What Is Check the Facts in DBT? How to Test Your Emotions
Check the facts is a DBT skill for examining whether your emotional reaction fits the actual facts of a situation, rather than your assumptions or interpretations about it. Many painful emotions are driven not by what happened, but by the story we tell ourselves about what happened. By slowing down and checking the facts, you can tell the difference between a feeling that fits reality and one built on an assumption. At DBT Path, the original online DBT skills class taught since 2013, check the facts is a core emotion regulation skill that often comes before opposite action.
Checking the facts does not mean your feelings are wrong or that you should not have them. It means getting clear on what is actually true, so you can decide how to respond.
How to Check the Facts
Walk through these questions whenever a strong emotion has you in its grip.
Name the emotion you want to examine
Identify the emotion and rate its intensity. You cannot check the facts on a feeling you have not named.
Describe the event that prompted it
Stick to the observable facts of what happened, like a camera would record it, without adding interpretation.
Notice your interpretations and assumptions
Separate the facts from the story. Notice what you are assuming about the event, the other person’s intentions, or what it means.
Ask if you are assuming a threat or catastrophe
Check whether you are predicting the worst, mind reading, or treating a possibility as a certainty.
Decide whether the emotion fits the facts
If the emotion fits the facts, problem solving may help. If it does not fit, opposite action can help you change it.
When to Use This Skill
Use check the facts whenever an emotion feels especially intense, when you notice you are assuming the worst, or before you act on a strong urge. It is especially useful for anxiety, anger, shame, and jealousy, which often grow from interpretations rather than facts.
How DBT Path Teaches This Skill
At DBT Path, this skill is taught as part of the Emotion Regulation module, one of the four core DBT skill areas. DBT Path is the original online DBT skills class, delivered live online since 2013 in a private, lecture-style format with no pressure to share or turn on your camera. Founder Debbie DeMarco Bennett and Dr. Kathryn Holt, PhD, LCSW, demonstrate each skill and walk through real examples of when to use it. These skills come from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. Every week, students receive personalized written feedback on their skills practice from a trained DBT Path team member. You can explore our online DBT classes or learn the related Opposite Action skill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is check the facts in DBT?
Check the facts in DBT is the skill of examining whether an emotion fits the actual facts of a situation rather than your assumptions. At DBT Path, this skill is taught as an emotion regulation skill that helps you separate what really happened from the story you are telling yourself.
How do you check the facts of an emotion?
You check the facts by naming the emotion, describing the event in observable terms, identifying your interpretations, and asking whether the emotion fits reality. DBT Path teaches these steps with weekly personalized feedback so they become a natural habit.
What is the difference between check the facts and opposite action?
Check the facts helps you decide whether an emotion fits reality, and opposite action helps you change the emotion when it does not. At DBT Path, students often use check the facts first, then opposite action if the emotion is unjustified.
Does check the facts mean my feelings are wrong?
No. Check the facts does not mean your feelings are wrong or invalid. DBT Path teaches it as a way to understand your emotions more clearly, so you can choose whether to problem solve, accept, or shift the feeling.
Ready to Learn DBT Skills Like This One?
It is one of many practical DBT skills you can learn in a calm, private, supportive setting at DBT Path. Explore our online DBT classes and start building the tools to work with your emotions instead of being ruled by them.