Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to help clients become more psychologically flexible by combining acceptance and mindfulness practices with cognitive behavioral approaches. Instead of attempting to suppress one’s thoughts and feelings, ACT teaches people to accept them. It promotes acting consistent with one’s ideals, even in the face of complex emotions and thoughts.

The four main tenets of ACT are committed action, values clarification, acceptance, and cognitive defusion. ACT places more emphasis on embracing oneself without passing judgment than on trying to get rid of upsetting ideas and feelings. Clients learn how to distance themselves from their thoughts so that they see them as just that–thoughts–rather than as realities or dangers.

ACT has its roots in Relational Frame Theory, which postulates that attempts to avoid emotional pain cause suffering instead of actual emotional distress. It offers a way to handle life’s difficulties by urging people to accept their weaknesses as a means of transformation. Through the development of psychological flexibility, people can live lives consistent with their goals and values, even in the face of suffering.

ACT is used to treat a wide range of psychological issues, such as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, stress, and substance dependence. In addition to therapy, it is employed in the workplace to enhance productivity and well-being.