What is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy?
"Be present, open up, and do what matters."
- Russ Harris
What does ACT mean?
ACT stands for Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. ACT is a behavioural therapy focused on taking action in your life, guided by your core values. It helps you get clear on what matters most to you and to use this awareness to guide and inspire you to take mindful action in your life. In ACT, we aim for psychological flexibility, which is the ability to contact the present moment as it is, and based on what the situation affords, persisting or changing in behaviour in the service of chosen values.
How can ACT help me?
ACT assumes that life inevitably involves pain. ACT can help you live a rich and meaningful life, while handling the pain that will surely come with it. Using ACT, you will learn how to have a different relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings, so that they don't dictate your behaviours and lead you away from your values. Instead, you will learn to open up to difficult thoughts and feelings and act in a way that leads you toward your values.
Where did ACT come from?
ACT was originally developed by Steven C. Hayes in the 1980's and then further developed by Kelly Wilson and Kirk Stroshal. Like CBT, ACT is a behavioural therapy. It builds on and extends CBT by integrating mindfulness, acceptance, values, and committed action into the identification and awareness of thoughts and feelings. ACT is particularly concerned with how our mental health is affected by the symbolic nature of language.
Where can I go to learn more about ACT?
Websites:
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​Books:
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The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living (2nd Ed.). By Russ Harris. Shambhala Publications: Colorado (2022).
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A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters. By Steven C. Hayes. Penguin Random House: New York (2019).
How does ACT work with mindfulness and CBT?
Like CBT, ACT is a behavioural therapy. It builds on and extends CBT by integrating mindfulness, acceptance, values, and committed action into the identification and awareness of thoughts and feelings. ACT is particularly concerned with how our mental health is affected by the symbolic nature of language.