Have you ever had a moment where you thought, “I didn’t handle that stressful situation in the best way”? Most can relate to reflecting on a stressful and not ideal situation, with a critical eye to their self-management. This can be difficult due to falling into our natural fight or flight responses. These are situations in which we can utilize our distress tolerance skills, as these skills are used to healthily distract self, manage ourselves in a difficult moment or situation, and increase self-soothing. TIPP skills are one group, out of several, distress tolerance skills, that can be utilized to increase distress tolerance.
What are TIPP skills?
TIPP skills are a cluster of distress tolerance skills, utilized in dialectical behavioral therapy. This group of skills focuses on utilizing the body, and altering body chemistry, to effectively manage through a distressing moment or situation. TIPP skills are especially beneficial because “Emotional trauma, regardless of what type of incident or stage of life it stems from, teaches the body certain triggers that put it in a state associated with evolutionary survival instincts” (source 1). These skills aid in appeasing the stress response that the body can automatically default towards, due to past trauma.
Examples of TIPP skills:
Temperature – Placing your face in a bowl of ice water for 10 seconds, holding ice, cold shower.
How it works: Exposure to cold utilizes a natural response that the body has to cold temperatures, which aids in shifting the body’s focus from fight or flight to conserve.
Intense Exercise – Running in place, one minute to see how many push-ups or jumping jacks can be done, running, or walking.
How it works: Intense exercise provides an outlet to burn off the stress responses of fight or flight.
Paced Breathing – 4x4x4 breathing; inhale through your nose to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 4, exhale out of your mouth to the count of 4.
How it works: When mindfully breathing, this signals to the body to go from fight/flight to the rest and digest mode.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation – The process of tensing and relaxing zones of muscles throughout the body, starting from your feet and working your way upward.
How it works: PMR aids in creating a relaxed, less tense sensation throughout the body and muscle groups.
While there are several ways to effectively build distress tolerance, TIPP skills are an excellent way to manage daily stressors, as well as triggers linked to traumatic events.
Explore these skills with a counselor
If you are interested in exploring TIPP skills with a counselor, please contact us!
Sources:
Skill-Driven Catharsis: DBT and the TIPP Protocol for Regulated Release of Repressed Trauma
