Short definitions of the DBT terms used in the articles on this site, in alphabetical order. Linked terms open the article where they are explained in more detail. The definitions are for education and are not a substitute for professional assessment or treatment.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
A set of DBT distraction strategies for getting through a hard moment: activities, contributing, comparisons, emotions, pushing away, thoughts and sensations. Read more in DBT Distress Tolerance Skills: Crisis Survival, Part 2.
B
DBT's account of how emotion dysregulation develops: a transaction between a temperament that runs hot and an environment that sometimes dismisses or punishes emotional reactions, rather than a single cause. Read more in Understanding Emotion Dysregulation.
C
Check the facts
An emotion regulation skill: asking whether an emotion and its intensity fit what actually happened.
Comprehensive DBT
The full treatment, with four parts that work together: individual therapy, skills training, coaching between sessions and a consultation team for the therapists. Shorter, skills-focused versions are also used.
Consultation team
The therapists' own team in comprehensive DBT, which supports the therapist in delivering the treatment.
Distress tolerance skills for getting through an intense moment without making things worse, such as STOP, TIPP, pros and cons, ACCEPTS, IMPROVE and self-soothe. Read more in DBT Crisis Survival Skills.
D
DEAR MAN
The DBT interpersonal effectiveness skill for asking for what you want or saying no: Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, stay Mindful, Appear confident and Negotiate.
A mindfulness What skill: putting words on what you observe, sticking to facts rather than stories. Read more in The DBT Describe Skill: A Mindfulness Exercise.
Holding two things that both seem true at the same time, above all acceptance and change. It is the philosophy underneath DBT skills. Read more in The Dialectical Philosophy Under DBT Skills.
Distress tolerance
One of the four DBT skill modules, for moments when pain is high and the problem cannot be fixed right now. It includes getting through a crisis without adding damage and accepting reality as it is.
E
A mindfulness How skill: doing what works in the situation. Read more in DBT How Skills: The Way You Practice Mindfulness.
Difficulty responding to emotions in ways that fit the situation and your goals. It may involve intense or prolonged feelings, difficulty identifying or accepting them, impulsive actions, or trouble using a helpful strategy. Read more in Understanding Emotion Dysregulation.
Emotion mind
The state of mind in which feelings are in charge: thinking follows the mood and the urge to act is strong.
Emotion regulation
A DBT skill module about understanding what emotions do, lowering vulnerability to painful ones, and deciding when changing an emotion, or how you express it, would help.
F
FAST
An interpersonal effectiveness skill for keeping your self-respect: be Fair, no unnecessary Apologies, Stick to your values and be Truthful.
G
GIVE
An interpersonal effectiveness skill for protecting the relationship: be Gentle, act Interested, Validate and use an Easy manner.
H
Half smile
A slight, relaxed lift of the corners of the mouth, used with willing hands to help the body move toward acceptance.
The three DBT mindfulness skills that describe the way you practice: non-judgmentally, one-mindfully and effectively. Read more in DBT How Skills: The Way You Practice Mindfulness.
I
A set of crisis survival strategies for changing how a hard moment feels: imagery, meaning, prayer, relaxing actions, one thing in the moment, a brief vacation and encouragement. Read more in DBT Distress Tolerance Skills: Crisis Survival, Part 2.
Interpersonal effectiveness
The DBT skill module for asking for something, or saying no, without damaging the relationship or your self-respect.
L
Marsha Linehan's term for building a life that feels worth living rather than merely tolerable. The goals give the change side of DBT a direction. Read more in Life Worth Living Goals.
M
Bringing full, non-judgmental awareness to an emotion as it unfolds in the present moment, without pushing it away or feeding it. Read more in Mindfulness of Current Emotions: A DBT Skill.
N
A mindfulness How skill: seeing what is there without labeling it good or bad. Read more in DBT How Skills: The Way You Practice Mindfulness.
O
A mindfulness What skill: noticing sensations, thoughts and surroundings without words or judgment. Read more in The DBT Observe Skill: A Mindfulness Exercise.
A mindfulness How skill: doing one thing at a time, with full attention. Read more in DBT How Skills: The Way You Practice Mindfulness.
An emotion regulation skill: acting opposite to an emotion's urge when the emotion does not fit the facts, or when its intensity or acting on its urge would not be effective. Read more in Cultivating Pride With Opposite Action.
P
Part of TIPP: slowing the breath to about five or six breaths a minute, with the exhale longer than the inhale. Read more in TIPP Skills: DBT TIP for Calming Extreme Emotions.
Part of TIPP: tensing a muscle group as you breathe in and releasing it as you breathe out. Read more in TIPP Skills: DBT TIP for Calming Extreme Emotions.
A mindfulness What skill: throwing yourself fully into an activity. Read more in DBT What Skills: Observe, Describe, Participate.
A crisis survival skill for thinking through the consequences of acting, or not acting, on an urge before deciding. Read more in DBT Crisis Survival Skills.
R
Radical acceptance
Accepting reality as it is, completely, with your mind, heart and body, when it cannot be changed right now. Accepting a fact is not approving of it.
Reasonable mind
The state of mind that is cool, logical and planning. It is good at facts, but on its own it can miss what matters.
S
A crisis survival skill: comforting yourself through the five senses. Read more in DBT Crisis Survival Skills.
DBT's view that much suffering reflects skills a person has not yet had the chance to learn, rather than a flaw in the person. Read more in Recognizing Skills Deficits.
A crisis survival skill for the moment an urge is about to become action: Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully. Read more in When Fast Thinking Can Be Ineffective.
T
The T in TIPP: cool water on the face, above 50°F (10°C), as one way to work with intense physical arousal. Keep any breath hold comfortable, and check with a doctor first if you have a relevant medical condition. Read more in DBT Temperature Skill: Cold Water for Intense Emotions.
Four distress tolerance skills that work through the body: Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing and Paired muscle relaxation. Read more in TIPP Skills: DBT TIP for Calming Extreme Emotions.
Turning the mind
Choosing acceptance again each time you notice you have drifted back into fighting reality.
U
Urge surfing
A mindfulness skill for staying with an urge and watching how it changes, without fighting it and without giving in, so you can choose what you do.
V
Communicating that another person's feelings or point of view make sense in some way. Validating is not the same as agreeing. Read more in Validation Is Not Agreement.
W
A DBT skill for moving away from all or nothing thinking and recognizing that two things that seem opposite can both be true, such as warmth and a firm limit. Read more in Walking the Middle Path as a Parent.
The three DBT mindfulness skills that describe what you do when you practice: observe, describe and participate. Read more in DBT What Skills: Observe, Describe, Participate.
Willfulness
Imposing your will on reality, insisting things be different than they are, or refusing to do what the situation needs.
Willing hands
Resting the hands open with palms up, a body practice that supports acceptance.
Willingness
Doing what the situation actually needs, wholeheartedly, and working with reality skillfully.
Wise mind
The state of mind that integrates emotional information, facts and what is effective. You may still feel anxious or uncertain in it.
