STOPP (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Pull back, Proceed) is a CBT micro-skill that creates a deliberate pause between an emotional trigger and your reaction.
Impulsive reactions occur when emotional arousal bypasses reflective thinking. The STOPP sequence introduces a deliberate beat, allowing parasympathetic regulation to kick in before taking intentional action:
Techniques like paced breathing and sensory grounding directly activate the vagus nerve, sending safety signals to the brain stem to turn down autonomic fight-or-flight arousal.
Camic walks you through the 5 STOPP steps in real time whenever an urge or reaction threatens to override your judgment.
Popularized within CBT self-help and skills-training resources (e.g. Vivyan, C. (2009). STOPP skill sheet, Get Self Help / NHS IAPT materials), grounded in Beck's cognitive model and DBT-style impulse-control skills (Linehan, M.M., 1993).
