TIP is all about changing the chemistry of the body very rapidly in order to reduce extreme emotion.  These actions were used when someone at TK was having a panic attack or flashback and their mind was literally not in the present but reliving something from the past.

T – Tip the temperature of your face.  The basic (or mammalian) reflex when submerged in cold water is for the heart rate to decrease and blood flow to increase to the heart and brain.  That’s where life needs to be sustained, and the body and brain react on basic instinct to preserve life.  The same effect can be achieved by putting your face in a bowl of cold water or holding an ice pack to your eyes or cheeks.  At TK residents frequently got cups of ice for other residents in distress and helped guide their hand into it.

I – Intense Exercise. When the body is revved up by emotion, exercising intensely for a short time can expend that energy and help the body and brain calm.

P – Paced breathing. This is a great mindfulness exercise. My info sheet says breathe deeply from the belly and count; inhale on the count of 5 and exhale on the count of 7.  Try to average five to six breaths a minute.  There’s a couple of advantages to this – the heart slows down, hyperventilating stops, the mind focuses on the breathing instead of the problem, and calmness can be restored more easily.  I recently saw a mother use a shortened version of this with her two-year-old.  When he started to whine and cry, she said, “stop; take a deep breath.”  After both of them did a couple times, she said, “now try again without whining.”  And he did!  I wish I’d known to do that with my kids!!