TIPP Skills
Shielding Yourself from Emotional Overwhelm
Listen to the Podcast
Discover how TIPP skills can help you regulate intense emotions and create your safe space for healing.
Duration: 11 minutes 22 seconds
What is TIPP?
TIPP is a powerful Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skill designed to help you quickly regulate intense emotions when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Think of it as your neurophysiological shield, a set of evidence-based techniques that work with your body’s natural stress response to bring you back to a state of calm and control.
At Carencia, we believe in addressing mental health through both neuroscience-informed strategies and person-centered care. The TIPP skill exemplifies this approach, combining biological understanding with practical, accessible techniques you can use anywhere, anytime.
The Four Components of TIPP
T – Temperature
Using cold temperature to activate your body’s dive reflex, which naturally slows your heart rate and promotes calm. This can involve splashing cold water on your face, holding ice cubes, or taking a cold shower.
I – Intense Exercise
Engaging in brief, intense physical activity to burn off the stress hormones flooding your system. Even 60 seconds of intense movement can shift your emotional state.
P – Paced Breathing
Deliberately slowing and deepening your breath to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, signaling safety to your brain and body.
P – Paired Muscle Relaxation
Progressively tensing and releasing muscle groups while breathing deeply, helping release physical tension that accompanies emotional distress.
Why TIPP Works: These techniques aren’t just coping strategies, they’re neurophysiological interventions that change what’s happening in your brain and body at a biological level. By engaging these skills, you’re actively shifting from a state of dysregulation to regulation.
