The Ten Minute Counselor - An Introduction To ACT

In this first lesson we look at the origin of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the possible reasons why it can be an effective treatment option for mental health conditions we face in our day to day lives.

We find it very hard to stay present. We know how easy it is to get caught up in our thoughts and lose touch with the world around us. We may spend a lot of time absorbed in thoughts about the past or the future. Or instead of being fully conscious of our experience, we may operate on autopilot, merely “going through the motions.” What can we do to help us experience more of life as it unfolds? What can we do to participate more fully and aware in our own life?

"Defusion," in ACT means learning to “step back” and separate or detach from our thoughts, images, and memories. Instead of getting caught up in our thoughts or being pushed around by them, we let them come and go as if they were just cars driving past outside our house. We step back and watch our thinking instead of getting tangled up in it. We see our thoughts for what they are—nothing more or less than words or pictures. We hold them lightly instead of clutching them tightly. Eventually, when we establish ourselves as "observers," we can begin to extract ourselves from our limiting beliefs.

Opening up means and making room for painful feelings, sensations, urges, and emotions. We drop the struggle with them, give them some breathing space, and allow them to be as they are. Instead of fighting them, resisting them, running from them, or getting overwhelmed by them, we open up to them and let them be. The power of acceptance is a powerful force in all of us.

In everyday language, we talk about the “mind” without recognizing that there are two distinct elements to it: the thinking self and the observing self. We’re all very familiar with the thinking self: that part of us which is generating thoughts, beliefs, memories, judgments, fantasies, plans, and so on. But most people are unfamiliar with the observing self: the aspect of us that is aware of whatever we’re thinking, feeling, sensing, or doing in any moment. Another term for it is “pure awareness.” In ACT, the technical term is self-as-context. For example, as you go through life, your body changes, your thoughts change, your feelings change, your roles change, but the “you”that’s able to notice or observe all those things never changes. It’s the same “you” that’s been there your whole life.

In ACT, we often refer to values as “chosen life directions.” We commonly compare values to a compass because they give us direction and guide our ongoing journey (valued action). It is therefore important to know "what we stand for."