DBT Emotion-Regulation Skill
Check the Facts
What Is Check the Facts?
Emotions are influenced not only by what happens, but also by how we interpret what happens.
Sometimes our interpretation fits the available facts. Other times, assumptions, predictions, past experiences, or incomplete information can make a situation seem different from what we actually know.
Check the Facts is a DBT emotion-regulation skill for slowing that process down. It asks you to identify the observable facts of a situation, notice the meaning you are adding to those facts, and consider whether your emotional response fits what is actually known.
The goal is not to convince yourself that everything is fine. Sometimes the facts confirm that there really is a problem. The purpose is to respond to the situation that actually exists rather than automatically responding to an assumption about it.
Try This Now
Facts vs. Interpretation
- Think of a recent situation that triggered a strong emotion.
- Describe what happened using only information that a camera or microphone could have recorded.
- Notice what meaning you added to those facts.
- Ask: “Do I know that interpretation is true?”
- Identify at least one other possible explanation.
- Ask whether your emotion and its intensity still fit the facts you actually know.
Facts vs. Interpretations
What Counts as a Fact?
Facts are pieces of information that can be directly observed or verified.
For example:
“I sent a message at 2:00 p.m. and have not received a reply.”
This describes something observable without explaining why it happened.
What Is an Interpretation?
An interpretation is the meaning, explanation, intention, or conclusion we attach to the facts.
For example:
“They haven't answered because they're angry with me.”
That may be true, but the unanswered message alone does not prove it.
Interpretations Are Not Automatically Wrong
Checking the facts does not mean that every interpretation is incorrect.
Sometimes additional evidence strongly supports your interpretation.
The important distinction is between:
“I know this.”
and:
“This is what I think may be happening.”
How to Check the Facts
1. Identify the Emotion
Start by naming the emotion you are experiencing.
For example:
- Fear
- Anger
- Sadness
- Shame
- Guilt
- Jealousy
- Disappointment
If several emotions are present, choose one to examine at a time.
2. Identify the Prompting Event
Describe what happened immediately before the emotion became stronger.
Try to describe the event without evaluations, assumptions, or conclusions.
Ask:
“What would a camera have recorded?”
3. Identify Your Interpretation
Notice the thoughts that appeared after the event.
Ask yourself:
- What am I assuming?
- What do I think this means?
- What am I assuming about another person's intentions?
- What am I predicting will happen next?
4. Look for Evidence
Ask what evidence supports your interpretation and what evidence does not.
Questions that can help include:
- What facts support this conclusion?
- What facts do not support it?
- Is there information I do not have?
- Am I treating a possibility as a certainty?
- Would someone else necessarily reach the same conclusion?
5. Consider Other Explanations
Generate one or more reasonable explanations that also fit the available facts.
You do not need to prove that an alternative is true. The goal is to recognize that your first interpretation may not be the only possibility.
6. Consider the Most Likely Outcome
Notice whether your mind is jumping immediately to the worst possible outcome.
Ask:
- What is the worst possible outcome?
- What is the best possible outcome?
- What is the most likely outcome?
If the feared outcome actually occurred, consider what you could do to cope with it.
7. Ask Whether the Emotion Fits the Facts
After examining the situation, ask whether the emotion makes sense given the facts you know.
Also consider the intensity of the emotion.
An emotion may fit the situation while its intensity is greater than the facts support.
For example, some concern may fit an uncertain situation even if overwhelming panic does not.
Example
“They Didn't Respond to My Message”
Prompting event:
“I sent a message three hours ago and have not received a response.”
Emotion:
Anxiety.
Initial interpretation:
“They're upset with me and are intentionally ignoring me.”
Facts:
- I sent the message three hours ago.
- I have not received a response.
- I do not currently know what they are doing.
- They have taken several hours to respond before.
Other possible explanations:
- They may be busy.
- Their phone may be unavailable.
- They may have seen the message and forgotten to respond.
- They may want time to think before answering.
- They could be upset, but I do not currently know that.
Conclusion:
Some uncertainty may fit the facts. The conclusion that the relationship is in danger is not currently supported by the available information.
Common Thinking Traps
Mind Reading
Assuming you know what another person is thinking, feeling, or intending without enough evidence.
Ask:
“What do I actually know about what this person is thinking?”
Catastrophizing
Treating the worst possible outcome as though it is the most likely or inevitable outcome.
Ask:
“Is this possible, or is it actually probable?”
Emotional Reasoning
Treating a feeling as proof that something is true.
For example:
“I feel guilty, therefore I must have done something wrong.”
The emotion is real. The conclusion still needs to be checked against the facts.
Treating Predictions as Facts
Thoughts about the future can begin to feel like things that have already happened.
Compare:
“This conversation is going to go terribly.”
with:
“I am worried that this conversation may be difficult.”
What Comes After Checking the Facts?
Checking the facts helps determine which response may be most effective.
If the Emotion Fits the Facts
If the emotion fits the situation, the emotion may be providing useful information.
The next step may involve responding to the problem, protecting yourself, setting a boundary, grieving a loss, asking for support, or taking another effective action.
If the Emotion Does Not Fit the Facts
If the emotion or its intensity does not fit the facts, another emotion-regulation strategy may help.
In DBT, this often leads to considering Opposite Action.
If You Still Don't Know
Sometimes there simply is not enough information to know what is happening.
In that situation, try distinguishing:
“I don't know”
from:
“The worst explanation must be true.”
You may need to tolerate uncertainty, gather more information, or ask someone directly.
Tips for Practice
- Check one emotion at a time when several emotions are happening together.
- Start with observable facts before analyzing what they might mean.
- Remember that a strong feeling is real even when the interpretation behind it turns out to be inaccurate.
- Do not use Check the Facts to automatically dismiss your emotions. Sometimes the facts confirm that your reaction makes sense.
- Look for missing information rather than automatically filling in the gaps.
- When possible, gather additional information before reaching a conclusion.
- If emotional intensity is too high to think clearly, use a distress-tolerance skill first and return to Check the Facts afterward.