Developed by Steven Hayes in the 1980’s, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or ACT, for short), is an evidence-based therapy that has been shown to be effective at treating a wide range of psychological conditions and disorders. When most of us experience unpleasant thoughts and emotions, we do whatever we can to make them go away. Maybe we watch tv, go for a walk, or pick up our phone for a distraction. Maybe we try positive thinking and try to convince our mind that it is wrong about things. And sometimes it works, and that’s great! However, a lot of the time, these strategies only work for a little while, or they don’t work at all. This is where ACT comes in.
With ACT, we do not see negative thoughts and emotions as the problem, but we aim instead to develop cognitive flexibility – that is, the ability to respond in a values-congruent way, while contacting the present moment with compassion. After all, you didn’t develop these negative thoughts out of nowhere, they came about as a natural response to your lived experience, your mind’s way of trying to keep you safe from future disappointment or pain.
I personally love ACT because it challenges us to look at what we’ve been avoiding in order to move towards the life we want. If you’ve gone to therapy before only to find that you talked in circles and didn’t change anything, then you might love ACT too. I also find it dovetails beautifully with somatic experiencing, because often a somatic approach can help to draw out the hidden thoughts that are running the show without us even knowing. I also practice what I preach and use these tools in my own life. They work!
Ready for the next step? Book online or reach out to schedule a 15 minute consultation.