Distract with ACCEPTS
The “A” in ACCEPTS stands for doing activities to take your mind off distress.
What are activities?
Self-soothing skills involve using the five senses to calm emotional distress.
What is 5-4-3-2-1 / five senses?
This DBT skill involves turning the mind repeatedly toward acceptance.
What is turning the mind?
You are experiencing a strong craving after an argument and feel the urge to use immediately. The DBT skill that reminds you to pause before acting is this.
What is the STOP skill?
You walk into a family event and see alcohol everywhere. Instead of staying and risking relapse, you step outside and remove yourself from the situation. This distress tolerance skill is called this.
What is pushing away or changing the situation?
This ACCEPTS skill involves helping someone else to shift focus away from your own distress.
What is contributing?
Listening to calming music is an example of soothing using this sense.
What is hearing?
This concept means being willing to experience reality rather than fighting it.
What is willingness?
A client feels overwhelmed by cravings and decides to go for a 10-minute fast walk or pushups to reduce emotional intensity. This TIP skill is being used.
What is intense exercise?
A client becomes overwhelmed by stress after losing a job and begins thinking about drinking. Instead they listen to calming music and take a warm shower. This DBT strategy is called this.
What is self-soothing?
This ACCEPTS skill means creating a different emotional experience, such as watching a funny show.
What is comparisons or emotions?
Lighting a candle or smelling essential oils uses this sense for self-soothing.
What is smell?
The opposite of willingness in DBT, where someone refuses to accept reality.
What is willfulness?
A client in recovery feels strong urges at night and chooses to call a sober friend or attend a meeting instead of isolating. This ACCEPTS strategy is being used.
What is contributing or activities?
A client says, “I don’t like that I have addiction, but fighting reality only makes it worse.” This DBT acceptance skill is called this.
What is radical acceptance?
This ACCEPTS skill involves temporarily pushing the problem out of your mind until you can cope with it later.
What is pushing away?
Taking a warm shower or wrapping in a blanket uses this sense.
What is touch?
This DBT strategy involves looking at the pros and cons of tolerating distress vs acting impulsively.
What are pros and cons?
A person in treatment feels intense anxiety and cravings and decides to hold ice and splash cold water on their face to calm down. This DBT technique is called this.
What is temperature change (TIP skill)?
Someone in recovery thinks about using after seeing old friends who still drink. They compare their life now to the chaos of their past addiction. This ACCEPTS skill is being used.
What are comparisons?
This ACCEPTS skill involves using physical sensations like holding ice or taking a cold shower.
What are sensations?
Eating a favorite snack slowly and mindfully uses this sense.
What is taste?
This skill involves improving the moment during distress using strategies like imagery, meaning, prayer, or relaxation.
What is IMPROVE the moment?
A client experiencing strong urges reminds themselves: “This craving will pass even if I don’t act on it.” This distress tolerance concept is being used.
What is urge surfing or riding the wave of the urge?
A client reminds themselves that using substances during distress might provide temporary relief but will create long-term consequences. This DBT decision tool is being applied.
What are pros and cons?