Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or Training (pronounced as ACT) is a powerful evidence-based approach to helping people develop a different relationship with their thoughts and feelings. Most psychotherapies target either the “reasons” for why we are feeling the way we are feeling, or attempt to change our thoughts and feelings. While insight can be useful, it is usually not enough to lead us to change behaviors that do not work for us. And trying to change what we think and feel often can backfire, to where we spend way too much energy and get caught up in a useless struggle.
Instead, ACT focuses on what we can change, and on accepting what we cannot. With ACT, we can learn to mindfully notice our thoughts and feelings, without getting caught up in them. We develop perspective. We can learn that we can tolerate and accept difficult experiences and still move forward in our lives. This can have a powerful effect on how we experience anxiety, depression, and many other emotional difficulties. We can also learn that we can behave in ways that move us towards our long term values, rather than acting on short term thoughts, feelings and impulses.
The aim of ACT is to develop Psychological Flexibility: that is, to be able to flexibly respond to what’s right in front of us, right here, right now. We are able to notice how we get caught up in regrets about the past, and worry about the future. And we can lessen their impact on whether we can make a choice in the present, that moves us forward.
For a wonderful description of psychological flexibilty, go here.
