Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially when there are so many confusing therapy acronyms and jargon-y terms to sift through. This post is an attempt to shed some light on at least one of those acronyms (and hopefully a few jargon-y terms too!) with a brief glimpse at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, commonly referred to in therapy-speak as ACT. In ACT, clients are encouraged to work on mindfully accepting difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting or avoiding them, and committing to living their lives based on what matters most to them. 

Here at Levity, all three of us (Elisa, Jess, and Megan) have been known to use ACT-based interventions in our work with clients. How, you ask? Here are a few examples of ways Acceptance and Commitment Therapy might show up in your therapy session:

• Talking about/identifying values. ACT focuses heavily on what we value, what is important to us, and using these values to drive our decision-making. 
• Defusion. ACT suggests that distress often comes when we are “fused” to our thoughts, meaning we hold on tight to them, and we believe them wholeheartedly. Loosening that grip, or “defusing” from the thought, can help us feel better and take some of the power away from our thoughts. 
• Anchoring. When we’re overwhelmed with a big emotion, ACT would have us “anchor” ourselves into the present moment to ride out the feeling rather than make it go away.
• Metaphors. ACT is full of metaphors! If your therapist compares your thoughts to leaves on a stream, or a train, or a caveman, they’re probably doing some Acceptance and Commitment Therapy work.
• Mindfulness. This is an awareness of what our brain is doing without bringing in judgment or expectations about what our brain “should” be doing. It’s being present with ourselves over and over.

If you’re interested in learning more from a true ACT expert, we recommend the book The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. It’s got tons of exercises, tips, skills, info, etc. and it’s written in a conversational tone, so it’s easy to read. Here are a couple of quotes from the book that give a sense of how ACT approaches the harder parts of life:

“The more we try to avoid the basic reality that all human life involves pain, the more we are likely to struggle with that pain when it arises, thereby creating even more suffering.” 

“In ACT, our main interest in a thought is not whether it’s true or false, but whether it’s helpful; that is, if we pay attention to this thought, will it help us create the life we want?”

Good stuff, right? If you agree, or if anything you’ve read here resonates, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy might be a good fit for you!