Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Deep Dive
Alice Thornewill, PhD, JD
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been proven to be effective in treating many issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. ACT is all about increasing flexibility in your thinking. Through ACT, you learn to accept and embrace who you are, even those parts of yourself that may be painful or the thoughts and feelings you typically avoid. ACT teaches you to recognize thoughts as stories or narratives you tell yourself, rather than absolute truths — thoughts are just thoughts, nothing more! By helping you identify what you care most about in life, ACT also helps you foster a meaningful and fulfilling life.
To better understand how ACT works, it can be helpful to learn about the six core processes involved ACT treatments: Defusion, Acceptance, Present Moment, Observer Self, Values, and Committed Action.
Core Components of ACT
Defusion
Defusion is a skill that involves mindfully observing your thoughts or feelings rather than getting caught up in them. When you are “fused” with unhelpful or distressing thoughts, you tend see those thoughts as reality and they can have a major influence on your life! Defusion skills help you distance yourself from those unhelpful or distressing thoughts, without getting caught up in them.
Acceptance
Acceptance is about making room for experiences rather than avoiding them, even when it is difficult. It is human nature to want to avoid unpleasant emotions, thoughts, and experiences, but often our attempts to control pain or push away negative experiences can backfire. ACT recognizes that pain is part of the human experience – it is the other side of joy! Through acceptance, you are taught to tolerate and make room for unpleasant thoughts, feelings, images, memories, urges, and physical sensations, rather than avoiding them. In doing so, you can let go of the struggle with pain and learn to embrace all of life’s experiences.
Present Moment
Present moment awareness is all about purposefully engaging in the experience of the current moment. Being present can be challenging, as we often get mentally “stuck” in the past or the future. ACT teaches you how to be present with your external world (i.e., your surroundings) and your internal world (i.e., your thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations).
Observer Self
The “observer self “– as opposed to the “thinking self” – is a perspective that allows you to observe your thoughts and feelings without becoming caught up in them. The observer self can feel a bit abstract and hard to wrap your head around. Can you notice that you are having thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations? And can you notice that you are noticing these things? If so, you are accessing your observer self!
Values
Values are what you care about most in life. Each person’s values are unique and may fall into domains such as family, intimate relationships, friendships, education, career, recreation, health, personal growth, spirituality, community engagement, and more. What is important to you? When we experience negative thoughts and emotions, as well as the stress of day-to-day life, values can be ignored or even forgotten. ACT helps you clarify your values. which brings a sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
Committed Action
Committed action is all about doing what it takes to move in the direction of your values, even when it is hard. For example, maybe you value friendships, but fear, insecurities, or anxiety get in the way of you making plans or socializing with others. Committed action is about leaning into that discomfort so you can move toward your values, which can result in a fuller, more meaningful life.
Together, these processes help you move toward the goal of ACT: psychological flexibility, or flexibility in your thinking. When you achieve psychological flexibility, you are able to let go of rigidity and make room for painful experiences. And as a result, you can move toward those things that bring you meaning and fulfillment. You open yourself up to experience life to its fullest. Contact us to learn more.