notification that she got a grade much lower than what she expected. She is really distressed and wants to use a distress tolerance skill to get through the moment, but she is around a bunch of other people in class! Name which skills Sarah could try.
What are paced breathing, paired muscle relaxation, one thing at a time, pushing away, imagery? (any skill that she can reasonably do in front of a large group of people with limited access to materials.
The STOP skill stands for this.
What is...
Stop
Take a step back
Observe
Proceed mindfully?
Sarah's friend didn't include her on group plans for the third time. Sarah notices that she has the thought "It shouldn't be like this." She acknowledged there are causes for her friend not inviting her. Sarah reminds herself that her friend made this choice and uses accepting self-talk and -validation for her feelings of sadness that her friend didn't include her. She uses half-smile and willing hands. She practices opposite action by making plans with other friends instead of withdrawing and cope ahead for her next interaction with her friend who did not invite her.
What is radical acceptance?
Sarah doesn't know how to use half-smile or willing hands. Show her how to practice.
Half-smile: relax face, corners of lips go up slightly, adopt a serene facial expression
willing hands: relax arms, place palms up with hands relaxed resting in lap or on table.
Explain how you would use a brief vacation for distress tolerance.
Any example of a brief vacation
When Sarah gets really distressed, she tends to resort to target behaviors quickly. Name some skills she might use to help her slow down and engage in effective behaviors.
What is STOP or practicing pros/cons?
Imagery
Meaning
Prayer
Relaxing actions
One thing in the moment
(brief) Vacation
self-Encouragement and rethinking the situation?
Sarah imagines a stream and imagines placing each of her thoughts on leaf to flow down the stream at their own pace.
What is mindfulness of current thoughts?
Sarah is struggling with accepting reality. She wants to use turning the mind.
Why doesn't she try:
1. Observing that she isn't accepting
2. make an inner commitment to accept reality
3. do 1 & 2 over and over again
4. Develop a plan to catch herself when she is not accepting in the future.
Explain what steps you would use for radical acceptance.
Any example of radical acceptance skills
Sarah is struggling with willfulness. She needs help identifying the steps for willingness.
What are
1. Observing willfulness
2. Radically accepting she feels willful.
3. Turning the mind towards acceptance and willingness.
4. Try half-smiling and willing posture
5. If willfulness is really stuck -- ask what is the threat with being willing?