Acceptance and Commitment Therapy utilises an eclectic mix of metaphor, paradox, and mindfulness skills, along with a wide range of experiential exercises and values-guided behavioural interventions to help individuals create a create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it.
‘ACT’ is a good abbreviation, because this therapy is about taking effective action guided by our deepest values and in which we are fully present and engaged. It is only through mindful action that we can create a meaningful life.
Of course, as we attempt to create such a life, we will encounter all sorts of barriers, in the form of unpleasant and unwanted ‘private experiences’ (thoughts, images, feelings, sensations, urges, and memories). ACT teaches mindfulness skills as an effective way to handle these private experiences.
One ACT tool, the choice point, is a guide for life that helps us deal with any challenge that gets in our way. It allows us to take control of how we respond to whatever life is giving us at that moment in time.
Learn more about the choice point from leading ACT authority Russ Harris...