Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

The goal may not always be to feel better, but to get better at feeling.

 

ACT reinforces the idea that we cannot eliminate painful events in our life. As humans, we will have raw, painful experiences that can have an impact on the way we think, feel, behave and engage in the world. We can use many strategies to escape from, numb out or avoid discomfort, that often have many benefits short-term and perhaps more detrimental effects in the long-term. Ain't no shame in the game, we all have these skills down pat! We have a world with limitless ways to distract.

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Alternatively, we can practice acceptance of what is, not 'what if'. We can learn skills to increase our psychological flexibility and emotional agility to respond more effectively to our pain points. ACT is a wonderful way to learn how to engage in life more mindfully and to recognize how we fuse to unhelpful narratives while learning alternative ways to relate with our thoughts and feelings. When we are free of the mental energy that is used to contain or avoid discomfort, we have space to live a more values-aligned life. 

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