What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based, values-driven modality of therapy with heaping amounts of self-compassion (and sometimes humor) mixed in. The goal of ACT is to give you tools and strategies to help you handle the inevitable pain that life brings so that you can keep doing the things that matter deeply to you. ACT will give you mindfulness strategies to not only learn how to effectively handle painful thoughts, emotions and memories, but to also show up and be fully present in any moment, able to savor the sweeter moments of life, and make space for the less sweet ones. ACT will also help you connect or reconnect with your core values. Whether that is discovering the type of person you want to be toward yourself and others, or how you want to show up in this world, ACT can provide you with the skills and confidence to live your values. Once you have a good handle on your values, it is time to start taking committed action toward those values by setting goals and practicing all of the mindfulness strategies you already learned.
Who is ACT for?
In a nutshell…EVERYONE! ACT is an effective, evidence-based therapy for those who have been diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Adjustment Disorder, etc. The list is endless. If you have any doubts about whether ACT might be the right fit for you, please do not hesitate to reach out.
What sets ACT apart from other therapies?
ACT is not about labeling thoughts/feelings/memories/sensations (inner experiences), or trying to get rid of them, change them or avoid them. There is no “positive” or “negative” in ACT. Some inner experiences are pleasant, some are painful, and some are neutral (and some are just outlandish). But when you stop labeling inner experiences as “good” or “bad,” or “right” or “wrong,” it allows you to interact with your mind and body in a whole new way.
Because ACT is not about “positive” or “negative”, ACT proposes that, in general, it is not the inner experience itself that causes problems or suffering. Instead, it is how “stuck” or “fused” that inner experience becomes, and the things you do in response to that pain or suffering.
ACT is about learning to “make space” for the whole spectrum of the human experience. Pain and pleasure are both equal parts of the human experience, often at the same moment in time. In fact, many of the activities and experiences that bring richness and meaningfulness into our lives also expose us to the possibility of great pain and sorrow. So instead of trying to avoid or eliminate the pain, ACT teaches you how to cope so that you can be fully open to all that life has to offer.
ACT is values-driven. Many other therapies focus solely on helping you achieve a goal as a measure of how successful treatment was. The problem with living a goals-driven life is that goals are temporary. If something temporary is the measure of success, then even if you meet the goal, you can still experience continued pain and suffering as you look for the next thing to help you feel successful. Values though are constant and consistent: no matter what life throws at you, you can always take committed action toward living your values. In values-driven work, goals are not the measure of success or meaning: they become the tools you use to add to the meaningfulness and richness of your life.
Finally, ACT is not about being or feeling happy. This is because happiness is exactly that…a feeling. And ALL feelings are temporary and constantly changing. So instead of focusing on achieving something (goal) that is only temporary, ACT helps you focus on the bigger picture: building a life that is rich and meaningful. (And, if in that process you happen to notice feeling happy, then ACT will help you savor and appreciate that feeling, even if only temporary, as part of a rich, diverse and full life.)
I hope this information has been helpful and informative as to what ACT is, and how it can benefit you. If you would like to learn how to effectively handle painful thoughts/feelings/ memories so that you can live your values, reach out today!
For more information about ACT, see the following resources: