My Learning NotesAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy? What is its scope?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychotherapy protocol based on mindfulness used to:
- increase psychological flexibility
- change or persist in behaviour that are useful to reach the desired goal in the presence of discomfort situations
- reduce cognitive fusion
Is ACT effective? Is effective also in non clinical context?
Some researches suggest that ACT does not fulfill the criteria for being considered a empirical validated therapy, while other researches suggest that ACT is effective for several mental and mood disorders. The American Psychological Association has included ACT as as an empirically supported treatment. I have not found enough data about ACT effectiveness in non clinical context. Therefore my personal conclusion about ACT effectiveness is that it is promising but the effectiveness has not yet been sufficiently proved.
What are the mechanisms on which ACT works?
One of the mechanisms on which ACT claims to work is the reduction of experiential avoidance through cognitive defusion. Experiential avoidance means avoiding thoughts, emotions and possible behaviours. Experiential avoidance can contribute to avoiding behaviours that are useful to move towards our values. One of the causes that contribute to experiential avoidance is that we think that some thoughts, emotions and possible behaviours can lead to negative outcomes. Cognitive defusion means not always considering our thoughts as true, accepting life’s difficulties while moving in the direction of our values, and changing the way we use internal dialogue.
What is the principles on which ACT is based?
ACT is based on two theories:
What are the main obstacles to change useless behaviours or persist on useful behaviours?
| Obstacles | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Cognitive fusion | Cognitive defusion |
| Set impossible goals | Break goals in smaller and more achievable goals and accept the errors |
| Avoid emotions | Accept emotions |
| Move away from our values | Move towards to our values |
What are the 6 basic processes of ACT?
- Defusion: reduce influence of negative thoughts
- Acceptance: allowing useless negative thoughts and emotions to come and go without judging them
- Connecting to the present moment: focusing on the present moment and not on the past or the future
- The observing self: focusing on the part of ourselves that observe without judging instead to focusing on the part of ourselves that generate thoughts
- Values: find our own values
- Commited action: act coherently to the own values.
What are some defusion techniques?
When you are having a negative thoughts, try to use one of the following defusion techniques:
| Technique | Description |
|---|---|
| I notice I’m having a thought… | Instead of repeating in your mind the negative thought, for example I am stupid, think in this way: I notice I’m having the thought that I’m stupid |
| Musical thoughts | Repeat the thought like it was a famous song, the goofier the song, the better is. |
| Give a name to the story | Give a name to the thought you are repeating yourself. For example, think in this way Ah ok, this is the story of Paolo the stupid guy, I’ve already heard it |
| Thank your mind | Instead of suppressing the thought, repeat to your mind Thank you, mind. |
| Ridiculous voice | Repeat the thought with a ridiculous voice like the one of a cartoon character. |
| Thoughts on the screen | Imagine that the thought you are having is a scene of a film, the goofier the scene, the better is. Try to make the scene ridiculous using goofy voice and ridiculous images. |
How to practice acceptance?
When you are having a pain or a tension in some part of your body due to a negative thought, try the following expansion exercise:
- Observe and focus on the body sensation you are feeling. Focus on the exact part of the body you are experiencing a pain or a tension. Try to describe it in detail in your mind.
- When you have described it in detail, breath in and out in the body sensation you are feeling, trying to move the breath in the exact part of the body you are feeling tension.
- Make room to the tension you are experiencing without suppressing it. Leave it expanding in your body.
- Leave that the sensation is present in your body and thank your mind if it fuses with the sensation.
What is the difference between Connecting to the present moment and The observing self?
Connecting to the present moment is focusing on what you are experiencing in the present moment, while the observing self is the awareness that notice thoughts without being identified by them.
References
- The Happiness Trap. Russ Harris. 2020.
- A review of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) empirical evidence: Correlational, experimental psychopathology, component and outcome studies | Francisco J. Ruiz | 2010.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change | Steven C Hayes, Kirk D Strosahl, Kelly G Wilson | 1999.
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