PLEASERS skills build on the DBT PLEASE skill by adding liquids, routine, and sensory regulation. The goal is simple: take care of your body so your mind has a better chance of finding Wise Mind.
That’s right, folks. Just when you thought the PLEASE acronym could not get any more cringey, I give you: PLEASERS.
PLEASERS adds three pieces to the original PLEASE skill: liquids, routine, and sensory regulation. Together, these eight skills help reduce vulnerability to Emotion Mind.
What Are PLEASERS Skills?
The original DBT PLEASE skill focuses on taking care of the body to reduce emotional vulnerability. It includes treating physical illness, balanced eating, avoiding mood-altering substances, balanced sleep, and exercise.
PLEASERS keeps those core ideas and adds three more areas that often matter clinically:
Liquids
Routine
Sensory regulation needs
For many people, emotions become harder to manage when the body is depleted. Hunger, dehydration, sleep loss, illness, intoxication, lack of movement, disrupted routines, and sensory overwhelm can all make Emotion Mind louder.
That does not mean physical self-care solves everything.
However, it does mean the body matters.
Why PLEASERS Skills Matter in DBT
In DBT, we often talk about reducing vulnerability to Emotion Mind.
That means we do not only wait until we are overwhelmed and then try to use a crisis skill. Instead, we try to build daily habits that make emotional storms less likely or less intense.
PLEASERS skills are one way to do that.
They remind us that therapy is not only about insight. It is also about sleep, food, hydration, hygiene, movement, routine, and sensory needs.
Sometimes, the most clinically useful intervention is not complicated. Sometimes, it is helping someone notice that they are hungry, exhausted, overwhelmed, under-stimulated, over-stimulated, or running on fumes.
To learn more about the original DBT PLEASE skill, visit: https://www.charliehealth.com/post/what-is-the-please-dbt-skill-how-can-it-help
Trying to Find Wise Mind While Depleted
I made a meme too, because that is what you do when you care too much.
The meme captures something DBT therapists and clients know well: trying to find Wise Mind while hungry, sleep deprived, and intoxicated is much harder than we want it to be.
Wise Mind is easier to access when the body is supported.
That does not mean people need perfect habits before they can use skills. Perfection is not the goal. Instead, the goal is to reduce unnecessary vulnerability where possible.
If we want more access to Wise Mind, we need to care for the conditions that make Wise Mind easier to reach.
PLEASERS Skills for Students and Clients
This is our last week of classes at Pitzer College, and I worry that some of my students and clients are not prioritizing their PLEASERS skills.
That worry comes from care.
Endings, finals, transitions, deadlines, and stress can make people abandon the exact habits they need most. Sleep gets cut. Meals get skipped. Water disappears. Routines collapse. Exercise stops. Sensory needs get ignored.
Then Emotion Mind starts pointing at everyone.
That is why these skills matter.
Take care of your body like your life, and the quality of your life, depends on it.
Because it does.
At YFI, we support youth, young adults, adults, and families navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, self-harm, suicide risk, ADHD, emotion dysregulation, school stress, family stress, sensory needs, and major life transitions. Our team provides comprehensive DBT, parent coaching, skills training, phone coaching, and coordinated care for clients and families who need more support. Learn more about our DBT services here: https://youthandfamilyinstitute.com/dbt/
For families and clinicians in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Sawtelle, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Venice, South Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, and Altadena, YFI provides evidence-based care with warmth, clarity, and respect. To learn more or connect with our team, please visit our contact page: https://youthandfamilyinstitute.com/contact/
