Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Are you at a point in your life journey where you want to handle your emotions better? The truth is you can learn how to manage your feelings in a healthy manner instead of avoiding or dismissing them. As individuals, you have a choice, and struggling to stay afloat doesn't have to be the only option. ACT can help!
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What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
As the acronym spells ‘ACT,' it immediately dives into the explanation of this type of psychotherapy which takes the action approach. Acceptance and commitment therapy teaches one to manage emotions in a healthy manner instead of deciding not to deal with it.
In therapy, individuals learn to embrace the inner emotions that can potentially prevent them from moving forward with life. By learning to filter emotions with fitting responses, individuals gain the ability to accept challenges and work towards adjusting their behaviour. Instead of feeling far removed from yourself, ACT teaches you to accept yourself wholeheartedly, even in the midst of your experiences.
The transformation is in accepting negative emotions instead of feeling merely like they need to be fixed. Negative emotions are a part of the entire life experience that, if also valued, teach many lessons.
The healthier approach to managing emotions is learning to accept the feelings as they come and develop actual responses that will cause you to move forward in life without baggage. The very nature of learning to regulate your emotions to serve you in a positive manner is coined within the therapy of Acceptance and Commitment.
How does ACT therapy work?
Acceptance and commitment therapy works by highlighting that there is more harm than good in trying to suppress negative emotions or experiences that bring about psychological reactions. The reality is controlling emotions lead to even greater unease.
ACT teaches individuals to instead practice mindfulness while paying attention to personal values – all powered by the commitment to act.
Emotional and behavioural change comes with learning how to accept one's psychological experience.
What can an ACT therapist treat?
An ACT therapist understands that there is no need to try and control how emotions are experienced psychologically. In essence, suppressing feelings brings about more harm than good. An ACT therapist encourages the practice of mindful behaviour and attending to personal values, and being devoted to action. With this said, an ACT therapist ably treats patients with:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Eating disorder
Psychosis
Substance-use disorders
Chronic stress
Chronic pain
Benefits of ACT Therapy
ACT therapy is great at improving mental health by helping you to stay focused on the present moment. Judgmental thoughts, therefore, get to spend less time festering in the mind as you are taught how to relate to them without the negative impact.
One other notable benefit of ACT Therapy is that it minimises the need for medication as you treat depression and anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Effectiveness of ACT Therapy
Studies have proven that ACT therapy is as effective as CBT when treating anxiety and depression.
ACT is also said to be very effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Things to Consider
When selecting an ACT therapist, it's essential to ensure that they are licensed with experience in the area of acceptance and commitment. It is also vital to ensure that you feel confident and comfortable with your selected therapist.
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Six Core Processes of ACT
When employing the approach of acceptance and commitment therapy, there are six processes that must be addressed. These core processes promote emotional openness, thus making room for adaptability. Being able to adapt psychologically will cause your behaviours and thoughts to connect to your goals and values.
With that said, the six core processes of ACT are as follows:
Acceptance
Instead of dismissing or avoiding your emotions and thoughts, the practice of acceptance propels you to notice and embrace them in totality.
Cognitive Defusion
This process teaches one to disassociate the urge and need to react to stressful thoughts and feelings in a negative manner. Cognitive defusion instills the technique of observing without mentally casting judgment or categorising your automatic reaction.
Being Present
This process motivates mindfulness within the present moment while observing your thoughts without attempting to alter them. The ability to encounter experiences in life for what they are helps to encourage healthy behavioural changes.
Self as Context
This aspect deals directly with how one identifies with self, seeking to establish that individuals are more than what they have experienced, thought, or felt.
Values
This aspect involves the highlighting of one's values in varying areas of life with the aim to live in keeping with these values.
Committed Action
This aspect involves making deliberate and devoted steps that are aligned with your personal set values that will bring about progress and transformation positively.
Frequently Asked Questions
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ACT works to reprogram how the mind responds to thoughts. Therefore, ACT teaches the mind to accept and embrace thoughts instead of resisting, judging, or feeling guilty.
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Though CBT and ACT appear the same, they are particularly different. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) helps one to pinpoint and change thoughts that are negative. While ACT helps one to understand that in life, there will be pain and the practice of acceptance, instead of trying to change your thoughts, whether good or bad, will make the difference.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches clients how to act more in keeping with their own self-proclaimed values while committing to being mindful and accepting of experiences outside of their control.
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With ACT therapy, there is no set time to see results. However, you can expect to have short-term results gained in as fast as one session to long-term results gained after numerous sessions. In essence, results with ACT therapy are gradual and guarantee a steady improvement with each session.
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The main techniques used in ACT include mindfulness (connecting with the present moment), cognitive defusion, identification of values, acceptance, and commitment to action.
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Here at Fettle, we understand that finding a good and trusted therapist can be a task. However, we are devoted to offering quality counselling always with your needs in mind. When choosing the best therapist to suit your needs, it's essential to know the areas to consider and how to get started.
Other Types of Therapy in Ireland
Cognitive Processing Therapy
CPT therapy is a specific type of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). It's different from CBT as it targets the beliefs individuals face related to trauma. Clients are able to tackle the unhealthy thought process that has trapped them in trauma. CPT therapy aims to acknowledge the thoughts and work towards changing them, which in totality will change how you feel.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
DBT therapy is also a type of CBT. This type of therapy focuses on changing negative thought processes in an effort to encourage healthy behavioural habits.
Talk Therapy
Talk therapy is the general term used in psychology to describe the method by which psychotherapists communicate with their clients to foster comfortable and open expression leading ultimately to growth and healing.
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