DBT
The body is part
of the conversation.
An emotion can become a thought. Or a tightening jaw, a shortening breath, an urge to leave, argue, or hide.
These skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy offer something to try with the state you are in.
I am overwhelmed →START WHERE YOU ARE
What do I need right now?
Choose one. No diagnosis.
No sequence to finish.
I am overwhelmed.
Choose one skill. The immediate task is to avoid making things worse; solving the situation can come next.
I don’t know what I’m feeling.
When an emotion is manageable enough to examine, notice its physical signs and its urge to act.
I know what I feel, but I’m about to react.
Opposite action is for an emotion that does not fit the facts, or an emotional action that would be ineffective. It is never an instruction to ignore danger.
I cannot change this right now.
Acceptance recognizes what is already true. It does not mean approval, forgiveness, giving up, or staying in an unsafe situation.
I need something gentle.
DBT self-soothing uses deliberate sensory attention. Choose what is actually pleasant for you; no purchase or particular response is needed.
My attention is everywhere.
Observe, describe, and participate in one ordinary moment.
This involves another person.
Notice your objective, the relationship, and your self-respect. Choose an effective response that makes room for your needs and the other person’s.
ACCEPTANCE AND CHANGE
What would help
this moment?
Sometimes an effective response changes a state. Sometimes it stops adding a struggle with a fact that cannot be changed right now.
Getting through a peak is not the same as solving its cause. You may still need to leave, seek support, set a boundary, or solve a practical problem.
- 01
Notice the body
- 02
Name the state or urge
- 03
Choose a suitable skill
- 04
Try it without a promised result
- 05
Observe what follows
About DBT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan. These are selected skills from its mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness training, presented through bodily experience.
This is an educational practice library, not comprehensive DBT treatment or individualized mental health or medical care.
Explore Behavioral Tech Institute and Linehan’s formal skills-training resources. The wording and five-part presentation here are original adaptations, not reproduced worksheets.
Notice what is already here.
Include a little more.
Listen for what changes.
And return when you choose.