ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It aims to help people accept what is out of their control, and commit instead to actions that enrich their lives
What is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)?
ACT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping individuals accept their thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to change them, and commit to taking action towards values-based goals. ACT is based on the belief that suffering is often caused by an individual's struggle with their thoughts and feelings, rather than the thoughts and feelings themselves.
What happens during an ACT therapy session?
During an ACT therapy session, I will help individuals identify their values and set goals based on those values. We will build skills to help people accept and tolerate difficult thoughts and feelings, and to take action towards their values-based goals. These skills may include mindfulness, cognitive defusion, and experiential acceptance.
Society tells us certain emotions are good and bad:
Sadness? Bad.
Anger? Terrible.
Anxious? An abomination.
BUT
Happy? Yay!
Happy? Good!
Happy? The only thing that is okay to feel!
Fear helps individuals get out of abusive relationships. Anger shows injustice. Sadness helps you understand the importance of something.
Not all feelings feel good but they are all Necessary.