Distress Cycle

The Distress Cycle

Understanding your distress and how to manage it.

Here is a overview of The Distress Cycle. It helps turn the chaos of Distress into something you can understand and tackle. The link to the worksheet is above, work through it after you experience distress. Do it often enough and Distress won't take you by surprise and overwhelm you.

The Distress Cycle Worksheet

Understanding your distress and how to manage it.

This worksheet accompanies Dr Al's talk on the distress cycle. Use it to get a better understanding of the process of distress so you can do something about it before you become overwhelmed.

Download the handout from our Resources page. It's free!

The Distress Cycle with DBT skills.

Putting the two together.

If you have done any DBT therapy, then this video will explain which skills to use at each stage of the distress cycle.

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PTSD and Bruxism

Bruxism and PTSD: The Teeth Keep the Score

By Al Griskaitis • June 29, 2024

How PTSD Can Lead to Bruxism and Dental Issues: The Teeth Keep the Score By Dr Al Griskaitis, Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk noted in PTSD that "The body keeps the score". Bruxism is a literal example of that. What is Bruxism? Bruxism is the involuntary grinding or clenching of teeth. It can occur during waking hours (awake bruxism) or during sleep (sleep bruxism). Common signs include worn-down biting surfaces of teeth, erosion of teeth at the gumline (abfraction), jaw pain, headaches, and increased tooth sensitivity. While bruxism is often associated with transient stress, its common connection to PTSD highlights a bodily impact of feeling endangered. Bruxism likely relates to this chronic state of increased arousal from PTSD which can be further exacerbated by alcohol and some medications. What is PTSD? I posit that it is more than a reaction to trauma with a syndrome of symptoms, that's too low resolution. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs when a very serious adversity leads to a "alarm

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It is our aim to offer actionable resources and teach real skills to help people make meaningful change in managing mental health issues, especially for those who can’t access other help.