Acceptance and Commitment
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a form of mental health therapy that helps you acknowledge your relationship with your thoughts and feelings. You learn to understand your feelings instead of changing them. You’ll work on reframing your values and adjusting your behaviors to match them better.
Overview
A mental health professional will help you follow the six essential processes of acceptance and commitment therapy.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
It is a type of psychotherapy that helps you manage negative thoughts and emotions in a healthier, more meaningful way. It encourages you to:
It’s normal to have negative thoughts and emotions. Having them doesn’t make you a bad person. Sometimes, your brain is wired to spend more time brooding in negative thoughts than moving on from them. This can harm your emotional balance, physical health, work or school performance, and social life. Mental health professionals can help you rewire your brain so negative thoughts don’t take over.
Imagine you’re scheduled to give a presentation at work. You might think, “I’m nervous, and I’m going to mess it up.” Feeling nervous before a presentation is a realistic expectation to have. ACT can help you reframe your thoughts to: “I know I feel nervous, and that’s OK. I’m going to practice giving my presentation before the meeting, so I feel more confident.”
During acceptance and commitment therapy, you learn to recognize that your emotions are part of the human experience. You’ll practice different ways of thinking to help you meet your individualized goals.
What does acceptance and commitment therapy treat?
Acceptance and commitment therapy may help you manage the following mental health conditions:
You might seek this type of treatment to help you cope if you have a chronic or progressive disease or an underlying condition like cancer that may have a significant impact on your day-to-day life and future.
ACT isn’t the first line of treatment for these conditions, but it may be secondary or supplemental to other types of treatments (like medication) that your healthcare provider recommends.
Who is a good candidate for the ACT?
Anyone can participate in acceptance and commitment therapy. Studies show that this type of therapy is best for teenagers and adults. You’ll need to use abstract thinking (understanding things or ideas that aren’t physical objects or experiences), which may be challenging for children to comprehend.
Procedure Details
What happens during acceptance and commitment therapy?
You’ll meet with a therapist (like a psychologist) during your first session. They’ll learn more about who you are and your goals. Furthermore, they’ll give you more information about what you can expect, a planned timeline and what you’ll be working on during each session.
You’ll be given a lot of information at first, which can seem overwhelming. At the start of each session, you’ll review what you went over the week before so you don’t forget it. You’ll also be able to ask questions any time you have them.
Acceptance and commitment therapy focuses on learning more about yourself and your values. Each session is a little different. You’ll practice various exercises and techniques that help you:
Acceptance and commitment therapy follows six core processes that you’ll need to incorporate into each exercise. Exercises may include thinking about things in a new way, reevaluating past situations or exploring your values.
What are the six core processes of ACT?
The six key processes of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are:
The six processes follow the psychological flexibility model, where your behavior aligns with your values instead of your emotions driving your behavior. You may see other branches of therapy using a similar approach.
It takes time and practice to master these processes, so it’s normal to feel challenged as you work through them. Think of it like juggling. You can start with one ball, tossing it in the air. When you get comfortable, you can add another. Over time, you can keep all six balls moving at the same time. It’s OK if you drop one or need more time to add another. Your therapist will give you tips or help you readjust your form so you can juggle more at once. You’ll also need to practice what you learn during each session at home so the process becomes more second nature.
Risks / Benefits
What are the key benefits of acceptance and commitment therapy?
The main benefit of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is psychological flexibility. This means you can recognize how your emotions play a role in your life, but you don’t feel overwhelmed by them. You learn to accept the things within your control and stay true to yourself and your values.
Other benefits of acceptance and commitment therapy may include:
What are the risks of acceptance and commitment therapy?
Participating in therapy requires a certain level of vulnerability that can make you feel uncomfortable. You’ll need to face and address your thoughts and emotions to move forward from them. Therapy is difficult and requires significant mental effort. For these reasons, it’s normal — and OK — to feel overwhelmed and exhausted from time to time.
You may also be managing underlying mental health conditions where you’re more at risk of thoughts of suicide. Your therapist can help you navigate these thoughts.
Recovery and Outlook
How long will I need acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)?
Each person has different goals and reasons for participating in therapy, so there isn’t a specific timeline that works for everyone. During your first session, your therapist can help you understand what the process might look like. You’ll usually meet once a week for several weeks.
It’s also important to note that you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Therapy isn’t easy, and results don’t happen overnight. It’s just like playing a sport — you can’t win a game without putting in the practice. You’ll need to work hard and train your brain on new techniques to reach your personalized goals.
Let your therapist know if you feel like you’re falling behind or not meeting your goals. They can help you get back on track or try new techniques that better align with your values.
A note from Eclipse Clinic
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may make you feel less overwhelmed when you’re in a stressful situation and able to move forward from your thoughts constructively. As the name implies, you’ll need to accept that your thoughts and feelings are part of who you are and commit to behaviors that embrace your values. ACT is very personalized, so your therapist will work closely with you to help you meet your goals.
As with any type of therapy, you may have to address challenging emotions or experiences. This can stir up lot of feelings that you might not want to face. But you never have to face them alone. Your provider will be with you every step of the way.
Care at Eclipse Clinic
Your mental well-being is just as important as your physical well-being. At Eclipse Clinic, our expert therapist, Mrs. Vidya Suzan Jose, a seasoned clinical psychologist, is here to help you live life to the fullest. They will work closely with you, providing the guidance and support you need through every step of your journey with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
