TIPP Skills In Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

TIPP skills in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) are used when your emotions are incredibly intense. For example, you feel overwhelmed, can’t think clearly or you’re in a crisis. TIPP skills are also helpful if you have the urge to engage in destructive behaviours such as over eating, drinking to much or self-harm. They work by changing your body chemistry which in turn reduces high emotional arousal. They work fast, usually within seconds and don’t require much thought.

The TIPP acronym stands for:

Temperature
Intense exercise
Paced breathing
Paired muscle relaxation

🔵 CHAPTERS

0:00 Temperature
2:49 Intense Exercise
3:52 Paced Breathing
4:47 Paired Muscle Relaxation

🔵 BOOK RECOMMENDATION

☐ DBT Skills Training Manual By Marsha Linehan: https://amzn.to/3kTzsUn

🔵 TEMPERATURE

The T in TIP stands for temperature and involves changing the temperature of your face with cold water while holding your breath. This induces what’s called the dive reflex, which triggers the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces physiological and emotional arousal. You’re basically biohacking your body because holding your breath and the shock of the cold water tells your body ‘quick preserve energy’. Your rate heart rate slows, blood flow to nonessential organs is reduced and your blood flow is directed to the brain and heart.

*** A WORD OF CAUTION BEFORE TRYING THIS EXERCISE ** Before I explain the procedure in more detail, I want to add a word of caution. Please do not attempt this if you have a heart problem as the drive reflex can reduce your heart rate very quickly, it can even send your heart rate to below resting rate. Also do not attempt this exercise if you take heart medications, beta blockers or you have anorexia or bulimia. I would recommend checking with your medical provider before using this procedure.


🔵 INTENSE EXERCISE

When you’re feeling intense emotions you body is usually mobilised for action. For example, if you feel angry the fight or flight response is usually triggered and your body is ready to defend or run away. In situations like this intense exercise can calm the body and the mind. The idea is to engage in aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes. This can include running outside, using a skipping rope, running up and down the stairs or jumping up and down on the spot. See what works for you and if you can’t do 20 minutes minutes then don’t worry just do what you can.

🔵 PACED BREATHING

Paced breathing can trigger the parasympathetic nervous in a similar way to the dive reflex. First, make sure you breathe from the belly area not from your chest. Also slow down your breathing which can reduce emotional arousal. You may also want to experiment with making your out breath a little longer than your in breath. The key points to paced breathing are, breath from the belly, slow down your breathing and make the out breath a little longer than the in breath.

🔵 PAIRED MUSCLE RELAXATION

With this TIPP skill you are bringing your attention to each muscle group, tensing the muscle as you breath in, then releasing the muscle as you breath out. As you breath out your may also say the world ‘relax’ either in your mind or out loud. I have a made a about PMR so please click on the video below:

PMR Video:    • Progressive Muscle Relaxation WITH MU...  

🔵 WORK WITH ME

If you'd like to work with Teresa, or a member of the Lewis Psychology team, please click on the links below:

☐ Lewis Psychology CIC (for face to face therapy): https://www.lewispsy.org.uk
☐ Lewis Psychology Online (for online therapy): https://lewispsyonline.co.uk

🔵 ABOUT TERESA LEWIS

Teresa Lewis is the founder and Director of Lewis Psychology and a Senior Accredited psychotherapist with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Snr. Accred). Qualified in 1995, Teresa has been providing counselling and psychotherapy treatment for nearly 30 years. Teresa holds a masters degree in counselling and psychotherapy and is a qualified EMDR Practitioner having completed training accredited with EMDR Europe. Teresa is also a qualified adult educator and an accredited Mindfulness teacher As a recognised expert in her field Teresa is frequently asked to conduct editorial reviews and endorse counselling and psychotherapy books for international publishing houses.

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