Effective Rethinking and Paired Relaxation Script

Effective Rethinking and Paired Relaxation Script Overview

This handout provides a script for effective rethinking, part of the TIPP distress tolerance skill in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The handout also links to a video of the same script, so users have the option to play the video or read the script aloud themselves.

In this script, we’ll cover:

• Situations for which the effective rethinking skill is best suited
• A brief description of distressed thinking and how it differs from calm thinking
• Prompts for users to determine their own effective thought for stressful moments
• An introduction to paired muscle relaxation
• Prompts to breathe diaphragmatically, tense the muscles, think the effective thought, and release the muscles while breathing out