TIPP is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skill designed to help individuals reduce intense emotions like panic or distress.
While you may do variations of these practices in your daily life, these four techniques, practiced in the specific ways listed below, can help you reregulate your nervous system.
Think of these skills as panic attack hacks!
TIPP stands for Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, and Paired Muscle Relaxation.
Here's how you can use DBT TIPP skills to reduce panic or other intense emotional distress:
1. Temperature:
Find a way to change your body's temperature quickly.
One effective method is to splash cold water on your face or take a cold shower. You can also hold a cold pack or a bag of ice against your forehead or the back of your neck. You can also take some frequent sips of ice water. Cold water and ice trigger the vagus nerve system, which helps induce the relaxation response.
Why it works: This reflex shifts your body from a fight-or-flight state to a more relaxed state, which helps reduce feelings of panic or extreme distress.
2. Intense Exercise:
Engage in intense physical activity to burn off the adrenaline and energy associated with panic.
This could include jumping jacks, arm windmills, running in place, or any other vigorous exercise that increases your heart rate. If you have mobility issues, there are YouTube videos with workout modifications.
Why it works: Physical exertion releases endorphins, improves mood and decreases stress hormones like cortisol.
3. Paced Breathing:
Practice controlled and paced breathing to regulate your physiological response to panic.
One technique is the 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale through your nose for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 8. Repeat this several times.
If the rhythm feels too long, you can also use boxed breathing to reduce panic. Inhale for a count of 4, hold the breath for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4.
Why it works: This technique activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and promoting a sense of calm, reducing stress and anxiety.
4. Paired Muscle Relaxation:
Focus on tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to reduce stress and physical tension.
Start by clenching your fists for a few seconds, then release and let the tension go. Then, start by tensing and releasing all major muscle groups, starting from your head/face and moving all the way down to your feet. Scan your body for any residual tension. If you find any tension, repeat the muscle tension and release. You may also prefer a guided progressive muscle relaxation exercise, which you can find on Insight Timer or YouTube.
Why it works: Alternating between tensing and relaxing muscle groups promotes awareness of where tension is stored in the body and can release it, further calming the mind.
When using the DBT TIPP skills, remember the acronym TIPP to help you recall each step:
T: Temperature
Splash cold water, hold a cold pack or ice cube
I: Intense Exercise
Jumping jacks, arm windmills, running in place
P: Paced Breathing
4-7-8 breathing technique
P: Paired Muscle Relaxation
Tense and relax muscle groups
Overall Benefits of DBT TIPP Skills:
Rapid emotional regulation: DBT TIPP skills can bring down the intensity of overwhelming emotions in a short amount of time.
Improved distress tolerance: These techniques help individuals handle emotional crises without engaging in harmful behaviors, such as self-harm or substance use.
Better control over physical responses to emotions: DBT TIPP skills provide a direct way to influence the body's stress responses, making it easier to manage emotional overload.
Increased focus and presence: These skills help ground individuals in the present moment, reducing feelings of being overwhelmed by their emotions.
DBT TIPP skills are practical, easy to use, and effective in moments of acute distress.
Practicing TIPP can help you regulate your emotions and physiological response during a panic episode. Incorporating these techniques into your daily practice helps you build resilience against panic and intense emotions. Practice helps reduce the likelihood of panic attacks happening, but if the attacks happen, you already have experience using these skills.
If you find that panic attacks persist or significantly interfere with your daily life, please seek professional support from a mental health therapist or counselor.
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