{ "kind": "node-detail-initial-slice", "version": "0.2.78", "generatedAt": "2026-10-02T19:25:44.323Z", "locale": "en", "route": "/en/practice/skills/opposite-action/", "nodeId": "opposite-action", "nodeType": "skill", "node": { "id": "opposite-action", "type": "skill", "title": "Opposite Action", "searchAliases": [ "Opposite Action", "Entgegengesetztes Handeln" ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Opposite behavior change · Action urge reversal", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When the emotional impulse takes you deeper into the problem instead of out.", "purpose": "Targetedly undermining an inappropriate or ineffective emotional action tendency through counter-directed behavior so that the emotion and direction of action can change.", "applicationContext": "When an emotion or its impulse to act does not fit the facts or is useless for the current goal, such as avoidance, withdrawal, attack or hiding.", "longDescription": { "text": "Opposite action is the skill of deliberately acting counter to the behavioral urge that an emotion generates — and doing so all the way, not halfway. Every emotion produces an action urge: fear urges avoidance; shame urges hiding; anger urges attack; sadness urges withdrawal. These urges are adaptive in some contexts and harmful in others. When an emotion does not fit the facts of a situation, or when acting on it would make things worse, acting opposite to the urge repeatedly changes the emotion itself. This is not suppression — it is behavioral change that feeds back into the emotional system. The most effective treatments for depression, anxiety, and anger all work through this mechanism. Opposite action must be done fully: approaching what is feared, not just tolerating it from a distance.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XIV", "page": 362 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9, Section 10", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9, Section 10", "whenToUse": "If Check the Facts speaks against the emotional reaction direction and the situation itself does not need to be changed primarily.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "When an emotion or its action urge is driving the crisis, acting opposite is the most direct interruption - Opposite Action is crisis intervention through behavior change." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotions-model", "emotion-exposure", "contingency-management", "exposure-based-cognitive-rehearsal", "loving-kindness", "recognizing-emotions", "emotion-functions" ], "situations": [ "wut-aerger", "scham", "trauer-verlust", "angst-panik", "ekel", "eifersucht" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Check the Facts vs. Opposite Action vs. Problem Solving", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [ { "label": "Primary question", "current": "Which action would deliberately go against my current emotional direction?", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Does my appraisal actually fit the situation?", "problem-solving": "Which changeable part can I address concretely?" } }, { "label": "Direction", "current": "Change emotion-driven action tendencies through a deliberately opposite response.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Correct interpretation, assumptions, and emotional fit.", "problem-solving": "Plan steps, options, and concrete change." } }, { "label": "Typical context", "current": "Withdrawal, attack, avoidance, or freezing as an unhelpful emotional direction.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Fear, shame, uncertainty, escalating thoughts.", "problem-solving": "Daily problems, plannable conflicts, workable obstacles." } } ], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "check-the-facts", "problem-solving" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish between emotion regulation skills that can seem similar but differ in whether they rely on checking, counterdirection, or concrete change.", "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "emotions-model", "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "eifersucht", "label": "Jealousy", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.76, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "entry", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.7, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, "modules": [ { "id": "emotion-regulation", "title": "Emotion Regulation", "description": "Understand and change emotions.", "color": "bg-emerald-500" }, { "id": "distress-tolerance", "title": "Distress Tolerance", "description": "Handle crises without making everything worse.", "color": "bg-rose-500" }, { "id": "mindfulness", "title": "Mindfulness", "description": "The foundation of all DBT skills.", "color": "bg-indigo-500" }, { "id": "interpersonal", "title": "Interpersonal Effectiveness", "description": "Clarify relationships and reach goals.", "color": "bg-amber-500" } ], "relatedNodes": [ { "id": "emotions-model", "type": "framework", "title": "The DBT emotion model", "searchAliases": [ "Das DBT-Emotionsmodell", "Das DBT-Emotionsmodell" ], "description": "Emotion understanding · Emotion process model · Emotion process mapping", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "If you want to understand emotions as a system of triggers, body, evaluation, impulse and action.", "purpose": "Organize emotions as a coherent sequence of triggers, evaluation, body reaction, impulse and behavior so that regulation can start at several points.", "applicationContext": "When emotions seem diffuse, overwhelming or difficult to understand and a structured overall map of how emotional episodes are structured is needed.", "longDescription": { "text": "The DBT Model for Describing Emotions provides a systematic framework for understanding the components of an emotional response and where within the system intervention is possible. The model maps the sequence: vulnerability factors create the context; a prompting event triggers the emotion; interpretations and secondary emotions develop; biological changes occur in the body; action urges arise; and behavioral and verbal expressions follow. Because emotions are full-system responses, changing any component can shift the entire emotional experience. This model is taught before the regulation skills because understanding the structure of an emotion is necessary for choosing where to intervene.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "V", "page": 334 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9", "whenToUse": "If, before actually choosing a skill, a model is needed that breaks down emotional reactions into their components and points of intervention.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "cognitive", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness", "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "The emotions model shows that emotions are processes with triggers, appraisals, and bodily responses - mindfulness makes these individual stages observable." }, { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "Distress-tolerance skills intervene at specific points in the emotions model - people who know the model choose crisis strategies more precisely." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotionsdysregulation", "check-the-facts", "opposite-action", "please-skills", "mindfulness-of-current-emotions" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Model of Emotions vs. Functions of Emotions", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "emotion-functions" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish whether the first step is to understand how an emotion is structured or what biological and social functions it serves.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "please-skills", "emotionsdysregulation", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "please-skills", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0.4, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "emotion-exposure", "type": "protocol", "title": "Emotion Exposure", "searchAliases": [ "Emotion Exposure", "Emotionsexposition" ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Emotion exposure · Emotion tolerance training", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When a feeling not only needs to be understood, but also consciously endured in a safe form.", "purpose": "Consciously seek out or hold stressful feelings in a measured and safe form so that avoidance decreases and emotional tolerance increases.", "applicationContext": "When certain feelings are avoided so much that learning, processing or everyday actions become increasingly difficult.", "longDescription": { "text": "Emotion Exposure is the DBT protocol for systematically approaching feared emotional experiences rather than avoiding them. Avoidance of painful emotions — through distraction, suppression, or escape — is the primary mechanism by which emotional pain is sustained and intensified over time. Exposure works by allowing the emotional experience to occur fully, without the avoidant behaviors that would normally interrupt it, so that the nervous system learns that the emotion can be tolerated and that it passes on its own. In DBT, emotion exposure is closely related to mindfulness of current emotions and to opposite action: both involve staying with emotional experience rather than acting on the urge to escape it. It is distinct from trauma exposure in that it targets the emotion itself rather than specific traumatic memories.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XXIII" } ] }, "sourceId": "workbook-mckay-357p", "sourceLabel": "McKay Workbook", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 8", "sourceCategory": "Workbook-oriented", "sourceType": "Workbook", "sourceTrustSignal": "Practice-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "high", "sourceAudienceFit": "Learning-oriented", "sourceNote": "McKay Workbook · Chapter 8", "whenToUse": "When a feeling not only has to be understood, but also endured within a protected framework so that its power over behavior decreases.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "Emotional exposure means tolerating feelings instead of avoiding them - it is the therapeutic version of Distress Tolerance: practicing endurance, not only management." } ], "relatedIds": [ "weekly-regulator" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik" ], "comparisonTitle": "Understanding and influencing emotions", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "recognizing-emotions" ], "comparisonDescription": "Recognising emotions clarifies which feeling is being experienced. Emotion exposure concerns allowing feelings that have been avoided; opposite action addresses the action urge when it does not fit the facts or the goal.", "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from a tool or procedure into the next meaningful continuation.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "recognizing-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "recognizing-emotions", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0.4, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "contingency-management", "type": "framework", "title": "Contingency Management", "searchAliases": [ "Contingency Management", "Kontingenzmanagement" ], "description": "Treatment structure · Reinforcement logic · Behavior consequence management", "priorityRank": 21, "priorityLabel": "More foundational", "priorityDescription": "This node is more about preparation, stabilization, or later deepening around prepare for stress.", "cardPreview": "When behavior should not only be understood, but also specifically shaped through consequences.", "purpose": "Targeted behavior through clear consequences and reinforcement conditions so that helpful behavior becomes more likely and problematic behavior becomes less attractive.", "applicationContext": "When behavioral change requires not just insight, but a consciously designed logic of consequences in everyday life or settings.", "longDescription": { "text": "Contingency Management is the systematic application of behavioral reinforcement principles to change behavior: identifying the consequences that currently maintain an undesired behavior, and restructuring those consequences so that more effective behavior is reinforced instead. In DBT, contingency management is applied both by therapists (who are taught not to reinforce therapy-interfering behaviors inadvertently) and taught to clients as an interpersonal effectiveness skill (influencing others' behavior through reinforcement rather than coercion). It is grounded in the basic behavioral principle that behavior is shaped by its consequences — and that changing consequences changes behavior more reliably than insight or willpower alone.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 5, "section": "III" } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 5", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 5", "whenToUse": "When behavior is to be systematically shaped via reward, reinforcement or consequences.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "skill-integration", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "foundationalCategory": "therapy-process", "secondaryModules": [ "emotion-regulation", "interpersonal" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "contextText": "Behavioral consequences also shape emotional response patterns - understanding how reinforcement works lets you approach emotion regulation through behavior design as well." }, { "moduleId": "interpersonal", "contextText": "Interpersonal behavior patterns are shaped by consequences - contingency management explains why certain communication patterns persist despite suffering." } ], "relatedIds": [], "situations": [ "belastung-vorbereiten", "rueckfall-suchtimpuls" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "protocol-contingency-management-procedures" ], "comparisonTitle": "Foundations and training practice", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "skills-training-target-hierarchy", "dear-man", "opposite-action" ], "comparisonDescription": "The target hierarchy identifies which behaviours take priority in training; contingency management examines the consequences that influence behaviour. DEAR MAN and opposite action offer specific skills for conversations and emotional action urges, respectively.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "protocol-contingency-management-procedures", "opposite-action", "skills-training-target-hierarchy", "dear-man" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "protocol-contingency-management-procedures", "label": "Switch into a sequence", "description": "This connection leads into a clearer step sequence when the next move should become graspable as a process.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "skills-training-target-hierarchy", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "dear-man", "label": "Open the structure behind it", "description": "This connection opens the higher-level structure in which the current node is embedded.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "belastung-vorbereiten", "label": "Prepare for Stress", "entryType": "prevention", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "prepare", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.76, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "rueckfall-suchtimpuls", "label": "Relapse risk or addictive urge", "entryType": "prevention", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "prepare", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.76, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "exposure-based-cognitive-rehearsal", "type": "tool", "title": "Exposure-Based Cognitive Rehearsal", "searchAliases": [ "Exposure-Based Cognitive Rehearsal", "Expositionsbasiertes Kognitives Probehandeln" ], "description": "Treatment structure · Transfer training · State-dependent skill retrieval", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When effective reactions must be practiced in advance so that they are available in the real moment.", "purpose": "Mentally and behaviorally play through stressful or risky situations in advance so that effective reactions are available more quickly in the real moment.", "applicationContext": "When a difficult situation is foreseeable and it is not enough to just be generally prepared, but specific reaction steps must be mentally and practically modeled.", "longDescription": { "text": "Exposure-Based Cognitive Rehearsal combines exposure principles with imagery rehearsal to address both the emotional avoidance that sustains distress and the behavioral deficits that prevent skillful coping. The approach involves identifying a feared or avoided situation, creating a vivid mental image of it in the present tense, and then rehearsing effective coping within that imagined scenario — including anticipating and coping with setbacks. This is closely related to DBT's Cope Ahead skill but with an explicit exposure component: the goal is not only to prepare for the future situation but to reduce the conditioned fear response to it through repeated imaginal contact without avoidance.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XV.B" } ] }, "sourceId": "workbook-mckay-357p", "sourceLabel": "McKay Workbook", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 11", "sourceCategory": "Workbook-oriented", "sourceType": "Workbook", "sourceTrustSignal": "Practice-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "high", "sourceAudienceFit": "Learning-oriented", "sourceNote": "McKay Workbook · Chapter 11", "whenToUse": "When impending stress, fear or risky situations require targeted preparation so that old, automatic behavior does not take control again.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "skill-integration", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "foundationalCategory": "therapy-process", "secondaryModules": [ "emotion-regulation", "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "contextText": "Cognitively anticipating situations activates emotional responses in milder form - rehearsing ahead is itself emotional exposure and thus regulation training." }, { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "Mentally anticipating crisis-adjacent situations and rehearsing strategies is crisis prevention through preparation." } ], "relatedIds": [ "opposite-action", "problem-solving", "radical-acceptance", "wise-mind" ], "situations": [ "belastung-vorbereiten", "angst-panik" ], "comparisonTitle": "Related content: Transfer and integration", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "daily-practices-for-emotional-health" ], "learningPathType": "cross-module-transfer", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes deliberately lead into a second DBT module space when the current content must be carried across modules.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "problem-solving", "radical-acceptance", "wise-mind" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "problem-solving", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "radical-acceptance", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "wise-mind", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "belastung-vorbereiten", "label": "Prepare for Stress", "entryType": "prevention", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "prepare", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.78, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "loving-kindness", "type": "skill", "title": "Loving Kindness", "searchAliases": [ "Loving Kindness", "Liebende Güte" ], "evidenceContinuations": [ { "nodeId": "exercise-loving-kindness-worksheet", "relationId": "rel-290", "kind": "practice", "placement": "next", "moduleId": "mindfulness", "reason": "To try and reflect on the practice, use the worksheet to record whom your kind wishes were directed toward and what you noticed.", "priority": 1, "evidence": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-handouts-worksheets-446p", "locator": "Mindfulness Worksheet 6 / Handout 8", "path": "books/#06 Linehan_skills_handouts_worksheets (446p)/07_mindfulness/34_worksheet_06_loving-kindness-mindfulness-handout-8.md", "lineStart": 18, "lineEnd": 37, "sha256": "ef6ff0d0906cbaf66eee159ffb73494bbfb6d0e174535907368bd5124b6d24af" } ] } ], "description": "Compassion practice · Metta practice · Warm wishes practice", "priorityRank": 6, "priorityLabel": "Situationally important", "priorityDescription": "This node becomes especially important when shame describes the actual situation.", "cardPreview": "If you want to practice active, warm affection instead of just distance from yourself or others.", "purpose": "Cultivate an attitude of benevolent friendliness so that harshness, self- or other-devaluation, and emotional constriction are softened.", "applicationContext": "When inner severity, distance or defensiveness are so strong that more warmth and connection must be consciously built up.", "longDescription": { "text": "Loving-kindness is the practice of deliberately generating feelings of warmth, goodwill, and care — first toward oneself, then extending outward to others, including those who are neutral or difficult. In DBT it appears in the context of mindfulness and as a component of some distress tolerance and emotion regulation practices. The practice works by activating affiliative emotional states rather than threat-based ones, reducing the dominance of self-criticism and social anxiety. Research on loving-kindness meditation shows consistent effects on positive affect, social connection, and self-compassion. It is particularly relevant for those who have experienced chronic shame or difficulty accessing warmth toward themselves. The practice does not require believing one deserves care — it begins with the intention to extend it, and works through repetition.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 7, "section": "XI" } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 7; Teaching Notes Mindfulness Handout 8", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 7; Teaching Notes Mindfulness Handout 8", "whenToUse": "When mindfulness should not only be neutrally observing, but also expressly friendly and benevolent.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "acceptance", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "mindfulness", "secondaryModules": [ "interpersonal" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "interpersonal", "contextText": "Strengthening compassion for oneself and others is the emotional foundation for validation, gentleness, and authentic interpersonal connection." } ], "relatedIds": [ "wise-mind", "mindfulness-of-others", "opposite-action", "spaciousness-and-stillness" ], "situations": [ "scham", "trauer-verlust", "beziehung-reparieren", "schuld", "liebe" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-loving-kindness-worksheet" ], "comparisonTitle": "Loving Kindness vs. Self-Compassion", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "self-compassion" ], "comparisonDescription": "Distinguishes loving kindness as a deliberate practice of warmth and goodwill from self-compassion as a compassionate response to one’s own suffering.", "learningPathType": "cross-module-transfer", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes deliberately lead into a second DBT module space when the current content must be carried across modules.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "mindfulness-of-others", "opposite-action", "exercise-loving-kindness-worksheet", "wise-mind" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "mindfulness-of-others", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-loving-kindness-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" }, { "nodeId": "wise-mind", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "cross-module-transfer" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "liebe", "label": "Love or connection", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "stabilize", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "stabilize", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.78, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "schuld", "label": "Guilt or guilt feelings", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "stabilize", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.7, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "stabilize", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "beziehung-reparieren", "label": "Repair a Relationship", "entryType": "interpersonal", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "recognizing-emotions", "type": "framework", "title": "Recognizing Emotions", "searchAliases": [ "Recognizing Emotions", "Emotionen erkennen" ], "description": "Emotion understanding · Early emotion detection · Emotion signal detection", "priorityRank": 3, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when inner restlessness or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When early emotional signals need to be recognized before they overwhelm you.", "purpose": "Make early emotional signals, patterns and differences more noticeable so that regulation can begin earlier and more specifically.", "applicationContext": "When emotions are often only noticed in the late escalation stage or feelings, body signals and impulses are still difficult to distinguish.", "longDescription": { "text": "Recognizing Emotions is the DBT skill of observing and describing one's emotional experience with specificity and accuracy — identifying what emotion is present, its intensity, its triggers, and its components. Research shows that being specific about an emotion (rather than describing it in general terms) improves the ability to regulate it. The skill involves matching current experience to the characteristic pattern of an emotion: its prompting events, typical body sensations, action urges, and expressions. Guilt and shame are distinguished (shame evaluates the whole self; guilt evaluates specific behavior), and jealousy and envy are separated (jealousy involves a threat to something one has; envy involves wanting what another has). Naming emotions accurately reduces their intensity and separates the person from the emotion enough to choose a response.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "X", "page": 346 } ] }, "sourceId": "workbook-mckay-357p", "sourceLabel": "McKay Workbook", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 7", "sourceCategory": "Workbook-oriented", "sourceType": "Workbook", "sourceTrustSignal": "Practice-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "high", "sourceAudienceFit": "Learning-oriented", "sourceNote": "McKay Workbook · Chapter 7", "whenToUse": "If before emotion regulation, checking the facts or choosing a skill, it must first be recognized more clearly what is actually happening emotionally.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "cognitive", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "Perceiving emotions early requires mindfulness-based awareness of body and feeling - without mindfulness, early signs go unnoticed." } ], "relatedIds": [ "opposite-action", "check-the-facts" ], "situations": [ "orientierung-verstehen", "scham", "innere-unruhe", "wut-aerger", "ekel", "freude-glueck", "ueberraschung", "interesse" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Understanding and influencing emotions", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "cognitive-vulnerability", "emotion-exposure" ], "comparisonDescription": "Recognition names the current emotion and its signals. Cognitive vulnerability explores the influence of habitual thoughts and assumptions. Emotion exposure takes a different approach: allowing feelings that would otherwise be avoided.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "orientierung-verstehen", "label": "Orientation and Understanding", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.86, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "freude-glueck", "label": "Joy or happiness", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.76, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ueberraschung", "label": "Surprise", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.72, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "interesse", "label": "Interest or curiosity", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.72, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "innere-unruhe", "label": "Inner Restlessness", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "emotion-functions", "type": "framework", "title": "Functions of emotions", "searchAliases": [ "Funktionen von Emotionen", "Funktionen von Emotionen" ], "description": "Emotion understanding · Emotion function interpretation · Emotion function decoding", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When it needs to be made clear what meaningful signaling or protective function an emotion actually has.", "purpose": "Make the functions of emotions understandable so that feelings can be read not only as disturbing states, but also as signals, protective reactions and instructions for action.", "applicationContext": "When emotions are too quickly pathologized, suppressed or misunderstood and their possible message or protective function must first be clarified.", "longDescription": { "text": "Emotion Functions describes why humans have emotions at all — the three primary adaptive purposes that emotions serve. First, emotions motivate and organize action: fear energizes flight, anger energizes defense, love energizes care. These reactions are partially hard-wired and respond faster than deliberate thought. Second, emotions communicate to others: nonverbal emotional expressions rapidly transmit critical social information that would take much longer to express in words. Third, emotions communicate to ourselves: they signal what matters, what is dangerous, what has value. Understanding these functions is foundational to DBT's approach to emotion regulation — because knowing what an emotion is doing makes it possible to decide whether to change it, and if so, how.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "III", "page": 327 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9", "whenToUse": "When, before regulation or behavioral change, it must first be understood what an emotion actually stands for in the current context.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "cognitive", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness", "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "Reading emotions as signals requires a nonjudgmental, observing stance - mindfulness allows contact with emotions without an immediate urge to control them." }, { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "When emotions are understood as meaningful signals rather than enemies, panic decreases in crises - Emotion Functions gives crisis skills a more compassionate frame." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotionsdysregulation", "check-the-facts", "opposite-action" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik", "scham", "trauer-verlust", "ekel" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Model of Emotions vs. Functions of Emotions", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "emotions-model" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish whether the first step is to understand how an emotion is structured or what biological and social functions it serves.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "emotions-model", "emotionsdysregulation", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0.4, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0.4, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] } ], "practiceNodes": [ { "id": "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "type": "exercise", "title": "Opposite Action Worksheet", "searchAliases": [ "Opposite Action Worksheet", "Opposite-Action-Arbeitsblatt" ], "description": "Guided practice · Application worksheet · Structured skill application", "priorityRank": 5, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When counteracting action should be specifically prepared and not just understood.", "purpose": "Apply the individual steps of Opposite Action in writing to a specific emotion and situation.", "applicationContext": "When the emotion's impulse to act is unhelpful and the alternative behavior needs to be specifically prepared.", "longDescription": { "text": "The most important column on this worksheet is the one tracking whether opposite action was done 'all the way' — not halfway. Halfway opposite actions do not change the emotion. The worksheet asks for a before-and-after emotion intensity rating (0–100): if the rating did not decrease, the first diagnostic question is whether the action was truly opposite and truly complete, or whether it was partial. A second common issue is completing the worksheet after the fact without having actually practiced — the worksheet records practice, it does not substitute for it.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XIV" } ] }, "sourceId": "worksheets-handouts-99p", "sourceLabel": "Worksheets Packet", "sourceLocator": "Emotion Regulation Worksheet 7", "sourceType": "Packet", "sourceTrustSignal": "Handout-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Mixed", "sourceNote": "Worksheets Packet · Emotion Regulation Worksheet 7", "whenToUse": "When Opposite Action needs to be worked out not just as an idea, but as a planned change in behavior.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "relatedIds": [ "opposite-action" ], "situations": [ "wut-aerger", "trauer-verlust" ], "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.7, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "type": "exercise", "title": "Figuring Out How to Change Unwanted Emotions", "searchAliases": [ "Figuring Out How to Change Unwanted Emotions", "Unerwuenschte Gefuehle gezielt veraendern" ], "description": "Guided practice · Application worksheet · Structured skill application", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When, after fact-checking, you need to choose the appropriate next path for an unwanted feeling.", "purpose": "Make the change from fact checking to the appropriate follow-up strategy usable as a concrete decision-making exercise.", "applicationContext": "When an emotion is understood, but it still remains unclear whether problem solving, opposing action, emotional mindfulness or acceptance of the consequences are more suitable.", "longDescription": { "text": "This worksheet guides the decision between Opposite Action and Problem Solving — two skills that address emotions from opposite directions. The pivotal question is whether the emotion fits the facts: if the situation is genuinely problematic, the emotion is justified and changing the situation (Problem Solving) is appropriate. If the emotion does not fit the facts, or its intensity far exceeds what the facts warrant, Opposite Action addresses the emotion directly. The worksheet prevents the common error of using Opposite Action when the situation actually needs to change, or using Problem Solving when the emotion is based on a misread of the situation.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XI" } ] }, "sourceId": "worksheets-handouts-99p", "sourceLabel": "Worksheets Packet", "sourceLocator": "Emotion Regulation Worksheet 6 / Handout 9", "sourceType": "Packet", "sourceTrustSignal": "Handout-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Mixed", "sourceNote": "Worksheets Packet · Emotion Regulation Worksheet 6 / Handout 9", "whenToUse": "If, after checking the facts, it is not the term that is used, but the specific next direction of action.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "relatedIds": [ "check-the-facts", "opposite-action", "problem-solving", "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "emotion-functions", "emotions-model", "recognizing-emotions", "emotionsdysregulation" ], "situations": [ "wut-aerger", "angst-panik" ], "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "emotions-model", "recognizing-emotions", "emotionsdysregulation", "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "emotion-functions", "problem-solving" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "recognizing-emotions", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotion-functions", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "problem-solving", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.74, "isPreferred": true } ] } ], "comparisonNodes": [ { "id": "check-the-facts", "type": "skill", "title": "Check the Facts", "searchAliases": [ "Check the Facts", "Fakten pruefen" ], "evidenceContinuations": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "relationId": "rel-141", "kind": "learning", "placement": "decision", "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "reason": "If the emotion does not fit the facts or acting on its urge would not be effective, explore opposite action here.", "priority": 1, "evidence": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-handouts-worksheets-446p", "locator": "Emotion Regulation Handout 10, steps 2–4", "path": "books/#06 Linehan_skills_handouts_worksheets (446p)/09_emotion-regulation/12_handout_10_opposite-action-emotion-regulation-worksheet-7.md", "lineStart": 18, "lineEnd": 53, "sha256": "1514799350fe25e3bd2dcc32a672d1932bc30e5a4023c965b661586183494bb7" } ] }, { "nodeId": "problem-solving", "relationId": "rel-142", "kind": "learning", "placement": "decision", "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "reason": "If the facts are correct and the situation itself is the problem, continue by identifying a changeable goal and possible solutions.", "priority": 2, "evidence": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-handouts-worksheets-446p", "locator": "Emotion Regulation Handout 12, steps 1–3", "path": "books/#06 Linehan_skills_handouts_worksheets (446p)/09_emotion-regulation/14_handout_12_problem-solving-emotion-regulation-worksheet-8.md", "lineStart": 18, "lineEnd": 31, "sha256": "10cba67da22d4ea66a0db8f0eacb4512bb72b32c8ad5c4f813ade4e83cb5829a" } ] } ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Fact checking · Fact checking decision", "priorityRank": 3, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when inner restlessness or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When it is unclear whether feelings and assumptions really match the facts.", "purpose": "Separate observable facts from interpretations, threat assumptions, and catastrophizing to clarify whether an emotional response fits the situation in direction or intensity.", "applicationContext": "When strong emotions, assumptions of threat or absolute interpretations are in the room and it is still unclear whether emotional correction or situation change is needed.", "longDescription": { "text": "Check the Facts is the first step in changing unwanted emotions: before acting on an emotion or deciding it is justified, examine whether the emotion fits the actual facts of the situation — not interpretations, demands on reality, or thinking in absolutes. Emotions are responses to how we perceive events, not to the events themselves. Checking the facts involves asking: What is the actual event that prompted this emotion? Am I interpreting, assuming, or catastrophizing? Would a neutral observer agree with my read of the situation? Does the emotion fit the facts in kind and intensity? If the emotion does not fit the facts, opposite action is the next step. If it does, problem solving is needed.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XII", "page": 351 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9, Section 8", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9, Section 8", "whenToUse": "If before opposing action or problem solving, it must first be checked whether the emotion and its intensity are appropriate to the facts.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "Separating facts from interpretations requires mindful observation - Check the Facts is cognitive mindfulness applied to emotional appraisals." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotions-model", "chain-analysis", "emotion-functions", "recognizing-emotions" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik", "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "wut-aerger", "scham", "trauer-verlust", "innere-unruhe", "ekel", "schuld", "eifersucht", "neid", "ueberraschung" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Check the Facts vs. Opposite Action vs. Problem Solving", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [ { "label": "Primary question", "current": "Does my appraisal actually fit the situation?", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Which action would deliberately go against my current emotional direction?", "problem-solving": "Which changeable part can I address concretely?" } }, { "label": "Direction", "current": "Correct interpretation, assumptions, and emotional fit.", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Change emotion-driven action tendencies through a deliberately opposite response.", "problem-solving": "Plan steps, options, and concrete change." } }, { "label": "Typical context", "current": "Fear, shame, uncertainty, escalating thoughts.", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Withdrawal, attack, avoidance, or freezing as an unhelpful emotional direction.", "problem-solving": "Daily problems, plannable conflicts, workable obstacles." } } ], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "problem-solving" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish between emotion regulation skills that can seem similar but differ in whether they rely on checking, counterdirection, or concrete change.", "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "emotions-model", "chain-analysis", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "chain-analysis", "label": "Continue with a tool", "description": "This connection translates the current knowledge into a directly usable tool or protocol.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "schuld", "label": "Guilt or guilt feelings", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "eifersucht", "label": "Jealousy", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "label": "Acceptance or Change", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "neid", "label": "Envy", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "entry", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ueberraschung", "label": "Surprise", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.74, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.72, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "innere-unruhe", "label": "Inner Restlessness", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "problem-solving", "type": "skill", "title": "Problem Solving", "searchAliases": [ "Problem Solving", "Problemlösen" ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Problem-focused change · Active situation change", "priorityRank": 5, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When the problem is real and not just the feeling but the situation needs to be changed.", "purpose": "Working systematically on a real, stressful problem by analyzing the situation, developing, implementing and evaluating solution options.", "applicationContext": "When the facts support an actual problem and the emotional reaction is fundamentally understandable, but the situation needs to be actively changed.", "longDescription": { "text": "Problem solving is the appropriate response when an emotion is justified by the situation — when the facts are the problem, not the interpretation. If the emotion fits the facts, the emotion itself is not what needs to change: the situation does. Problem solving follows a sequence of steps: describe the problem situation precisely, check the facts, identify the goal, brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate each solution for effectiveness and feasibility, choose one and implement it, then evaluate the outcome. The skill requires first acknowledging that a problem exists — which is harder than it sounds when avoidance or denial is active. Problem solving is ineffective if the wrong problem is defined, which is why it always begins with a clear description of the actual situation rather than a judgment about it.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XVI", "page": 373 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9, Section 11; Emotion Regulation Handout 12", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9, Section 11; Emotion Regulation Handout 12", "whenToUse": "When Check the Facts shows that it is not the emotion that should be corrected, but the real problem situation that should be dealt with.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "distress-tolerance", "interpersonal" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "When a real problem creates emotional crisis reactions, problem solving treats the cause - distress tolerance manages the crisis layer, while problem solving removes the trigger." }, { "moduleId": "interpersonal", "contextText": "Many interpersonal problems are solvable practical problems - interpersonal skills help with negotiation, problem solving with structured action." } ], "relatedIds": [ "chain-analysis", "rest-strategy", "cognitive-vulnerability", "weekly-regulator", "exposure-based-cognitive-rehearsal" ], "situations": [ "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "wut-aerger", "belastung-vorbereiten", "orientierung-verstehen", "schuld" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Check the Facts vs. Opposite Action vs. Problem Solving", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [ { "label": "Primary question", "current": "Which changeable part can I address concretely?", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Does my appraisal actually fit the situation?", "opposite-action": "Which action would deliberately go against my current emotional direction?" } }, { "label": "Direction", "current": "Plan steps, options, and concrete change.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Correct interpretation, assumptions, and emotional fit.", "opposite-action": "Change emotion-driven action tendencies through a deliberately opposite response." } }, { "label": "Typical context", "current": "Daily problems, plannable conflicts, workable obstacles.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Fear, shame, uncertainty, escalating thoughts.", "opposite-action": "Withdrawal, attack, avoidance, or freezing as an unhelpful emotional direction." } } ], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "check-the-facts", "opposite-action" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish between emotion regulation skills that can seem similar but differ in whether they rely on checking, counterdirection, or concrete change.", "learningPathType": "analysis-to-change", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes translate behavioral understanding into the next effective change choice.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "chain-analysis", "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "chain-analysis", "label": "Continue with a tool", "description": "This connection translates the current knowledge into a directly usable tool or protocol.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "label": "Acceptance or Change", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "schuld", "label": "Guilt or guilt feelings", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.82, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "belastung-vorbereiten", "label": "Prepare for Stress", "entryType": "prevention", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "orientierung-verstehen", "label": "Orientation and Understanding", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] } ], "learningPathNodes": [ { "id": "emotions-model", "type": "framework", "title": "The DBT emotion model", "searchAliases": [ "Das DBT-Emotionsmodell", "Das DBT-Emotionsmodell" ], "description": "Emotion understanding · Emotion process model · Emotion process mapping", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "If you want to understand emotions as a system of triggers, body, evaluation, impulse and action.", "purpose": "Organize emotions as a coherent sequence of triggers, evaluation, body reaction, impulse and behavior so that regulation can start at several points.", "applicationContext": "When emotions seem diffuse, overwhelming or difficult to understand and a structured overall map of how emotional episodes are structured is needed.", "longDescription": { "text": "The DBT Model for Describing Emotions provides a systematic framework for understanding the components of an emotional response and where within the system intervention is possible. The model maps the sequence: vulnerability factors create the context; a prompting event triggers the emotion; interpretations and secondary emotions develop; biological changes occur in the body; action urges arise; and behavioral and verbal expressions follow. Because emotions are full-system responses, changing any component can shift the entire emotional experience. This model is taught before the regulation skills because understanding the structure of an emotion is necessary for choosing where to intervene.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "V", "page": 334 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9", "whenToUse": "If, before actually choosing a skill, a model is needed that breaks down emotional reactions into their components and points of intervention.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "cognitive", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness", "distress-tolerance" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "The emotions model shows that emotions are processes with triggers, appraisals, and bodily responses - mindfulness makes these individual stages observable." }, { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "Distress-tolerance skills intervene at specific points in the emotions model - people who know the model choose crisis strategies more precisely." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotionsdysregulation", "check-the-facts", "opposite-action", "please-skills", "mindfulness-of-current-emotions" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Model of Emotions vs. Functions of Emotions", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "emotion-functions" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish whether the first step is to understand how an emotion is structured or what biological and social functions it serves.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "please-skills", "emotionsdysregulation", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "please-skills", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "adjacent", "strength": 0.4, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "type": "exercise", "title": "Opposite Action Worksheet", "searchAliases": [ "Opposite Action Worksheet", "Opposite-Action-Arbeitsblatt" ], "description": "Guided practice · Application worksheet · Structured skill application", "priorityRank": 5, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When counteracting action should be specifically prepared and not just understood.", "purpose": "Apply the individual steps of Opposite Action in writing to a specific emotion and situation.", "applicationContext": "When the emotion's impulse to act is unhelpful and the alternative behavior needs to be specifically prepared.", "longDescription": { "text": "The most important column on this worksheet is the one tracking whether opposite action was done 'all the way' — not halfway. Halfway opposite actions do not change the emotion. The worksheet asks for a before-and-after emotion intensity rating (0–100): if the rating did not decrease, the first diagnostic question is whether the action was truly opposite and truly complete, or whether it was partial. A second common issue is completing the worksheet after the fact without having actually practiced — the worksheet records practice, it does not substitute for it.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XIV" } ] }, "sourceId": "worksheets-handouts-99p", "sourceLabel": "Worksheets Packet", "sourceLocator": "Emotion Regulation Worksheet 7", "sourceType": "Packet", "sourceTrustSignal": "Handout-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Mixed", "sourceNote": "Worksheets Packet · Emotion Regulation Worksheet 7", "whenToUse": "When Opposite Action needs to be worked out not just as an idea, but as a planned change in behavior.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "relatedIds": [ "opposite-action" ], "situations": [ "wut-aerger", "trauer-verlust" ], "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "opposite-action" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.7, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "type": "exercise", "title": "Figuring Out How to Change Unwanted Emotions", "searchAliases": [ "Figuring Out How to Change Unwanted Emotions", "Unerwuenschte Gefuehle gezielt veraendern" ], "description": "Guided practice · Application worksheet · Structured skill application", "priorityRank": 4, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when fear or panic or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When, after fact-checking, you need to choose the appropriate next path for an unwanted feeling.", "purpose": "Make the change from fact checking to the appropriate follow-up strategy usable as a concrete decision-making exercise.", "applicationContext": "When an emotion is understood, but it still remains unclear whether problem solving, opposing action, emotional mindfulness or acceptance of the consequences are more suitable.", "longDescription": { "text": "This worksheet guides the decision between Opposite Action and Problem Solving — two skills that address emotions from opposite directions. The pivotal question is whether the emotion fits the facts: if the situation is genuinely problematic, the emotion is justified and changing the situation (Problem Solving) is appropriate. If the emotion does not fit the facts, or its intensity far exceeds what the facts warrant, Opposite Action addresses the emotion directly. The worksheet prevents the common error of using Opposite Action when the situation actually needs to change, or using Problem Solving when the emotion is based on a misread of the situation.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XI" } ] }, "sourceId": "worksheets-handouts-99p", "sourceLabel": "Worksheets Packet", "sourceLocator": "Emotion Regulation Worksheet 6 / Handout 9", "sourceType": "Packet", "sourceTrustSignal": "Handout-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "medium", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Mixed", "sourceNote": "Worksheets Packet · Emotion Regulation Worksheet 6 / Handout 9", "whenToUse": "If, after checking the facts, it is not the term that is used, but the specific next direction of action.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "extended", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "practice_derived", "module": "emotion-regulation", "relatedIds": [ "check-the-facts", "opposite-action", "problem-solving", "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "emotion-functions", "emotions-model", "recognizing-emotions", "emotionsdysregulation" ], "situations": [ "wut-aerger", "angst-panik" ], "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "emotions-model", "recognizing-emotions", "emotionsdysregulation", "opposite-action", "check-the-facts", "emotion-functions", "problem-solving" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "recognizing-emotions", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "check-the-facts", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotion-functions", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "problem-solving", "label": "Move directly into application", "description": "This connection leads from conceptual knowledge into a more concrete practical application.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.84, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.74, "isPreferred": true } ] } ], "bundleComponentNodes": [], "contextNodes": [ { "id": "emotion-regulation", "type": "framework", "title": "Emotion Regulation (Framework)", "searchAliases": [ "Emotionsregulation", "Emotionsregulation" ], "description": "Theoretical foundation · Regulation capacity · Emotion regulation capacity", "priorityRank": 23, "priorityLabel": "More foundational", "priorityDescription": "This node is more about preparation, stabilization, or later deepening around orientation and understanding.", "cardPreview": "If you first have to understand how emotions change and where you can intervene.", "purpose": "Organize the regulatory space of emotions so that it becomes understandable how emotions arise, are maintained and can be influenced at different points.", "applicationContext": "When emotional reactions seem too violent, too long-lasting or difficult to control and a structuring classification is needed first.", "longDescription": { "text": "Emotion Regulation in DBT is not about eliminating emotions but about increasing the ability to influence them — to reduce their frequency when unwanted, decrease their intensity, shorten their duration, and reduce suffering caused by their secondary effects. The module begins with understanding: emotions have functions (motivating action, communicating to self and others) and are complex full-system responses involving biology, cognition, behavior, and expression. Changing any part of the system can change the whole. The practical skills fall into two broad categories: changing unwanted emotions through Check the Facts, Opposite Action, and Problem Solving; and building resilience through the ABC PLEASE skills that reduce biological vulnerability and increase positive experience over time.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "I", "page": 323 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 1", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 1", "whenToUse": "If it is still unclear whether fact checking, opposing action, problem solving or vulnerability reduction is the appropriate next step.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "cognitive", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "foundationalCategory": "understanding", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness", "distress-tolerance", "interpersonal" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "Emotional dysregulation often begins with a lack of awareness - mindfulness is the prerequisite for recognizing and naming emotional patterns at all." }, { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "When emotion regulation does not work or works too slowly, crisis skills take over - distress tolerance is the emergency backup for moments when regulation is not yet accessible." }, { "moduleId": "interpersonal", "contextText": "Unregulated emotions are the most common reason interpersonal attempts fail - emotion regulation is the quiet prerequisite for effective communication." } ], "relatedIds": [], "situations": [ "orientierung-verstehen" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "weekly-regulator" ], "comparisonTitle": "Understanding DBT foundations", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "biosoziale-theorie", "emotionsdysregulation" ], "comparisonDescription": "Emotion regulation describes the ability to influence emotions. Emotion dysregulation describes difficulties with this. Biosocial theory explains how emotional vulnerability and an invalidating environment interact in the development of these difficulties.", "learningPathType": "framework-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes lead from the conceptual frame of reference into the first concrete application or deepening.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "weekly-regulator", "biosoziale-theorie", "emotionsdysregulation" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "weekly-regulator", "label": "Switch into a sequence", "description": "This connection leads into a clearer step sequence when the next move should become graspable as a process.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "biosoziale-theorie", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotionsdysregulation", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "framework-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "orientierung-verstehen", "label": "Orientation and Understanding", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "check-the-facts", "type": "skill", "title": "Check the Facts", "searchAliases": [ "Check the Facts", "Fakten pruefen" ], "evidenceContinuations": [ { "nodeId": "opposite-action", "relationId": "rel-141", "kind": "learning", "placement": "decision", "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "reason": "If the emotion does not fit the facts or acting on its urge would not be effective, explore opposite action here.", "priority": 1, "evidence": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-handouts-worksheets-446p", "locator": "Emotion Regulation Handout 10, steps 2–4", "path": "books/#06 Linehan_skills_handouts_worksheets (446p)/09_emotion-regulation/12_handout_10_opposite-action-emotion-regulation-worksheet-7.md", "lineStart": 18, "lineEnd": 53, "sha256": "1514799350fe25e3bd2dcc32a672d1932bc30e5a4023c965b661586183494bb7" } ] }, { "nodeId": "problem-solving", "relationId": "rel-142", "kind": "learning", "placement": "decision", "moduleId": "emotion-regulation", "reason": "If the facts are correct and the situation itself is the problem, continue by identifying a changeable goal and possible solutions.", "priority": 2, "evidence": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-handouts-worksheets-446p", "locator": "Emotion Regulation Handout 12, steps 1–3", "path": "books/#06 Linehan_skills_handouts_worksheets (446p)/09_emotion-regulation/14_handout_12_problem-solving-emotion-regulation-worksheet-8.md", "lineStart": 18, "lineEnd": 31, "sha256": "10cba67da22d4ea66a0db8f0eacb4512bb72b32c8ad5c4f813ade4e83cb5829a" } ] } ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Fact checking · Fact checking decision", "priorityRank": 3, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when inner restlessness or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When it is unclear whether feelings and assumptions really match the facts.", "purpose": "Separate observable facts from interpretations, threat assumptions, and catastrophizing to clarify whether an emotional response fits the situation in direction or intensity.", "applicationContext": "When strong emotions, assumptions of threat or absolute interpretations are in the room and it is still unclear whether emotional correction or situation change is needed.", "longDescription": { "text": "Check the Facts is the first step in changing unwanted emotions: before acting on an emotion or deciding it is justified, examine whether the emotion fits the actual facts of the situation — not interpretations, demands on reality, or thinking in absolutes. Emotions are responses to how we perceive events, not to the events themselves. Checking the facts involves asking: What is the actual event that prompted this emotion? Am I interpreting, assuming, or catastrophizing? Would a neutral observer agree with my read of the situation? Does the emotion fit the facts in kind and intensity? If the emotion does not fit the facts, opposite action is the next step. If it does, problem solving is needed.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XII", "page": 351 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9, Section 8", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9, Section 8", "whenToUse": "If before opposing action or problem solving, it must first be checked whether the emotion and its intensity are appropriate to the facts.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "mindfulness" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "mindfulness", "contextText": "Separating facts from interpretations requires mindful observation - Check the Facts is cognitive mindfulness applied to emotional appraisals." } ], "relatedIds": [ "emotions-model", "chain-analysis", "emotion-functions", "recognizing-emotions" ], "situations": [ "angst-panik", "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "wut-aerger", "scham", "trauer-verlust", "innere-unruhe", "ekel", "schuld", "eifersucht", "neid", "ueberraschung" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Check the Facts vs. Opposite Action vs. Problem Solving", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [ { "label": "Primary question", "current": "Does my appraisal actually fit the situation?", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Which action would deliberately go against my current emotional direction?", "problem-solving": "Which changeable part can I address concretely?" } }, { "label": "Direction", "current": "Correct interpretation, assumptions, and emotional fit.", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Change emotion-driven action tendencies through a deliberately opposite response.", "problem-solving": "Plan steps, options, and concrete change." } }, { "label": "Typical context", "current": "Fear, shame, uncertainty, escalating thoughts.", "candidates": { "opposite-action": "Withdrawal, attack, avoidance, or freezing as an unhelpful emotional direction.", "problem-solving": "Daily problems, plannable conflicts, workable obstacles." } } ], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "opposite-action", "problem-solving" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish between emotion regulation skills that can seem similar but differ in whether they rely on checking, counterdirection, or concrete change.", "learningPathType": "knowledge-to-application", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "emotions-model", "chain-analysis", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "emotions-model", "label": "Deepen the frame of reference", "description": "This connection expands the conceptual frame so the current topic does not remain isolated.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "chain-analysis", "label": "Continue with a tool", "description": "This connection translates the current knowledge into a directly usable tool or protocol.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "knowledge-to-application" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "schuld", "label": "Guilt or guilt feelings", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "eifersucht", "label": "Jealousy", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "label": "Acceptance or Change", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.9, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "neid", "label": "Envy", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "entry", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "scham", "label": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "orient", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "ueberraschung", "label": "Surprise", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.74, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "understand", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0.72, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "innere-unruhe", "label": "Inner Restlessness", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] }, { "id": "problem-solving", "type": "skill", "title": "Problem Solving", "searchAliases": [ "Problem Solving", "Problemlösen" ], "description": "Changing emotional responses · Problem-focused change · Active situation change", "priorityRank": 5, "priorityLabel": "Helpful early", "priorityDescription": "This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.", "cardPreview": "When the problem is real and not just the feeling but the situation needs to be changed.", "purpose": "Working systematically on a real, stressful problem by analyzing the situation, developing, implementing and evaluating solution options.", "applicationContext": "When the facts support an actual problem and the emotional reaction is fundamentally understandable, but the situation needs to be actively changed.", "longDescription": { "text": "Problem solving is the appropriate response when an emotion is justified by the situation — when the facts are the problem, not the interpretation. If the emotion fits the facts, the emotion itself is not what needs to change: the situation does. Problem solving follows a sequence of steps: describe the problem situation precisely, check the facts, identify the goal, brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate each solution for effectiveness and feasibility, choose one and implement it, then evaluate the outcome. The skill requires first acknowledging that a problem exists — which is harder than it sounds when avoidance or denial is active. Problem solving is ineffective if the wrong problem is defined, which is why it always begins with a clear description of the actual situation rather than a judgment about it.", "furtherReading": [ { "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "chapter": 9, "section": "XVI", "page": 373 } ] }, "sourceId": "linehan-manual-529p", "sourceLabel": "Linehan Manual", "sourceLocator": "Chapter 9, Section 11; Emotion Regulation Handout 12", "sourceCategory": "Foundation-oriented", "sourceType": "Manual", "sourceTrustSignal": "Primary source-close", "sourceAuthorityWeight": "high", "sourcePracticeWeight": "medium", "sourceAudienceFit": "Professional", "sourceNote": "Linehan Manual · Chapter 9, Section 11; Emotion Regulation Handout 12", "whenToUse": "When Check the Facts shows that it is not the emotion that should be corrected, but the real problem situation that should be dealt with.", "whenToUseSource": "editorial", "situationsSource": "explicit", "skillComplexity": "core", "interventionMode": "behavioral", "evidenceLevel": "clinical_consensus", "module": "emotion-regulation", "secondaryModules": [ "distress-tolerance", "interpersonal" ], "moduleBridgeContexts": [ { "moduleId": "distress-tolerance", "contextText": "When a real problem creates emotional crisis reactions, problem solving treats the cause - distress tolerance manages the crisis layer, while problem solving removes the trigger." }, { "moduleId": "interpersonal", "contextText": "Many interpersonal problems are solvable practical problems - interpersonal skills help with negotiation, problem solving with structured action." } ], "relatedIds": [ "chain-analysis", "rest-strategy", "cognitive-vulnerability", "weekly-regulator", "exposure-based-cognitive-rehearsal" ], "situations": [ "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "wut-aerger", "belastung-vorbereiten", "orientierung-verstehen", "schuld" ], "practiceNodeIds": [ "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "comparisonTitle": "Check the Facts vs. Opposite Action vs. Problem Solving", "comparisonBullets": [], "comparisonAxes": [ { "label": "Primary question", "current": "Which changeable part can I address concretely?", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Does my appraisal actually fit the situation?", "opposite-action": "Which action would deliberately go against my current emotional direction?" } }, { "label": "Direction", "current": "Plan steps, options, and concrete change.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Correct interpretation, assumptions, and emotional fit.", "opposite-action": "Change emotion-driven action tendencies through a deliberately opposite response." } }, { "label": "Typical context", "current": "Daily problems, plannable conflicts, workable obstacles.", "candidates": { "check-the-facts": "Fear, shame, uncertainty, escalating thoughts.", "opposite-action": "Withdrawal, attack, avoidance, or freezing as an unhelpful emotional direction." } } ], "comparisonNodeIds": [ "check-the-facts", "opposite-action" ], "comparisonDescription": "Helps distinguish between emotion regulation skills that can seem similar but differ in whether they rely on checking, counterdirection, or concrete change.", "learningPathType": "analysis-to-change", "learningPathTitle": "Explore and apply", "learningPathDescription": "These nodes translate behavioral understanding into the next effective change choice.", "learningPathNodeIds": [ "chain-analysis", "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions" ], "learningPathSteps": [ { "nodeId": "chain-analysis", "label": "Continue with a tool", "description": "This connection translates the current knowledge into a directly usable tool or protocol.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" }, { "nodeId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "label": "Work through as an exercise now", "description": "This connection leads not only to a nearby concept but directly into a concrete exercise or worksheet.", "pathType": "analysis-to-change" } ], "situationLinks": [ { "situationId": "akzeptanz-vs-veraenderung", "label": "Acceptance or Change", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.88, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "schuld", "label": "Guilt or guilt feelings", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0.82, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "entryType": "emotion", "pathSegment": "emotionen", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "primary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "belastung-vorbereiten", "label": "Prepare for Stress", "entryType": "prevention", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true }, { "situationId": "orientierung-verstehen", "label": "Orientation and Understanding", "entryType": "orientation", "pathSegment": "situations", "relationRole": "apply", "fit": "secondary", "strength": 0, "isPreferred": true } ] } ], "situations": [ { "id": "wut-aerger", "label": "Anger or Irritation", "shortLabel": "Anger", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For intense anger, irritability or proximity to escalation.", "bodySensation": "Feeling of heat in the face and neck, increased muscle tension (jaw, shoulders, hands), accelerated pulse, tense stomach, feeling of pressure in the head", "impulse": "Attacking or confronting, enforcing boundaries loudly and directly, controlling the situation, leaving or withdrawing, expressing through voice or movement", "intensityNotes": "Course from mild irritability to explosive escalation. The increase usually occurs quickly (seconds to minutes), but can also persist for a long time as a background grudge. Cooling down takes time.", "longDescription": { "text": "Anger in DBT is understood as a primary emotion with a biological function but a high risk of interpersonal damage. Its rapid escalation makes it one of the most challenging emotions to regulate. The distinction from irritability is clinically important: irritability is more chronic and diffuse, while anger tends to escalate in response to specific triggers. Relevant skill categories are emotion regulation (check-the-facts, opposite action to anger), interpersonal effectiveness for managing relational impact, and distress tolerance during escalated peaks. The most frequent error is applying problem-solving prematurely — before physiological arousal decreases, repair attempts tend to make things worse. Body-based cooling (physical exercise, cold water) has stronger evidence than cognitive reframing at peak activation." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-problem-solving-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "question-how-do-i-change-an-unwanted-emotion", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-loving-kindness-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "stop-skill", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "take-a-step-back", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "problem-solving", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "recognizing-emotions", "relationRole": "orient" } ], "bundleLinks": [ { "bundleId": "stop-skill", "role": "stabilize" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" }, { "id": "scham", "label": "Shame", "shortLabel": "Shame", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For withdrawal, feeling exposed, or self-deprecating reactions.", "bodySensation": "Flushing, stomach ache or nausea, body contracts, eyes lowered, urge to become rigid or smaller, warmth in the face", "impulse": "Hiding or fleeing the situation, remaining silent and becoming invisible, attacking or devaluing oneself, making amends or apologizing", "intensityNotes": "Often occurs situationally and suddenly. Can be acutely very intense. Often lasts longer than other emotions because it is linked to self-image. Can escalate into shame spirals.", "longDescription": { "text": "Shame is clinically distinct from guilt: guilt focuses on behavior, shame on the self as fundamentally flawed. In DBT, shame is linked to the biosocial model — it often arises from sustained invalidation experiences that internalized the message of being broken. The relevant skill categories are emotion regulation (check-the-facts, opposite action to shame), self-compassion, and mindfulness. The critical difference from guilt: opposite action for guilt involves repair; opposite action for shame involves exposure and self-disclosure rather than concealment. The most common mistake is accepting the emotion's narrative rather than examining whether the appraisal is accurate. Shame frequently underlies dropout from therapy and should be addressed proactively." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "self-compassion", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "loving-kindness", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "question-what-needs-acceptance-instead-of-fight", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "recognizing-emotions", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "cognitive-vulnerability", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "emotion-functions", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "nonjudgmentally", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "radical-acceptance", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "turning-the-mind", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "validation", "relationRole": "apply" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" }, { "id": "trauer-verlust", "label": "Grief or loss", "shortLabel": "Grief", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For reactions of loss, depression or painful sadness.", "bodySensation": "Heaviness in the body, fatigue, tightness or pressure in the chest, crying, slow movements, lack of appetite, sleep changes", "impulse": "Withdrawal and isolation, pausing and doing nothing, seeking connection to others, focusing on what has been lost, grieving and letting go", "intensityNotes": "Course often wavy, not linear. Intensity can increase again after days. Frequent periods of emotional numbness between painful waves. Duration from hours to weeks depending on the loss.", "longDescription": { "text": "Grief in DBT is treated as a justified emotion that deserves acknowledgment rather than suppression, but one that can become problematic when it persists beyond functional coping. It differs from depression in that it remains linked to a clear loss event and has a wave-like rather than persistent quality. The relevant skill categories are emotion regulation (especially non-judgmental observing), self-compassion, mindfulness, and radical acceptance for irreversible losses. Opposite action for grief involves re-engaging with meaningful activities, not eliminating sadness. A common mistake is treating grief as a problem to be solved rather than a process to be witnessed — which tends to prolong the emotional difficulty rather than reduce it." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "exercise-opposite-action-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-mindfulness-of-current-emotions-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "radical-acceptance", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "self-compassion", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "loving-kindness", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "emotion-functions", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "please-skills", "relationRole": "prepare" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" }, { "id": "angst-panik", "label": "Fear or panic", "shortLabel": "Fear", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For anxiety peaks, near panic, fear of loss of control or massive concern.", "bodySensation": "Racing heart, tightness in the chest and throat, shallow breathing, muscle tension, sweating, trembling, dizziness", "impulse": "Flee or leave the situation, freeze and freeze, seek and secure control, avoid the next contact", "intensityNotes": "Course from chronic background worry to acute panic attack. Physical symptoms increase quickly and subside more slowly. Often wave character.", "longDescription": { "text": "Anxiety and panic form a continuum in DBT, with chronic background worry at one end and full panic with physiological symptoms at the other. DBT does not treat anxiety as intrinsically pathological — it treats it as a signal whose intensity has become dysregulating. The relevant skill categories are emotion regulation (check-the-facts, opposite action to anxiety, vulnerability reduction), distress tolerance for peak moments, and mindfulness for observing the wave without amplifying it. A key clinical distinction: anxiety justifies avoidance behaviors, which maintain anxiety — a common failure mode when skills are used to suppress rather than process the emotion. The core prescription of opposite action for unjustified anxiety is approach rather than avoidance: actively entering what is feared, not pulling away from it, and doing so repeatedly and all the way until the response decreases." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "emotion-functions", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "emotions-model", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "emotion-exposure", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "accumulating-positive-emotions", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "please-skills", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-check-the-facts-worksheet", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "exercise-figuring-out-how-to-change-unwanted-emotions", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "tip-paced-breathing", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "cope-ahead", "relationRole": "prepare" }, { "conceptId": "exposure-based-cognitive-rehearsal", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "improving-the-moment", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "apply" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" }, { "id": "ekel", "label": "Disgust or revulsion", "shortLabel": "Disgust", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For strong revulsion, feeling repelled, or the urge to create immediate distance.", "bodySensation": "Nausea or stomach tightening, pulling back in the upper body, changed facial expression, tight throat, inner contraction", "impulse": "Turn away, break contact, get rid of something, judge harshly, secure distance", "intensityNotes": "Disgust often protects boundaries, but can quickly harden into rigid avoidance or moralizing. First orient, then distinguish between a real protection signal and an overreaction.", "longDescription": { "text": "In DBT, disgust is first understood as a protective emotion: it marks something as contaminating, boundary-violating, or impossible to take in. Clinically it becomes important when that protection signal no longer cleanly distinguishes between actual danger and learned avoidance. At that point disgust can harden into rigid rejection, moralizing, or withdrawal without checking the facts. Relevant skill categories are check-the-facts, mindfulness of body reactions, and opposite action when the disgust is not justified by real danger. Opposite action for unjustified disgust means moving closer to what feels contaminating — repeated exposure until the disgust response settles, not permanent avoidance. The task is not to override every disgust response, but to distinguish protection from overreaction." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "recognizing-emotions", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "emotion-functions", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "radical-acceptance", "relationRole": "understand" }, { "conceptId": "self-compassion", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-what-skills", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-how-skills", "relationRole": "orient" } ], "bundleLinks": [ { "bundleId": "mindfulness-what-skills", "role": "entry" }, { "bundleId": "mindfulness-how-skills", "role": "orient" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" }, { "id": "eifersucht", "label": "Jealousy", "shortLabel": "Jealousy", "entryType": "emotion", "isDraft": false, "description": "For fear of loss in relationships, comparison pressure, or alarm at being replaced.", "bodySensation": "Tightness in chest and stomach, inner heat, alarm readiness, looping thoughts, tension in the face", "impulse": "Control, compare, seek reassurance, cling, attack, or pull away", "intensityNotes": "Jealousy is usually a mixed emotion made of fear, shame, and anger. Check-the-facts, self-soothing, and self-respect matter more than impulsive control.", "longDescription": { "text": "Jealousy is rarely a single emotion; it usually combines fear of loss, shame about vulnerability, and anger at a perceived threat. In DBT, the central task is not to obey the control urge but to separate the ingredients: what are the facts, what story is being added, what need feels threatened, and where is self-respect becoming unstable? Relevant skill categories are check-the-facts, mindfulness of activation, validation of vulnerability, and opposite action against impulsive controlling or clinging. The concrete opposite action for unjustified jealousy is letting go of control — allowing the other person space, sharing rather than securing. Otherwise jealousy quickly starts organizing the whole relationship." }, "preferredNodeIds": [], "conceptLinks": [ { "conceptId": "check-the-facts", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-of-current-emotions", "relationRole": "entry" }, { "conceptId": "opposite-action", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "self-compassion", "relationRole": "stabilize" }, { "conceptId": "validation", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "wise-mind", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "nonjudgmentally", "relationRole": "apply" }, { "conceptId": "mindfulness-how-skills", "relationRole": "orient" }, { "conceptId": "give", "relationRole": "apply" } ], "bundleLinks": [ { "bundleId": "mindfulness-how-skills", "role": "orient" }, { "bundleId": "give", "role": "apply" } ], "pathSegment": "emotionen" } ] }