The DBT STOP Skill
A guided walkthrough of DBT’s crisis pause: four moves for the moment an urge is about to make your decision for you.
STOP is for the moment a feeling surges and you’re about to act on it: the text you’re about to send, the door you’re about to slam, the words you can’t take back.
STOP buys you a pause, and a pause gives a better choice room to show up.
Reach for it when anger spikes, panic hits, an urge feels too strong to ignore, or you catch yourself thinking “I have to do something right now.”
4 steps · about 2 minutes
The four steps of the STOP skill
Stop: freeze for a moment and do nothing yet. Take a step back: breathe, and put a little room between the urge and the action. Observe: notice what is happening in your body, your thoughts and the room around you. Proceed mindfully: choose the next step with your goals in mind. STOP is one of the DBT distress tolerance skills for the moment an urge peaks (Linehan, 2015).
Printable distress tolerance worksheets: TIPP skills, ACCEPTS, self-soothe, or the full DBT collection.
Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
A practice and psychoeducation exercise. It doesn’t replace professional clinical care. If you are in crisis, contact 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or call 911.