Interactive Tool
The 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.
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STOP is a DBT crisis-survival skill for the moment an emotion surges and you are about to act on impulse — the moment before the sent message, the slammed door, the drink, the words you cannot take back. It does not solve the situation. It buys you the pause in which a better choice becomes possible.
Use it when: anger spikes, panic hits, an urge feels irresistible, or you notice the thought “I have to do something right now.”
A practice and psychoeducation exercise, not a substitute for professional clinical care. If you are in crisis, contact 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or call 911.