DBT skills. Final Exam Test 2026\2027.
Distress Tolerance Skills (crisis survival)
ACCEPTS, Self Soothing, IMPROVE, Pros/Cons, Radical Acceptance, Willingness, Turning Mind, & Accepting
Reality
Distress tolerance: ACCEPTS
A- activities
C- contributing
C- comparisons
E- opposite emotions
P- pushing away
T- thoughts
S- sensations
Distress tolerance: Self Soothe
Taste
Smell
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Distress tolerance: IMPROVE (the moment)
I- imagery
M- meaning
P- prayer
R- relaxation
O- one thing at a time
V- vacation
E- encouragement
Distress tolerance: Pros & Cons
Make a pros/cons list of tolerating the distress
Make another list of the pros and cons of no tolerating the distress
(Focus on long-term goals, the light at the end of the tunnel)
Mindfulness Skills
Wise Mind, "What" skills, and "How" skills
Mindfulness Skills: "What" skills
Three Steps (Not done all at once)
1) Observe: Notice without getting caught in experience;
, DBT skills. Final Exam Test 2026\2027.
2) Describe: Put words on a experience;
3) Participate: Become one with your experience, completely forgetting yourself
Mindfulness Skills: "How" skills
• Non-Judgmental
• One-Mindfully
• Effectively
Mindfulness Skills: Observe
What Skills
First of three steps
• Just noticing our experience without getting caught up in it or reacting to it
• Letting experiences/feelings/thoughts come into your mind and slip out
• Control your attention
• Watch your thoughts coming and going like clouds
• Noticing what we experience through each of your senses
Mindfulness Skills: Describe
What Skills
Second of three steps
• Put words on the experience: acknowledge the feeling/experience
• Put experiences into words: Describe what is happening
Mindfulness Skills: Participate
What Skills
Third of three steps
• After observing what is going on inside and around, describing things precisely, one can then engage in
the activities and interactions of life in a mindful way.
-- Become one with your experience
-- Act Intuitively
-- Practice skills
1. changing harmful situations
2. changing your harmful reaction to situations
3. accepting yourself and the situation as they are
Mindfulness Skills: Non-Judgmental
How Skills
• DON'T evaluate self/others
• UNGLUE your opinion
• Accept each moment
Distress Tolerance Skills (crisis survival)
ACCEPTS, Self Soothing, IMPROVE, Pros/Cons, Radical Acceptance, Willingness, Turning Mind, & Accepting
Reality
Distress tolerance: ACCEPTS
A- activities
C- contributing
C- comparisons
E- opposite emotions
P- pushing away
T- thoughts
S- sensations
Distress tolerance: Self Soothe
Taste
Smell
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Distress tolerance: IMPROVE (the moment)
I- imagery
M- meaning
P- prayer
R- relaxation
O- one thing at a time
V- vacation
E- encouragement
Distress tolerance: Pros & Cons
Make a pros/cons list of tolerating the distress
Make another list of the pros and cons of no tolerating the distress
(Focus on long-term goals, the light at the end of the tunnel)
Mindfulness Skills
Wise Mind, "What" skills, and "How" skills
Mindfulness Skills: "What" skills
Three Steps (Not done all at once)
1) Observe: Notice without getting caught in experience;
, DBT skills. Final Exam Test 2026\2027.
2) Describe: Put words on a experience;
3) Participate: Become one with your experience, completely forgetting yourself
Mindfulness Skills: "How" skills
• Non-Judgmental
• One-Mindfully
• Effectively
Mindfulness Skills: Observe
What Skills
First of three steps
• Just noticing our experience without getting caught up in it or reacting to it
• Letting experiences/feelings/thoughts come into your mind and slip out
• Control your attention
• Watch your thoughts coming and going like clouds
• Noticing what we experience through each of your senses
Mindfulness Skills: Describe
What Skills
Second of three steps
• Put words on the experience: acknowledge the feeling/experience
• Put experiences into words: Describe what is happening
Mindfulness Skills: Participate
What Skills
Third of three steps
• After observing what is going on inside and around, describing things precisely, one can then engage in
the activities and interactions of life in a mindful way.
-- Become one with your experience
-- Act Intuitively
-- Practice skills
1. changing harmful situations
2. changing your harmful reaction to situations
3. accepting yourself and the situation as they are
Mindfulness Skills: Non-Judgmental
How Skills
• DON'T evaluate self/others
• UNGLUE your opinion
• Accept each moment
