Dialectical behavior therapy / DBT-A06-1
Pause before Acting — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind pause before acting and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Taylor receives an irritating email and waits before replying.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A pause can create space for choosing a safer response.
The idea
A pause can create space for choosing a safer response.
An ordinary example
Taylor receives an irritating email and waits before replying.
What this can look like
Rehearse stopping, stepping back in an accessible way, observing, and choosing the next effective action in a low-stakes example.
Check the fit
What would help you pause without making the situation less safe? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
Acceptance acknowledges the present; it does not endorse harm or remove the need for change.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What would help you pause without making the situation less safe?
Conceptual background
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training: Fundamentals — Behavioral Tech Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.