ACT Acceptance and Commitment training

The second component of our approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility. ACT is based on six core psychological processes:

  1. Acceptance
  2. Defusion
  3. Contact with the present moment
  4. Self as context
  5. Values
  6. Committed Actions

Acceptance is becoming making contact with your internal experiences but without trying to change, alter, avoid, escape, or control those events

Defusion helps the person distance himself or herself from his or her thoughts

Contact with the present moment focuses on connecting and engaging in what is happening at a given moment.

Present moment awareness allows thought and feeling to be observed as what they are — just thoughts and feelings.

Self as context helps people to see that their thoughts may change, they are more stable than the thoughts that they may notice.

Values are your freely chosen life directions that can be used to guide your behavior.

Committed Action are behaviors taken by the person in the service of their values; steps in the right direction.

Mindfulness is not a specific core component of ACT but is recognized as a vehicle for obtaining four of the six components: acceptance, delusion, contact with the present moment, and self as context.