Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based behaviour therapy that is effective for a wide range of concerns, conditions and behaviour patterns including depression, OCD, workplace stress, chronic pain and illness, eating disorders and addiction.
ACT draws on mindfulness skills, metaphors and experiential exercises to shift painful ways of thinking and behaviour into a life of meaning (Harris, 2006). Together with your therapist, you will explore past and current experiences including thoughts, images, feelings, sensations, urges and memories. Then, by using mindfulness-based techniques, you will learn acceptance, cognitive diffusion, presence and observing self (Harris, 2006).
Key to ACT is the belief that suffering or times of difficulty are normal human experiences, but that our natural tendency is to try and get rid of the pain or avoid it. But ironically, the more we try to avoid or get rid of our underlying pain, the more we tend to suffer. Sound familiar?
Tara Broch, author of Radical Compassion explains that acceptance means clearly recognizing what we are feeling in the present moment and offering ourselves compassion for just that. That can be challenging, right? It may also feel daunting, a little scary, or even impossible. But everything is less scary when you have a trusted partner to explore with. Here at Rebound, our team of therapists can partner with you to do just that. Interested in ACT or finding another modality of therapy that may be the right fit? Set up a consultation with me today.
Want to learn more right now? Try this meditation by Tara Brach today.
Meet the author of this post, Melissa Dunn!
Resources:
Brach, T. (2022). Meditation: Cultivating a Gentle, Kind, Attention. Meditations. [Audio]. Accessed July 16, 2022. https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-cultivating-gentle-attention/
Harris, R. (2006). Embracing your demons: An Overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Psychotherapy in Australia. (12)4.
Self-Help Toons. (2020). Cognitive Fusion and Defusion in ACT. YouTube. Retrieved July 16, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpdVMs818AE.