Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT (pronounced like the word "act"), is a simple but potent psychiatric treatment for enhancing mental health. Drawing on the science of behavior, ACT brings individuals to accept, not struggle with or avoid, thoughts and feelings. ACT therapy is intended to build psychological flexibility—to be present, open to experience, and action in valuing. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or everyday stress, ACT offers valuable tools for leading a richer, more meaningful life. Here are the top 10 things to know about ACT:
- It's About Acceptance, Not Avoidance
One of the ACT fundamental principles is learning to accept painful thoughts and feelings instead of avoiding or suppressing them. Contrary to other therapies, which seek symptom reduction, ACT requires you to observe and release fear, grief, or anger without judgment. Through this, you are able to have a calmer mind and strength, as opposing feelings always make them stronger.
- It Promotes Psychological Flexibility
Psychological flexibility is the basis of ACT. It's going with the flow of life, being in the moment, and living from your values-even when life gets difficult. This skill allows people to surf through life more easily and become healthier and happier and make better decisions.
- Mindfulness Is At Center
ACT has exercises for mindfulness in order to enable one to be in the here and now. It is not-spaciness or being in a state of complete relaxation, but observing thoughts, feelings, and the world with a sense of open-mindedness and curiosity. Mindfulness training can enhance concentration, minimize anxiety, and enable one to stop the process of negative thinking.
- It Promotes Values-Based Living
Rather than trying to be happy or get better, ACT educates one to recognize what one actually cares about—honesty, compassion, art, family, etc.—and live by them. When one lives by values, life gets richer and more meaningful regardless of the surrounding milieu.
- Defusion Strategies Cause Distance From Thoughts
ACT formalizes cognitive defusion, or how to back off from unhelpful thoughts without becoming entangled in them. For instance, instead of "I'm a failure," ACT would have you express yourself as "I'm having the thought that I'm a failure." The slight difference can preserve the intensity of self-blame without losing the bite.
- It's Evidence-Based and Effective
ACT remains strong scientifically. ACT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse disorders, and even chronic pain. ACT has been shown to enhance enduring mental functioning and improvement in health in a wide variety of populations.
- ACT Does Not Try to Suppress Symptoms
One of the brightest aspects of ACT compared to other forms of therapy is that symptom decrease is not the goal. ACT is a belief that bad thinking is a human aspect of being human. Rather than attempting to avoid depression or anxiety, ACT teaches you how to become skilled at learning how to change the way you're relating to those thoughts so that they no longer control your life.
- It's a Practical, Skill-Based Model
ACT is not one of those sit-around-for-hours-discussing-your-problems therapies—rather, it actually teaches you skills that you can use right in your life. Skills are skills at being present, setting values-based goals, and using acceptance and defusion skills. The skills you learn in ACT can be translated to work, home, and relationships, so it's a highly practical form of therapy.
- It Promotes Long-Term Behaviour Change
By emphasizing value and action taken with commitment, ACT creates enduring change in behavior over transient solutions. For instance, someone who is very interested in relating will promise to keep up with friends and relatives more often, even if it feels strange to them to be doing so. Those tiny but important behaviors can actually compound in terms of improving the quality of one's life down the line.
- It Encourages a Kind Relationship With Yourself
One of the strongest things about ACT is that it forces you to be kind to yourself. Rather than beating yourself up when you're anxious or blue, ACT encourages you to be kind and compassionate. This can de-escalate shame, increase your self-esteem, and provide a means of healing and growth.
Conclusion
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy isn't a healing method—it's a way of being. With its focus on acceptance, values, and living in the moment, ACT is a breath of fresh air amidst the "fix-it" all that pervades so much of what's done under the rubric of mental health therapy. Seated with a therapist or doing it on your own, ACT has the potential to be a guiding light to more authenticity, grit, and purpose in life. In a world that is always inviting us to feel good and never get hurt, ACT is kindly reminding us that living well is not effortless but go anyway, in accordance with what matters most.
