Nervous System Running Hot? Try This DBT Skill: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

When emotional intensity gets high, access to problem-solving, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness can narrow quickly. TIPP is a DBT distress-tolerance skill that works through the body to reduce physiological arousal. In this episode, I explain the four parts of TIPP—Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, and Paired Muscle Relaxation—and how they can help bring distress down enough to access Wise Mind and choose the next effective step.

The psychoeducation is followed by a full 30+minute guided progressive muscle relaxation practice. We move through the major muscle groups twice, pairing each contraction with the inhale and each release with the exhale. This practice can help with anxiety, emotional overwhelm, physical tension, difficulty settling, and building greater awareness of where stress is being held in the body.

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