Mindfulness in action - What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented mindfulness based approach to talk therapy that stems from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. ACT is considered an evidence based practice that has been shown to effectively help treat and manage anxiety and depression disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, workplace stress, and chronic pain. In sessions, you will explore how to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with your thoughts, feelings, and emotions by accepting that thoughts, feelings, and emotions are simply part of the human experience and don’t have to impact behavior or mean something about the Self. The idea is that by understanding what your thoughts, feelings, and emotions are trying to tell you, it is easier to accept them without judgement and therefore you can more ease-fully commit to making the necessary behavioral choices to live a more authentic life. ACT aims to develop and expand psychological flexibility, which encompasses emotional openness and the ability to adapt your behaviors to better align with your values and goals, and not only the values and goals of the people and structures you exist in.

What to Expect

In sessions, you will be supported in exploring and gaining insight into your self-talk, specifically related to traumatic events or life experiences that are causing distress and dysfunction in your day to day life. Through awareness of your patterns and the helpful and unhelpful coping mechanisms you developed, you can generate change in your life. Once you face and accept your current challenges without judgement, commit to stop fighting your past and your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, you can develop actions and behaviors that are more aligned with your values and life’s purpose.

Six Core Processes 

1. Acceptance

Acceptance involves acknowledging and embracing the full range of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions rather than trying to avoid, deny, or fix them.

2. Cognitive De-fusion

Cognitive de-fusion involves creating distance between distressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions and your reactions to them to create psychological space for choice.

3. Being Present

Being present involves being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions without judging them or trying to fix them as an access to experience present events more clearly without past stories or unhelpful coping strategies and patterns getting in the way.

4. Self as Context

Self as context involves understanding that you are not your thoughts, feelings, emotions, or experiences, you simply have them because you are human.

5. Values

Values is the process of identifying your personal values and striving to live a life aligned to those values, which is distinct form living a life based on the desire to avoid distress or adhere to other people’s or society’s expectations of you.

6. Committed Action

Committed action involves committing to new behaviors that generate change which supports you in living a more aligned and authentic life. This may involve goal setting, exposure to difficult thoughts, feelings, emotions, or experiences, and skill development such as meditation, journaling, and self-care practices.

The theory behind ACT is that it is counterproductive to try to control difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions and that suppressing distressful thoughts, feelings, and emotions ultimately leads to more distress. ACT adopts the view that mindfulness (the insight that comes from exploring what your thoughts, feelings, and emotions are telling you so you can respond as opposed to react), acting in alignment with personal values, and commitment to action you can change your emotional state and shift your perspective to live a more healthful, easeful, and authentic life.

Are you interested in learning more about how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help you in your healing journey? Then schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation with me.