Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A Path to Psychological Flexibility and Well-being
““The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”
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We can find ourselves in situations that we don’t want to be in or having to do things we don’t particularly like.
Carl Rogers’ view was that the good life is not an outcome to be achieved, once and for all, but it is more like our compass giving us a process that we choose to be engaged with, and to be continually moving towards.
ACT is a therapy that helps us to learn to take valued committed actions, like a value-based compass helping us choose actions that are towards the person we want to be and the life that we want to have.
It is about acknowledging that there is not one set path to get us to a destination. It is more about the process of moving in any direction that is in line with our values.
The first step to this is to take a little time to consider what those values are.
To do so we might ask ourselves broad questions such as;
“What sort of person do we want to be?
“How do we want to treat ourselves and how do we want to treat others?”
Once we know our values, we can ‘sprinkle’ them into our actions.
We can use our values to ‘flavour’ whatever we are saying and doing. And almost always when we do this, whatever we’re doing then becomes far more rewarding.
This perspective is from the Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) model of therapy which many of the My Therapist Online experts are trained and experienced in using.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that stems from traditional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) explained.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses and teaches mindfulness and acceptance strategies that help people develop psychological flexibility.
It can help people recognise how trying to suppress, push away or ignore challenging experiences can cause problems. Instead, ACT trained therapists help people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings and become better at taking action towards more valued behaviours that support their well-being.
ACT encourages people to open up to challenging thoughts and feelings, helping them to not avoid situations where these thoughts and feelings may show up.
This therapy is not intended to change unwanted experiences, but instead, it teaches people to develop a mindful relationship with them.
6 Guiding Principles of ACT
ACT is not a specific set of techniques however there are 6 guiding principles that are thought to help develop psychological flexibility.
1. COGNITIVE DIFFUSION: This part of ACT aims to change the function of negative thoughts, emotions and memories that affect an individual.
2. ACCEPTANCE: This provides an alternative to avoiding unwanted thoughts and feelings. Embracing these without attempting to change them helps individuals to open up and implement newly learnt coping strategies
3. CONTACT WITH THE PRESENT MOMENT: This is about individuals being psychologically present, connecting with what is happening now.
4. THE OBSERVING SELF: This focuses on a person’s attention and awareness which may include developing mindfulness skills.
5. VALUES: Values give life meaning and purpose. They are used in ACT to develop therapy goals.
6. COMMITTED ACTION: This aspect of ACT involves establishing goals that are consistent with a person’s values so that individuals stick to them and carry them out responsibly.
Mindfulness is one of ACT’s most useful techniques promoting openness and curiosity. Developing mindfulness skills can help us see our experiences in the present moment without judgement. It helps us to detach and let go of unhelpful thoughts, allows us to experience painful feelings and feel connected to the present moment.
Acceptance techniques also play a significant role in ACT. By trying to get rid of pain and distress, we can in fact, unintentionally increase it. By accepting and acknowledging what we feel, we can learn to make room for these negative feelings so that we no longer have to fight to suppress them.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
― Carl R. Roger
ACT supports the development of psychological flexibility.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses and teaches mindfulness and acceptance strategies that help people develop psychological flexibility.
It can help people recognise how trying to avoid, suppress, block or push away challenging experiences can unintentionally result in increasing a person’s problems.
Instead, it helps people accept their negative thoughts and feelings and become better at taking action towards more valued behaviours that support well-being.
With this understanding, we can start to accept (you don’t have to like or agree with them to accept that they may show up) our problems and commit to making necessary changes in our behaviour, regardless of what is going on in our lives, and how we feel about it.
Who can ACT help?
ACT has been used effectively to help treat a wide variety of problems. A skilled therapist will be able to interweave ACT principles and techniques into your treatment plan.
ACT is particularly helpful in supporting people address problems such as;
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Social anxiety
Depression
Workplace stress
Chronic pain
Cancer or other health diagnoses
Substance abuse
The management of chronic illnesses.
Benefits of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT trained therapists can teach you a variety of skills that help to deal with distressing thoughts and feelings so they have a much smaller influence on your life.
It can also help in determining what is important to you and encourage you to change your life.
Do get in touch if you want to see if an ACT trained therapist to help you move towards your valued directions in life. We have listed a few ACT trained therapists below. Simply click on their names to read their profiles.
Dr Giulia Schembri Paulina Dabrowska
Dr Matina Sotrilli Paul Gebka-Scuffins
Baanu Baghabani-Irvine Becca McKay
Dr Alexandra Barnett Clare Blissett
Dr Birgit Vote Rachel Kerr-Smith
Dr Angelica Attard Lisa Johnston