DBT-Distress Tolerance

 

DBT : Distress Tolerance. The Acronym 'ACCEPTS' is used when learning Distress Tolerance . This skill is about Distracting’:

Distracting means changing the focus from something that is negative and distressing to something more neutral or enjoyable. This can be done through acronym

ACCEPTS:

“A – is for activities and distracting oneself with healthy, enjoyable pursuits such as hobbies, exercise, and visiting with friends.

C – is for contributing and doing things to help others, through volunteering or just a thoughtful gesture.

C – is for comparing oneself to those less fortunate, finding reasons to be grateful.

E – is for emotion; identifying the current negative emotion and acting in an opposite manner, such as dancing or singing when one is feeling sad.

P – is for pushing away, by mentally leaving the current situation and focusing on something pleasant and unconnected to the present circumstances.

T – is for thoughts; diverting one’s attention from the negative feelings with unrelated and

neural thoughts, such as counting items or doing a puzzle.

S – is for sensations, and distracting oneself with physical sensations using multiple senses, like holding an ice cube, drinking a hot beverage, or enjoying a warm foot

soak.”

(Bray, GoodTherapy, 2013)