Dr. Lisa S. Galper is a psychologist based in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she manages a private practice. Among her different modalities, Dr. Lisa Galper enjoys using dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help her patients learn skills that enable them to more effectively manage unpleasant emotions and life stressors. One of the DBT skills is the STOP skill, which helps patients better tolerate distressful situations.

Best used as a crisis survival skill and when emotions are high, STOP stands for Stop, Take a step back, Observe, and Proceed mindfully. First, the individual should stop as soon as they start to feel out of control. Second, they should take a step back, which means not acting on an emotion even though they may feel a great deal of urgency. Third, the individual should observe what is happening, which requires describing what is happening in a factual way. For example, summarize only the facts of the situation rather than the emotions behind the situation. It is also helpful to describe how the emotion feels in the body and to employ curiosity, not judgment, throughout the process. Fourth, a person should proceed mindfully. Once they’ve had time to let the intense emotion settle, they can then reflect on the situation thoughtfully and figure out how to proceed in a way that aligns with their values.