Distress tolerance skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help you survive sex addiction crisis without making things worse.
TIPP Skills for Acute Sex Addiction
Temperature: Cold water on face activates the dive reflex, rapidly reducing sex addiction intensity
Intense exercise: 20 minutes of vigorous exercise discharges sex addiction physiological activation
Paced breathing: Slow the breath (especially exhale) to activate parasympathetic system
Progressive muscle relaxation: Systematic tension-release reduces sex addiction physical symptoms
ACCEPTS Skills for Riding Out Sex Addiction
Activities that engage attention away from sex addiction Contributing to others shifts focus from sex addiction Comparisons that provide perspective on sex addiction Emotions opposite to sex addiction — deliberately generated Pushing away sex addiction temporarily when you can't act on it now Thoughts that replace sex addiction rumination Sensations that provide strong alternative input
When Distress Tolerance Is the Right Skill for Sex Addiction
Use distress tolerance when sex addiction is intense but the situation can't change right now. The goal is surviving without making things worse — not solving sex addiction.