Dbt Skills

Front 1

WISEMIND

Back 1

* Integration of "EMOTION mind" (or "feeling

mind") and "RATIONAL mind" (or "thinking

mind")

* Allows intuition

Find it in the belly, center of your head, or by following your breath

Front 2

OBSERVE

(JUST NOTICE)

"What" skill

Back 2

* Just NOTICE--no interpretations

* Be ALERT
* LET GO of distraction
* COME BACK to the moment (and what you are

doing)
* Notice what flows through your SENSES

* Push nothing away. Cling to nothing.

Front 3

DESCRIBE

"What" skill

Back 3

* STAY IN YOUR MIND:

eg. stomach muscles tightening, sadness has

enveloped me, a thought "I can't do this" has

come into my mind
* Put EXPERIENCE INTO WORDS
* DESCRIBE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOURSELF
(Put a name on your feelings. Call a thought

just a thought, a feeling just a feeling)
* DON'T GET CAUGHT IN CONTENT

Front 4

PARTICIPATE

"What" skill

Back 4

* THROWING YOURSELF IN

* BECOME ONE with your experience, completely

forgetting yourself
* ACT INTUITIVELY from the WISE MIND. Do just

WHAT IS NEEDED in each situation
* PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Front 5

NON-JUDGEMENTALLY

Just the Facts

"How" skill

Back 5

* Be aware, DON'T EVALUATE

* FOCUS ON "WHAT" (NOT: "good or bad"

"terrible or wonderful" " should or should not")
* Unglue your OPINIONS from FACT
* ACCEPT each moment
* ACKNOWLEDGE the helpful, the wholesome,
the harmful, the unwholesome, but don't judge

* When you find yourself judging, DON'T JUDGE

YOUR JUDGING

Front 6

ONE-MINDFULLY

(IN THE MOMENT)

"How" skill

Back 6

* Do ONE thing at a time

* LET GO of distractions and go back to ONE

thing -- again, and again, and again.

* Focus your attention on the very moment you

are in
* CONCENTRATE YOUR MIND

If you find yourself doing two things at once,

stop, go back to one thing at a time

Front 7

EFFECTIVELY

(FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS)

"How" skill

Back 7

* Focus on what WORKS

NOT WHAT IS: fair or unfair, right or wrong
* ACT SKILLFULLY: Meet the need of the situation

you ARE CURRENTLY IN. Not the situation you

WISH you were in.
* KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR OBJECTIVES
* LET GO: of vengeance, useless anger, and

righteousness that hurts you and doesn't work

Front 8

"TIP" skills

Back 8

Temperature change--use hot or cold

Intense physical activity--all out

Paced breathing--inhale:exhale in 1:2 ratio

Front 9

DISTRACT

with "Wise Mind ACCEPTS"

Back 9

Momentary help for tolerating distress

Activities: exercise, hobbies, etc.
Contributing: volunteer work, etc.
Comparisons: compare yourself to people

coping the same as you or less well than you
Emotions: Opposite emotion activities
Pushing Away: take a break
Thoughts: logical-mind
Sensation: unique or intense sensations

Front 10

SELF-SOOTHE

Back 10

USING YOUR SENSES
* Vision: mountains, trees, flowers, TV, book

* Hearing: loud music, rain

* Smell: lotion, outside
* Taste: gum, candy

* Touch: chapstick, bubble bath, massage

* Movement: blow bubbles, play with silly putty

Front 11

"IMPROVE" THE MOMENT

Back 11

Imagery: relaxing scenes. Imagine failing well
Meaning: find purpose or value in the pain
Prayer: open mind to a greater wisdom
Relaxation: breathe deeply, half smile, relax
One thing in the moment: focus on movement
Vacation: give yourself a brief vacation
Encouragement: "go me!", self-validation

Front 12

PROS AND CONS

Back 12

* PRO: think of all the positive consequences of tolerating the distress. Imagine how good you will feel if you achieve your goals, if you don't act impulsively

* CON: think of all the negative consequences of not tolerating your current distress. Remember what has happened in the past when you have acted impulsively to escape the moment

Front 13

Guides for

ACCEPTING REALITY

Back 13

* OBSERVING YOUR BREATH

deep breathing, counting breaths
* HALF-SMILE

Let go, accept reality with your body

in free time, when irritated, upon awakening,

* AWARENESS
of body positions, of breath, of activities, of

connection to others. Open hands. Saying

"Yes"

Front 14

RADICAL ACCEPTANCE

Back 14

* Freedom from suffering requires ACCEPTANCE

from deep within of what is. Let go of fighting

reality. It allows you to move on.
* Pain creates SUFFERING only when you refuse

to ACCEPT the pain.
* Deciding to tolerate the moment is

ACCEPTANCE--acknowledging what IS
* To ACCEPT something is not the same as

judging it good

Front 15

WILLINGNESS

Back 15

WILLINGNESS in each situation
* Doing just what is needed in each situation.

* Focus on effectiveness.
* Listening very carefully to your WISE MIND,

acting from your inner self
* ALLOWING into your awareness your

connection to the universe-to the floor you are

standing on, to the person you are talking to

Front 16

REDUCE VULNERABILITY

"PLEASE MASTER"

Back 16

REDUCE VULNERABILITY TO EMOTION MIND:

treat PhysicaL illness: take care of your body
balance Eating: get good nutrition
avoid mood-Altering drugs: meds as Rx
balance Sleep: get regular sleep
get Exercise: everyday!

build MASTERy--try to do one thing a day to make yourself feel competent and in control.

Front 17

BUILD POSITIVE EXPERIENCES

Back 17

* SHORT TERM: Plan for today and this week

Increase pleasant events that prompt positive

emotions
* LONG TERM: MAKE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE SO THAT POSITIVE EVENTS WILL OCCUR MORE OFTEN. (Make a list. Take the first step)
* WORK ON STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS
* AVOID AVOIDING

Front 18

OPPOSITE TO EMOTION ACTION

Back 18

* FEAR: Do what you are afraid of doing OVER

and OVER and OVER. APPROACH.
* GUILT OR SHAME: Justified vs unjustified

REPAIR (if justified) or APPROACH (if unjustified)
* SADNESS OR DEPRESSION: Get ACTIVE,

APPROACH, don't avoid

* Anger: Gently avoid. Be decent. Relaxed

posture.

Front 19

Factors Reducing

INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENSS

Back 19

* LACK OF SKILL - you don't know how to achieve

your objectives
* WORRY THOUGHTS - re: bad consequences,

whether you deserve good/bad, re: your skills.

* EMOTIONS - interfere with your ability to act

effectively. Emotions instead of skill control

what you say or do.
* INDECISION - You CAN'T DECIDE what to do or

what you really want.
* ENVIRONMENT - SKILLFUL BEHAVIOR DOESN'T

ALWAYS WORK

Front 20

OBJECTIVE EFFECTIVENESS

(What I Want)

"DEAR MAN"

Back 20

Describe the current situation
Express your feelings and opinions re: situation
Assert yourself by asking for what you want or

saying "no" clearly
Reinforce or reward the person ahead of time.
Mindfully keep your focus on your objectives
Appear confident and effective. Good eye contact
Negotiate; be willing to give in order to get

Front 21

RELATIONSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

(How they feel)

"GIVE"

Back 21

be Gentle; be courteous and temperate in your approach. No attacks No threats No judging
act Interested: be interested in the other person. Be patient LISTEN
Validate: validate the other person's feelings about the situation
Use Easy manner: use a little humour. SMILE; be light hearted

Front 22

SELF-RESPECT EFFECTIVENESS

(How I feel)

"FAST"

Back 22

be Fair to YOURSELF and the OTHER person
no Apologetic dramatization. No apologizing for being alive, or making a request. No apologizing for having an opinion or for disagreeing
Stick to your own values. Be clear on what you believe
be Truthful. DON'T LIE, ACT HELPLESS, or EXAGGERATE. Don't make up excuses. Don't minimize or exaggerate.

Front 23

LETTING GO OF EMOTIONAL SUFFERING
(Being mindful of your current emotion)

Back 23

* OBSERVE YOUR EMOTION: NOTE its presence.

Step BACK, Get UNSTUCK from the emotion

YOU ARE NOT YOUR EMOTION: You do not

need to ACT on each emotion. Remember times

when you felt different
* EXPERIENCE YOUR EMOTION: As a WAVE,

coming and going. Try not to Suppress or Hold

on to emotion.
* PRACTICE LOVING YOUR EMOTION
* Don't JUDGE your emotion.

Front 24

Improve Motivation

Check your "VITALS"

Back 24

Validate the "I don't want to"

Imagine yourself doing the behavior productively

Take small steps

Applaud yourself for progress-even the small

steps!

Lighten your load-do things now. If it takes 5

minutes, do it now!

Sweeten the pot-positive reward for taking steps