Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy is about getting connected to what really matters to you in life, who you want to be and how you want to be. Through mindfulness (being in the here-and-now with awareness) I can teach you techniques to experience your unhelpful thoughts and uncomfortable emotions safely. When we are present and aware in the here-and-now we are able to be more in control of our behaviour and where we put our attention so that we can take ongoing action to create the life we want to be living.
What is Acceptance and Commitment?
Acceptance - being willing to experience the thoughts, feelings, urges and sensations which show up in our bodies in the moment as they occur.
Most of us spend a lot of time and energy trying not to feel our uncomfortable emotions in an effort to be happy, enjoy life and get things done. This usually works in the short term but if we look at our behaviour closely we will see that many of the things we do to make ourselves feel better actually contribute to increasing our suffering and making our lives and relationships worse in the long term.
Example: Because I feel anxious in social settings, I stop going out with friends and family. In the short term it works - I feel better, there is no anxiety when I stay in. In the long term however I become isolated from friends and family, I find that I am more anxious when I do have to go out socially and I may become depressed and lonely in addition to the anxiety I was originally experiencing.
Commitment - Knowing what matters to you and taking action toward it.
Values - In order to take committed action it is important to identify your values: what really matters to you as a person and how you want to spend your life's energy and time.
Commitment refers to using these values to guide you in your daily decision making and the behaviour which rests upon it, in addition to setting goals and taking ongoing action to bring your life in line with who you really want to be.
Some thoughts about thinking
The relationship we have with our thoughts can become problematic for many of us. We are so used to being caught up in our minds that it is difficult to notice that we are thinking at all. When we are unaware that thinking is happening, we put ourselves at risk of automatic unhelpful behaviour; that is following the direction of our thoughts concious or unconscious without considering if the behaviour is really in our best interest and the interest of those we care about.
Acceptance and commitment therapy utilises mindfulness meditation as a foundation for gaining perspective and creating change in the relationship we have with our thoughts.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is about getting connected to what really matters to you in life, who you want to be and how you want to be. Through mindfulness (being in the here-and-now with awareness) I can teach you techniques to experience your unhelpful thoughts and uncomfortable emotions safely. When we are present and aware in the here-and-now we are able to be more in control of our behaviour and where we put our attention so that we can take ongoing action to create the life we want to be living.
What is Acceptance and Commitment?
Acceptance - being willing to experience the thoughts, feelings, urges and sensations which show up in our bodies in the moment as they occur.
Most of us spend a lot of time and energy trying not to feel our uncomfortable emotions in an effort to be happy, enjoy life and get things done. This usually works in the short term but if we look at our behaviour closely we will see that many of the things we do to make ourselves feel better actually contribute to increasing our suffering and making our lives and relationships worse in the long term.
Example: Because I feel anxious in social settings, I stop going out with friends and family. In the short term it works - I feel better, there is no anxiety when I stay in. In the long term however I become isolated from friends and family, I find that I am more anxious when I do have to go out socially and I may become depressed and lonely in addition to the anxiety I was originally experiencing.
Commitment - Knowing what matters to you and taking action toward it.
Values - In order to take committed action it is important to identify your values: what really matters to you as a person and how you want to spend your life's energy and time.
Commitment refers to using these values to guide you in your daily decision making and the behaviour which rests upon it, in addition to setting goals and taking ongoing action to bring your life in line with who you really want to be.
Some thoughts about thinking
The relationship we have with our thoughts can become problematic for many of us. We are so used to being caught up in our minds that it is difficult to notice that we are thinking at all. When we are unaware that thinking is happening, we put ourselves at risk of automatic unhelpful behaviour; that is following the direction of our thoughts concious or unconscious without considering if the behaviour is really in our best interest and the interest of those we care about.
Acceptance and commitment therapy utilises mindfulness meditation as a foundation for gaining perspective and creating change in the relationship we have with our thoughts.