A simple explanation of what ACT Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is?

At different points in life, we all experience frustration, disappointment, illness, loss, rejection, and failure where it is common to start predicting more bad things happening in the future, or judge ourselves harshly, or compare our life to someone else’s that seems better. We are compelled to get rid of these negative feelings, thoughts or memories in some way to reduce the psychological suffering experienced and strive to live up to the ideals of a healthy and content life. However, the more we try to control or get rid of these negative and difficult thoughts and emotions, the worse they seem to become in the long run. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, also known as ‘ACT’, takes a radically different approach towards this.

What is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy?

ACT is a mindfulness-based behavioural therapy that challenges the ground rules of the assumption of what is “healthy normality”. Society’s view of what it means to be psychologically healthy results in the view that psychological suffering is unacceptable and abnormal. In contrast, ACT assumes that the psychological processes and complexity of the normal human brain, naturally generates psychological suffering one way or the other, making the occurrence factually unavoidable.

Hence, the goal of ACT is to bring more vitality and meaning to life by increasing their psychological flexibility and accepting the pain and struggles that inevitably comes along in their lives in a constructive manner.

Who is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for?

ACT can be used with individuals, couples and groups, both as brief therapy or long term therapy, in a wide range of clinical populations. ACT has been shown to be effective with a diverse range of mental health areas such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, workplace stress, chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anorexia nervosa, marijuana abuse, and even schizophrenia.

What do you do in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy?

ACT utilises a mix of metaphors, paradoxes, and mindfulness skills, along with a wide range of experiential exercises and values-guided behavioural interventions. It explores ‘value-guided actions’ that are meaningful to the client to assist them in getting in touch with what really matters in the big picture. It also involves mindful action to help clients be open to their experiences and fully engage in their present actions.

How does it Acceptance & Commitment Therapy differ from other mindfulness-based approaches?

ACT was one of the first ‘third wave’ therapies created in 1986 by Steve Hayes. The intervention currently has a large body of supportive research data describing its effectiveness in therapy. ACT differs from other mindfulness approaches as it allows the therapist to explore and co-create with the client mindfulness techniques that are unique and individualised to the client. With mindfulness skills, the client will be guided to observe their experiences in less self-defeating or self-destructive ways and work on reducing the impact of negative experiences on their life through building openness and receptiveness. Although its’ not the main focus in this therapy approach, the ACT strategies eventually may also achieve “symptom reduction” for clients, by working on transforming the client’s relationship with their difficult thoughts and feelings.

We are fortunate to be able to include ACT as an evidence-based treatment approach for our clients at the practice. Although your psychologist will explain to you the various treatment interventions available to the difficulties you are experiencing, you may also wish to let them know you’d like to know more about ACT or even perhaps have a preference for this treatment approach.

Final words

If you are interested in learning more about ACT here are some links below for you to read and watch, and if it’s something you resonate with please feel free to be in touch to find out how one of our psychologists who utilises an ACT approach could be of help to you.