By Joe Welch
We’re taught from a young age that if we don’t want something, we should find a way to get rid of it. This strategy works great in the external world but what about when that thing we don’t want is on the inside? We find ourselves caught in a struggle, a secret internal war with our unwanted thoughts and feelings. We say no to our experience, avoid painful feelings, and push away bothersome thoughts just for them to resurface again. We might wonder, is this internal war winnable or does fighting just lead us to become more stuck and further away from the life we want? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a different approach to ending the war within us, not by winning the battle but by choosing to stop fighting and move on with our lives.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
ACT is a scientifically validated psychotherapy grounded in the cognitive behavioral tradition. In other words, it’s approaches are effective for a variety of mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, anger, etc. However, ACT is different from other cognitive behavioral therapies in that in ACT we focus on changing our relationship to our thoughts and feelings as opposed to needing thoughts and feelings to change in order to live a valued life.
The Core Processes of ACT
ACT focuses on six core processes that are instrumental in allowing us to accept our internal experience while behaving in a valued way, a concept called psychological flexibility:
- Cognitive Defusion: Learning methods to disentangle ourselves from thoughts and take them less literally, choosing to hold on to the ones that serve us and letting go of the ones that don’t.
- Experiential Acceptance: Learning to allow thoughts, feelings, and sensations to come and go without engaging in a needless struggle against them.
- Contact with the Present Moment: Being aware of the here and now with openness and curiosity.
- Observing Self: Getting in contact with a sense of self that transcends our thoughts, feelings, and stories that we tell ourselves.
- Values: Deciding what we want our life to stand for, what is most important to us.
- Committed Action: Setting goals according to our values and making commitments to achieve them.
ACT at MK Counseling: A Real-Life Application
Imagine this: Sarah, a client at MK Counseling, struggles with severe anxiety and panic attacks. Through ACT, Sarah gently learns how to allow fear to arise within her and unhook from her anxious thoughts. She also clarifies what she finds important in life and the ways she has allowed anxiety to dictate the directions in which she takes her life. Sarah then sets goals and chooses to make room for the anxiety that inevitably shows up while moving toward the things she cares about in life. In all, Sarah finds that difficult thoughts and feelings can be acceptable and do to not need to keep her away from what she finds important.
Take the Next Step
If you’re ready to explore how ACT can help you become unstuck and move forward in life, MK Counseling is here to guide you. Contact us to learn more about how we can tailor our therapeutic approaches to meet your unique needs and help you live your best life.