What is Acceptance and Complement Therapy (ACT)? Definitions and core processes
The website www.actmindfully.com.au explains ACT in simple terms: it is a type of therapy that aims to help patients accept what is out of their control, and commit instead to actions that enrich their lives (Harris, 2013).
According to the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, ACT is:
“A unique psychological intervention that is empirically supported” uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies in conjunction with behavior change strategies to increase psychological flexibility.
ACBS sees ACT as a therapy based upon the idea that suffering is a natural, inevitable part of human existence. Although we have an instinct to control what happens, this instinct is not always helpful.
ACT’s founder has also provided a definition of ACT using terms that are familiar to psychology professionals:
“A psychological intervention that is based on modern behavioral psychology including Relational Frame Theory. It applies mindfulness, acceptance, commitment, and behavior change processes to create psychological flexibility.”
Dr. Russell Harris (2011) has described ACT in less scientific terms as “a mindfulness-based behavior therapy that challenges most Western psychology.” His unique goal is to help patients live a meaningful and fulfilling life, and teach them mindfulness skills.
The Core Processes
Six core processes in ACT guide patients through therapy, and provide a framework to develop psychological flexibility (Harris 2011, 2011). The following six core processes are part of ACT:
- Acceptance;
- Cognitive Defusion
- Being Present;
- The Self as Context
- Values;
- Committed Action.
Acceptance is an alternative to our instinct to avoid thinking about negative-or potentially negative-experiences. Acceptance is an active choice to accept unpleasant experiences as they are, and not to try to change or deny them.
Acceptance is not a goal in ACT. It’s a way to encourage positive action.
Cognitive Defusion is a term that refers to techniques used to alter how individuals react to their thoughts or feelings. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy doesn’t intend to minimize our exposure to negative experiences. It is designed to help us face these and move on with our lives.
The practice of being present can be described as the ability to observe the moment without judgment. It is the ability to experience what is happening, without trying to change it.
The concept of self as context is that an individual is more than the sum and product of their thoughts, experiences, and emotions. The alternative idea of “self as context” is that there may be a self beyond the current experience.
We are more than what happens to others. We are the ones who experience what happens.
In this context, values are the qualities that we choose to strive for in every moment. We all have values that guide our actions, whether we are conscious of them or not. ACT uses tools to help us live in harmony with the values we cherish.
Finally, ACT aims at helping patients to commit to taking actions that will help them achieve their long-term goals. Without awareness of the effects of a behavior on us, positive behavior changes cannot be made.
ACT isn’t all that different from other behavioral therapies. It just emphasizes acceptance rather than avoidance. This makes it stand out from many other types of therapy. This departure from mainstream treatments can be traced back at the origins of ACT’s founder Stephen C. Hayes.
