Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Promoting Lasting Change and Wellness

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of psychotherapy. It is an action-oriented approach with roots in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and traditional behavior therapy.

Participating in ACT can help people stop struggling with their emotions. By engaging in this therapy, people can learn to stop denying or avoiding their emotional responses and accept them as an appropriate response to past experiences.

ACT allows people to move forward in life by accepting their challenges and committing to changing their behaviors. People commit to making changes regardless of their feelings about it or life’s distractions.

This article will explore acceptance and commitment therapy. You will learn:

• How ACT works
• What conditions ACT may treat
• What to expect during acceptance and commitment therapy
• How to find ACT in Palm City

If you or someone you love needs support to manage challenges, you are not alone. Contact the specialists at Palm City Wellness to explore our mental health treatment and support programs in Florida.

Exploring Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

A psychologist named Steven C. Hayes developed ACT in the 1980s to help people accept and manage negative thoughts.[1] He created this therapeutic technique as a response to his own history of experiencing panic attacks. The method encourages people not to hide or avoid their complex emotions.

The core theory of acceptance and commitment therapy is that avoiding or controlling painful emotions is counterproductive.[1,2] Advocates of ACT therapy believe that suppressing difficult emotions or experiences can cause more distress.

ACT teaches people that there are alternatives to suppressing challenging emotions. These include:[2]

• Attention to personal values
• Mindful behavior
• Commitment to action

By using acceptance and commitment therapy techniques, people can accept their psychological experiences and change their behaviors. Doing these things can ultimately lead to improved emotional states and a better quality of life.

What can ACT Treat?

ACT is a behavior therapy that can be effective in treating a range of physical and mental health conditions.[2,3] People may use acceptance and commitment therapy to treat:

• Anxiety disorders
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Psychosis
• Substance use disorder (SUD)
• Workplace stress

ACT can help people accept their challenges and commit to making changes when possible. People receiving acceptance and commitment therapy may experience short-term effects and long-term benefits.

What to Expect During Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

You will work with a trained, licensed therapist in one-on-one sessions. During sessions, your therapist will encourage you to listen to your own self-talk. You will think about how you talk to yourself regarding traumatic events, limitations, complicated relationships, and other challenges.

You will decide which problems require immediate action. If you can change the situation, you will work to do so. If you cannot change it, you will work to accept it. Working to accept the problem may include behavioral changes that make the problem more manageable.

Your therapist may identify repeating patterns of thoughts or behaviors that lead to more problems. After identifying and accepting current challenges, you can commit to facing your past experiences and emotions.

There are six core acceptance and commitment therapy techniques.[1,3] Here is an overview of these techniques.

Acceptance

Acceptance requires identifying and being open to the full range of your thoughts. You must learn to stop avoiding, changing, or denying all thoughts–even painful ones.

Cognitive defusion

Cognitive defusion requires you to change how you react to distressing emotions and thoughts. Distancing yourself from these thoughts can help to reduce their negative impact. Some cognitive defusion techniques include:[2,4]

• Observing thoughts without judgment
• Labeling automatic responses
• Singing the thought

Learning these techniques can help you face current challenges and accept thoughts about past experiences.

Being present

Being present involves being grounded in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help you experience events with clarity. You may use a variety of mindfulness exercises to develop this skill.

Self as context

Self-as-context is a technique that encourages people to expand their view of themselves. It encourages people to think of themselves as more than emotions, thoughts, and experiences.

Values

In ACT, people choose personal values and strive to live in alignment with them. This technique can help people stop living according to others’ expectations or avoiding distress.

Committed action

Committed action requires setting goals and taking practical steps to make meaningful changes. Making changes can help people live in alignment with their values and work toward a more fulfilling, meaningful life.

The goal of ACT is to help people accept the full range of their thoughts and emotions.[3] This evidence-based therapeutic approach includes talk therapy, experiential exercises, and other techniques.

Find Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Palm City, Florida

If you or someone in your life needs treatment or support to manage a mental health condition, contact the Palm City Wellness specialists to explore our programs. Our dedicated practitioners will help you find the right treatment for your unique needs and goals. Contact us now to get started on your wellness journey.

References:

1. National Institute of Health (NIH): Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Health Behavior Change: A Contextually-Driven Approach
2. American Psychological Association: Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes, and outcomes.
3. Science Direct: Acceptance and commitment therapy, relational frame theory, and the third wave of behavioral and cognitive therapies
4. Sage Journals: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Unified Model of Behavior Change