What Is the IMPROVE the Moment Skill in DBT? How to Get Through Distress
The IMPROVE the Moment skill is a DBT distress tolerance skill that makes a painful moment more bearable using seven tools: Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One thing in the moment, a brief Vacation, and Encouragement. At DBT Path, the original online DBT skills class taught online since 2013, you learn the IMPROVE the Moment skill as a way to get through a crisis safely, without doing anything that makes it worse.
IMPROVE is an acronym. Each letter is a small, doable way to soothe yourself and shift your experience of a hard moment until the intensity passes.
A quick note before you begin
The relaxation step below involves gentle breathing and muscle relaxation. This page is education, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, a breathing condition, are pregnant, or have any medical concern, please check with your physician before practicing breathing or relaxation techniques.
The seven parts of IMPROVE
Imagery
Picture a safe, calming place, or imagine the situation going well. Visualization gives your mind a gentler scene to rest in.
Meaning
Find or create purpose in the pain. Remind yourself what you value and why getting through this matters.
Prayer
Open to something larger than the moment, whether that is faith, your wise mind, or simply a request for strength. This step is for everyone, religious or not.
Relaxation
Release tension in your body. Drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, breathe slowly and evenly, or relax one muscle group at a time.
One thing in the moment
Put your whole attention on this single moment and this single task. When your mind races to the past or future, gently bring it back to now.
Vacation
Take a brief, healthy break. Step outside, wrap up in a blanket for ten minutes, or let yourself rest. A short vacation is a pause, not an escape.
Encouragement
Be your own coach. Say kind, true things to yourself: “This is hard and I can get through it,” or “I have survived hard moments before.”
When to use it
Reach for this skill when emotional pain is high and you cannot fix the situation right now. The IMPROVE the Moment skill helps you tolerate distress without acting on urges you would regret.
How DBT Path teaches it
At DBT Path, you learn this skill in live, online classes led by founder Debbie DeMarco Bennett and Dr. Kathryn Holt, the same two teachers every week. Every week you also receive personalized written feedback on your skills practice from a trained DBT Path team member, so you learn how to use IMPROVE in your own real situations. It is one of many tools in the full DBT curriculum: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. You can explore the online DBT classes or a related skill like ACCEPTS. The approach is grounded in standard DBT as developed in Marsha Linehan’s research.
Frequently asked questions
What does IMPROVE stand for in DBT?
In DBT, IMPROVE stands for Imagery, Meaning, Prayer, Relaxation, One thing in the moment, Vacation, and Encouragement. DBT Path teaches each of these seven tools as a way to get through a painful moment.
Is the IMPROVE the Moment skill the same as avoiding the problem?
No. DBT Path teaches the IMPROVE the Moment skill as a way to survive a crisis safely until you can address it, not as a way to avoid it permanently.
Do I need prior experience to learn this skill?
No. At DBT Path you can join a class in progress with no prior DBT experience and catch up on recordings, and you receive weekly feedback as you practice.
Is IMPROVE the Moment a real DBT skill?
Yes. IMPROVE the Moment is a core distress tolerance skill in standard DBT, and DBT Path teaches it as part of the full evidence-based curriculum.
Ready to learn DBT skills with support? Explore the online DBT classes at DBT Path and join a welcoming class taught by the same teachers every week.