General/Why Bother
True or False: Pain cannot be avoided in life.
True
True or False: The effects of crisis survival skills last a long time and you usually don't need to follow up with any other skills.
False. The effects of crisis survival skills are strong; however, they do not last long. Therefore, it is important to use other skills in addition to crisis survival skills.
True or False: It is very important to approve of or agree with something in order to radically accept it
False. Acceptance does NOT equal approval. We can accept something and still not agree with or approve of it.
Reframe this judgment: "That's a stupid idea"
Answers can vary: I have a different idea, I worry that idea may not be helpful, I would prefer not to do that, etc.
What does the self-soothe skill do for us?
Helps us use our six senses to comfort ourselves in the moment; requires being kind and nurturing to ourselves.
True or False: Distress tolerance skills are used to to make your emotions go away by problem solving and making the situation better
False. Distress tolerance skills do not necessarily make the situation better. If it is possible to problem solve in the situation, you often need distress tolerance skills FIRST.
What skills (acronym) help us distract from an unwanted situation to avoid acting impulsively.
ACCEPTS
Offer these points to another player/team and use skills to radically accept not receiving these points.
No answer here
Describe each of the three mind states
Emotion mind: acting off feelings only, very impulsive and "hot"; Reasonable mind: acting off facts and logic only, not considering emotions at all; Wise mind: considering both feelings and facts when making a decision
Identify each letter of TIPP
Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Under what circumstances are distress tolerance skills most helpful?
When you are experiencing an unwanted/distressing situation that cannot be changed immediately and you want to tolerate it without making it worse.
What do the TIPP skills do for us/our body?
Changes our body chemistry rapidly, allowing our PNS to activate and fight-or-flight response to turn off.
Describe a time you have radically accepted an unwanted situation. What was the outcome?
Answers would vary
What are the three mindfulness "what" skills?
Observe, describe, and participate
Activities, Comparisons, Contribute, Emotions, Push Away, Thoughts, Sensations
Your best friend has not been responding to your text messages all day. Identify impulsive/unhelpful urges you might have in this situation and some distress tolerance skills you can use to avoid making the situation worse.
Urges: text/call repeatedly, leave a hateful message, post a passive aggressive comment on social media, self harm, etc. Skills: distract (any ACCEPT skills), self-soothe, IMPROVE the moment, pros/cons of acting on urges, TIPP, radically accept that friend isn't responding
What does the IMPROVE skill do for us?
Helps us recognize there are ways to improve the moment by managing what we are doing internally, within ourselves.
What is turning the mind and how does it relate to radical acceptance?
Making the CHOICE and commitment to radically accept something. It is something we may have to do over and over again.
What are the three mindfulness "how" skills?
Identify each letter of IMPROVE
Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One Thing In The Moment, Vacation, Encouragement
Describe some consequences of trying to avoid pain.
It can lead to impulsive behaviors, which may make problems worse rather than allowing us to solving problems effectively.
Do a brief pros and cons for the group on the following behavior: avoiding school
Pros of avoiding: don't have to see the people you don't like, don't have to do school work, feel less anxious, may get to do other enjoyable things (lay in bed, watch TV; Cons of avoiding: parents are upset, grades suffer, have a lot of work to make-up; Pros of not avoiding: will learn to manage anxiety, opportunity to see people you do like/make friends, get work done and get better grades; Cons of not avoiding: have to do work, may feel anxious for the day, see people you don't like
What is the half-smile technique and how is this helpful?
Relaxing your face muscles, gently and slightly turning up the corners of your mouth into a very subtly smile. You can feel it but others can't necessarily see it. Allows us to have a more accepting physical stance with our body, which allows us to be more accepting with our minds.
Which mindfulness skill allows us to lose self-consciousness and experience the moment fully?
Participate
What are the five responses we can have to any unwanted situation?
1. Problem solve, 2. Change how we think/feel about the situation, 3. Accept it, 4. Stay miserable, 5. Make it worse