Participate

When your head is too loud and you need to be a body again. It’s one of the DBT mindfulness skills, and the skills picker can route a client here in the moment.

Not sure this is the right skill?

The free DBT skills picker asks what’s happening right now and routes to a skill to try.

Open the skills picker

When to reach for Participate

When your head is too loud and you need to be a body again.

How to practice Participate

Pick something that demands attention: cold shower, running, scrubbing, dancing.
Start it. Go all-in — no half-measures, no observing yourself doing it.
Move at a pace that doesn't leave room for narration.
When it's over, notice you came back. That's mindfulness.

If it doesn’t help: the DBT skills picker routes next to Observe. Different skills land for different people and moments — trying the next-best fit is part of the method, not a failure.

Tracking Participate on a diary card

Whether a client used Participate — and whether it helped — is exactly what a DBT diary card captures. Recording skill use day by day is how you see, in session, whether mindfulness skills are generalizing.

Track skill use for free

Build a custom diary card that tracks the skills you’re working on, or track it digitally in Theracharts.

Build a diary card All DBT skills

FAQ

What is Participate in DBT?

Participate is a DBT mindfulness skill. When your head is too loud and you need to be a body again.

When should I use Participate?

Reach for participate when your head is too loud and you need to be a body again.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) — free, confidential, 24/7. This page is educational and is not therapy, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional care.